How to Troubleshoot If There Is No Power in a Room

Fuse boxes or circuit breaker panels are often found in laundry rooms, basements and garages.

When experiencing a power outage in only one room or area of your home, the simplest explanation is usually the correct one: you have blown the fuse or tripped the circuit breaker for that area by overloading its electrical circuit. When the circuit is overloaded, it breaks the connection with its power source as a safety measure to prevent electrical fires. This kind of power outage is easily corrected in a few minutes by replacing the blown fuse in your fuse box or by resetting the circuit for the area in your home's circuit breaker box.

Things You'll Need

• Replacement electrical fuses of different amperages for fuses in fuse box
• Wooden platform or plywood sheet, 3 feet by 3 feet, for standing on wet floor
• Rubber mat
• Flashlight

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Instructions

Fuses

1. 

   Labeling the fuses in your fuse box allows you to restore power quickly.

   Label the fuses in your fuse box, identifying which areas of your house are covered by each fuse. Keep on hand three or four replacement fuses for each kind of fuse in your fuse box so you are prepared for power outages and can replace blown fuses quickly.

2. 

   The window in the top of a fuse turns cloudy when the fuse is blown.

   Look for the blown fuse in your fuse box by looking at the clear window on top of each fuse. If it is cloudy, it has blown. Remove the blown fuse by unscrewing it from the panel.

3. Screw in a new fuse identical in type and amperage to the blown fuse. Never replace a fuse with a fuse of higher amperage; this is a fire hazard. If power is restored and the circuit blows again, there is a problem such as a short in the system; call an electrician.

Circuit Breakers

1. 

   A circuit breaker panel looks like a small metal door set into a wall.

   Locate your home's circuit breaker panel. Panels are usually in a laundry room, basement or garage and look like a small metal door set into the wall.

2. 

   An overloaded electrical circuit causes a circuit breaker to cut power to that circuit.

   Open the circuit breaker panel door, and look down the rows of levers for one that is out of position from the others. It will be in the "off" position.

3. Flip the breaker lever all the way off. You must turn the lever off completely before you can reset it and turn it back to the "on" position.

4. Turn the breaker to the "on" position. If this doesn't restore power, try turning it off and on a second time. If power is restored and then goes off again, you have a problem -- probably a short -- that will need to be fixed by an electrician.

Tips & Warnings

• If you must stand on a wet floor to replace a fuse, stand on a wood sheet or platform with a rubber mat on top for added protection against shocks.

• Don't ever replace a fuse with one of higher amperage. This is a fire hazard.

References

• For Dummies; How to Reset a Circuit Breaker; R. Barnhart, J. Carey, M. Carey, G. Hamilton, K. Hamilton, D. Priestley, J. Strong; 2011
• Accurate Building; Recipes for Home Repair; How to Change Blown Fuse or Circuit Breaker; A. Ubell, S. Bittman; 1974
• Only Connect Electric; Electricity in Your Home; 2005

Resources

• The Circuit Detective; Solve Home Electrical Problems Yourself; Larry Dimock; 2005