circuit breaker?

Question

I turned on the bathroom light and power went out(just the bathroom area and half the outlet in my master bed room not the whole house). The individual circuit isn't tripped. I switch it off and turn it back on and still no luck. Sometimes the power comes back but went out again. What's the possible cause for this issue? Should I replace the entire fuse box or just the individual circuit? Thx alot for your time.

Thanks alot to all of you. Here are some more details with my problem. I don't have GFCI outlets at all. I removed the panel on the fuse box to check for any loose connection and wires. Everything seems to be tighting down. I believe it might be breaker itself. The breaker which I wish to replace looks slightly different than others. Click on this link for the picture. The one with an orange test bottom is the one I wish to replace. There are one black wire and white wire attach to it. Can I replace it myself or I have to hire someone else to do it for me. Yes, I did miss a s in the first sentence. Half of my outlets in my master bedroom doesn't work at all. Here is the link
http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2000522295337489580
Thanks alot for your help.

P.S. My house is 21 years old.

Answer 1

First check to see if your bathroom outlet is a GFCI outlet (many are). If it is, it will have a pair of buttons, labeled "Test" and "Reset". Unplug whatever may be plugged into the outlet, and hit the "Reset".

If this doesnt correct the outage, or you do not have a GFCI outlet in the bathroom, then the problem may be simply a loose wire. I'd suggest calling in an electrician, after the holidays (shut the breaker off to the outlets in the meantime). I say after the holidays, because it will be cheaper, heheh.

Oh, and if it is the breaker, you only need to replace it, not the whole fuse box, unless youve got a real mess in there.

Good Luck

Answer 2

OK let me explain how the breakers work ,
they take power from the main supply, it goes thru the breaker, then to the wiring , i n the meantime it get warm, some times hot, hence why it shuts down, for your safety !!.and no fires
if it shuts down , too many times, it needs replaced
in any case , they have a life span, like all things in life,
this could be case of a bad earth , or bad connection.
maybe hire a pro to have it checked out ,

Answer 3

Could be a loose neutral wire, This is white wire in the fuse panel. If you know which breaker it is go to breaker follow the black wire on breaker to where it comes into box. Then follow the white wire that is in same cable and make sure it is tight on the buss terminal...

Answer 4

Sometimes the breakers are bad. Take it out and have a shop check it. If it is ok, then I would have a professional check it out. Not worth causing an electrical fire. We bought breakers for a rental that we had, and had to take them back. The shop knew when we came in with them, because they said the whole box that they had, was bad, that they had gotten. They replaced them free , because we had just purchases them, but they will go bad sometimes.

Answer 5

You said the Breaker didn't trip. If the breaker is not tripped you should have voltage going to the circuit.
Yes the breaker could bad. but there could be a problem somewhere else in the circuit. I would advise you to get an Electrician to check it out.

Answer 6

YOU PROBABLY HAVE ALUMINUM WIRE AND IT GOES "LOOSE CONNECTION" ONCE IN AWHILE AND MUST BE RETIGHTENED. THE CONNECTION IN ONE OF YOUR MASTER BEDROOM OUTLETS WENT LOOSE AND NEEDS RETIGHTENED. THAT CAUSED THE LOSS OF POWER TO THE BATHROOM OUTLET AND THE LIGHT. PULL OUT THE OUTLETS IN THE M. BEDROOM UNTIL YOU FIND THE LOOSE CONNECTION. I THINK YOU LEFT OFF THE "s" ON THE WORD "outlet" IN THE FIRST SENTENCE--- (half the outlet in my...)? DON'T YOU MEAN (half the outlets in my...)?
TO PREVENT ALUMINUM WIRE FROM CAUSING THIS PROBLEM(IF I AM RIGHT) YOU WOULD NEED TO GET IT CORRECTED BY AN ELECTRICIAN AND IT IS PRETTY COSTLY BUT IT SHOULD BE DONE.