Lost Power to Detached Garage

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jconnor3

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So I moved into a new house about a year ago. Built in the 40's and it currently has screw in fuse style electric box. Old, but it works. There is a detached 1 car garage that has a couple outlets and a power garage door. Everything has been working just fine, but out of nowhere i've lost all power to the garage. It looks like power is coming into the garage via 3 overhead wires from the house, i think they are maybe red and white, can't remember exactly. I have an electric tester that lights up when electricity is present and nothing happens when I touch it to any of those lines. There are no fuses or breakers in the garage so they must be in the house....right?

Well, i checked all of the fuses and none of them look like they have a broken connection. I'm pretty handy and have remodeled the whole house in plans on flipping it (this is my second flip) and listing it for sale by the end of the month. Electrical i'm pretty so-so at, just the basics mainly. I mention the remodeling because i've pulled all 8 fuses multiple times for various reasons over the past year so i know what each controls in the house and currently everything still works perfectly in the house. So that would lead me to believe that wherever the circuit is for the garage, it's not within the fuse panel the rest of the house is on.

This is where I get confused. Is that possible even? Sure there could be another small box i guess just for the garage, but I've searched the rest of the basement for another box and cann't find anything. It's a small house/basement so it's not like there is really a place for it to be hidden. It has to have a fuse somewhere right? It can't (or definitely shouldn't) be directly wired without any protection right? I just don't know, i'm really at a loss. I REALLY don't want to pay for an electrician to come out, but i'm pretty much out of ideas.

The garage lines must be fused for protection somehow right?
Could I have damaged something when unscrewing/screwing fuses? (Everything still currently works in the home so I wouldn't think so)

You guys have any guesses or things I should check?
 

DonL

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The fuse is in that other fuse box. The one with the blown fuse.

Good Luck.
 

Jadnashua

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Is it possible that they fed the garage via the load side of a GFCI? That could be tripped, and not show up in the fuse box. Or, there could be another subpanel somewhere you just haven't found yet.

A fuse box that old, who knows...you might find a mouse that got fried when eating through the insulation somewhere.
 

jconnor3

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Thanks for the reply's. For the GFCI, the only ones in the whole house are the ones I added in the bathroom and kitchen and all is well on those. As for the mouse, always a possibility. Never seen one around but that doesn't mean they arn't there I suppose.

For the light switch, i've checked that as well and searched, but no go there.

For following the overhead lines, they lead from the garage to the house and then into the house behind the wall. Where it enters the house is an addition at some point and does not have the original basement underneath it so I can't follow it past the outside of the house. Like I mentioned, the basement is pretty small and i've looked over every inch of it. But, the people who have done the work over the years have been pretty shotty so I wouldn't be totally shocked if they walled it in or somehow covered it up...who knows.

Lets say i get an electrician and he can't find where it's broken either. I'm worried of the cost to run a new line to the garage and restore power. A car really isn't going to fit in that garage well anyway, its basically a shed, i'm half tempted to rip out all of the electrical and clip the lines from the house to the garage. I don't want to, but I guess i'll see what I get for quotes and go from there.
 

DonL

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Since it should have a GFCI, I would guess it just tripped.

If it does not have one, One should be added.
 

jconnor3

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Where? In the garage? There isn't one in there, just normal outlets which do need to be swapped.
 

Jadnashua

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A good electrician would likely have a wire finder device...it essentially has a signal generator that is clipped or attached to one end of the wire and a sensor/receiver that you carry around...it makes an alert when it is near the wire in question sort of like a stud finder. You can buy inexpensive ones yourself, but I do not know how well they work verses a professional model.
 

SlippySandigo

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Bluebinky has it right.. was replacing an old switch in our guest bedroom.. removed existing switch went out into my garage to get the new one and found the entire garage was out.. garage door opener,lights and outlets.. took me a minute before i relized the switch had two legs going out to garage.. replaced new switch power restored to garage..
 
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