[NOVICOUPE]

Lost power and can't figure out whats up.I have power to the switch which I replaced but can't get power to lights and recepts.I am not good with wiring.HELP.

 

[Ron Clevenger]

So your saying no voltage after the switch but there is before the switch? Gotta be the switch if everything was working before you lost power.

Blessings.........Ron.

 

[ChuMieWang]

Check where your power comes into the garage from (source voltage) Does your garage have it's own panel? or is it fed from the house?

 

[NOVICOUPE]

Sorry had to pickup my son.This sould help.Ok.Switch was sticking so I replaced it.But had lost power before that.Thought the new switch would fix my problem,well still no power past where it comes into switch..It is on a 3 way switch.I have a switch right by the back door that will turn the power to garage and outside light on garage.Also have a switch inside the garage that does the same.Piece of conduit that comes up thru the floor in garage.3 wires coming out of it.One goes up thru the switch box that distributes power.Black wires hooked to it.White wire comes back from box and goes to ground on switch. Other 2 wires coming out of conduit go up and 1 on each side of switch.One wire is hot and goes to top side of switch.Bottom wire is the last one that comes up out of the conduit.It has no power until I flip the switch.Soon as I flip switch it is hot also but still no powr past the switch.. What gives??

 

[nova007]

gfi on a receptical..check all and report back

 

[bluerhino]

are the lights and the outlets on the same circuit? does the breaker trip when you turn the switch on? and finally - are you sure you wired the new switch correctly?

 

[Paulie9fingers]

How did you check for power coming into the switch box. If you tested it from the "hot"/black wire to the ground/bare wire it could be you have "lost" your neutral (white wire). Check the power by reading from the "hot" wire to the neutral and make sure you still get a reading.

OK, forget everything above, sounds like you fucked up your travelers on the 3 way. To fix it you will need to identify the wires and where they go. You need to try to make sure you hooked the wires back up exactly where they were, one of the screws on the 3-way switch should be a different color and the wire that was hooked to that screw on the old switch has to be on the different colored screw on the new switch. Also the white wire should not be a ground, it is a neutral and should not be "grounded" to the switch.

 

[MattSwindle]

gfi on a receptical..check all and report back

my first thought too..

 

[Outlaw_Iroc]

if you have a voltmeter check to make sure you have voltage (i assume its 120v) coming to and leaving the switch. If you do check at the light to make sure you have power AND a neutral, 120v will do you no good without a neutral. To be sure put the red lead of your voltmeter on the black wire and the black lead on the white wire, if you read 120 sounds like your light is bad, if you read 0 move your black lead to the green or bare wire, if you read 120 you have lost your neutral if 0 there is a break in the black between the switch and light. Test this and let us know it will be easier to narrow down if your still having a problem. Good luck.

 

[nova007]

sounds like a loose nutral but you may want to call a professional...what he sead^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[NOVICOUPE]

Yep all on same circuit.Small garage.Breaker not tripped or tripping.Not 100% sure about wiring switch correclty as wiring and electricity is something I am not good with.

 

[Paulie9fingers]

sounds like a loose nutral but you may want to call a professional

x2, it sounds like some of what you have isn't done correctly and to try and diagnose it like this is going to be hard to do.

 

[08miller]

Shut power to garage Off at breaker. Go to Home Depot or Lowes purchase book, Basic Wiring. It will tell you what you need and how to wire it correct. Not too expensive and also handy to have around for home projects.

 

[14943]

CALL AN ELECTRICIAN IF YOU DONT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING !!!!!

 

[NOVICOUPE]

Checked for power coming in with one of these.
http://www.fluke.com/fluke/usen/Electrical-Test-Tools/Electrical-Testers/Fluke-1AC-II.htm?PID=56048

 

[Outlaw_Iroc]

How did you check for power coming into the switch box. If you tested it from the "hot"/black wire to the ground/bare wire it could be you have "lost" your neutral (white wire). Check the power by reading from the "hot" wire to the neutral and make sure you still get a reading.

OK, forget everything above, sounds like you fucked up your travelers on the 3 way. To fix it you will need to identify the wires and where they go. You need to try to make sure you hooked the wires back up exactly where they were, one of the screws on the 3-way switch should be a different color and the wire that was hooked to that screw on the old switch has to be on the different colored screw on the new switch. Also the white wire should not be a ground, it is a neutral and should not be "grounded" to the switch.

^^^^^ what he said

damn I type too slow on my phone there was only 1 reply when I started

 

[Outlaw_Iroc]

how many peices of cable are im the box in the garage and how many wires are in each, gonna take a shot in the dark here but is it 1 piece in the bottom w/black, red, white, and bare? And 1piece in top w/ black, white, bare?

 

[NOVICOUPE]

Tell me if this is right or makes sense.With switch by back door in the down pos. the switch in the garage has power on the bottom side top doesn't until I flip garage switch then both top and bottom are hot.Well if I flip the switch inside the house by the back door the garage switch is the exact opposite then.

 

[Paulie9fingers]

A 3-way switch moves power from screw to screw. Like the post above yours just asked, we need to know how many individual wires are in the switch box and what color they are.

Tell me if this is right or makes sense.With switch by back door in the down pos. the switch in the garage has power on the bottom side top doesn't until I flip garage switch then both top and bottom are hot.Well if I flip the switch inside the house by the back door the garage switch is the exact opposite then.

. . . the switch you bought is a 3-way right, three screws total on the side of the switch, two on one end and one on the other and then a small green one on the metal frame of the switch ? You are only mentioning two screws.

 

[bluerhino]

the three wires are as follows - black is hot. white is neutral, which is grounded back at the breaker panel. the green third wire is ground for the switch frame, conduit, and junction boxes. make sure your wiring follows this - it sounds like your three way switch setup is the problem. you can have a hot lead in and still no power out if the other switch is off (or it is malfunctioning). look at a three way switch wiring diagram:

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...cial&biw=1920&bih=1046&tbs=isch:1&um=1&itbs=1

or this one:
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...fGOCg&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=27&ved=1t:429,r:6,s:0