Can a breaker just quit working?

[YBeNormal]

My front bedroom for some reason this evening lost all electric. I checked the breaker and it wasn't tripped so I flipped it on and off a couple times and still no power in that room.

Anyone have any ideas?

 

[Gus]

is that circuit on any GFI wall sockets ??? and was the breaker tripped when you first touched it ???[S

 

[Willowbilly3]

Loose wire maybe, I've seen it before.

 

[EnglishBob]

Normally and I stress 'normally' if a breaker gets tired and stops working it won't reset fully and feels like it won't make contact.
Like a previous answer I'd be looking at GFI plugs and resetting them.

 

[Dr Crankenstein]

Loose wire maybe, I've seen it before.

Me, too. Too many times. The idiot who wired my house used those stupid push-in connections (instead of the screw connections) on all my wall receptacles. They get hot and lose their grip on the conductor. Dead circuit.

 

[YBeNormal]

The breaker clicks on and off fine there is no gfi that I know of except in the restroom. But I have no power no fan lights or outlets in that one room

 

[GJunktionMike]

I'm voting lose wire. If the home run wire into the first plug or switch is lose it kills the whole circuit. Alot of older homes the home run was into the light J-box then went out into a daisy chain to the plugs, sometimes the wire nut in the j-box come lose and kills the power.

 

[Dr Crankenstein]

If you shut that breaker off, does it kill anything else?

 

[phillip-r-s]

Me, too. Too many times. The idiot who wired my house used those stupid push-in connections (instead of the screw connections) on all my wall receptacles. They get hot and lose their grip on the conductor. Dead circuit.

I just had the same problem last weekend at my father in laws house.

 

[YBeNormal]

If you shut that breaker off, does it kill anything else?

Nope not that I can find.

 

[Gus]

swap breakers with something else in the ele box that will show if the breaker is bad...and keep in mind a GFI in another room will do it if it's using the same breaker.... or the worst a bad connection.

 

[YBeNormal]

LOL. You speak as if I know how to do any of that. Lol. Time to look up videos n YouTube about changing breakers!

 

[Gus]

OOOOOOh I kind of did that for 5.5 years breaking down 440 volts all the way down to 1 milliamp my talents are many LOL....? I was a automation tec in the oilfield ,I had to play with the big stuff 220 /3 phase /440 and computer electronics.

 

[Willowbilly3]

LOL. You speak as if I know how to do any of that. Lol. Time to look up videos n YouTube about changing breakers!

Turn the breaker off, loosen the screw holding the wire and pull the breaker out. You could test it for continuity with an ohm meter while you have it out. Or better yet, just use your volt meter set on AC and see if any power is coming through the breaker. Posative on the wire coming out and neg on the cluster of white wires affixed to the breaker box. Oh, you have to take the lid/cover off to service them.

 

[R Pope]

Usually the plugs are on a different circuit than the lights. Older house, maybe? Or do they do things different down there?
Second the remark about those crappy push-in connecters, they always cause grief. Could also be a Marr connecter in a junction box.

 

[EnglishBob]

Disconnect the wire in the questionable breaker and hook it in to the next breaker,for the split second it will be on it won't matter the size of the breaker or if the original circuit is left connected.
Turn it on and see if anything happens.
If it works it's the breaker, if not get the meter out.

 

[Country Misfit]

Id say loose wire also.Like the other guys said. Most guys use those push in type connections on the back of the plugs.They can come loose.One hot wire comes in+another goes out to feed the next plug.I like to tie all the wires together in the box+and pigtail a wire to feed the plug +use the screws not the push ins.Can b hard to find that loose wire.

 

[sgtpontiac]

OK....is it one of those push type breakers??

those things suck!! If it's a flip type (like a square D) I'd guess a loose connection....

 

[Sam_Fear]

I like to tie all the wires together in the box+and pigtail a wire to feed the plug +use the screws not the push ins.Can b hard to find that loose wire.

I didn't realize it was done any other way. Huh. Stupid is often faster I guess.

 

[YBeNormal]

So finally found the problem. It was a loose wire behind the switch in the next room. I guess it feeds from there. Didn't thnk we were ever going to have power in the front room again