I have a Nutone range hood fan with a light (and fan) that have worked great up until a few days ago. It has a separate light and fan switch. When I turned on the light, I heard a loud pop at the hood and the light only flashed on for a second. Now both the fan and light do not work, as well as all the undercabinet lights.

It's not the circuit breaker, nor any GFCI's.

What I have done so far:

1. I opened the hood and found the wiring going into the wall and I get no voltage from a voltage tester nor multimeter. All the outlets underneath the kitchen cabinets (where I suspect the power wires may have been pulled) have voltage, though I have not opened any to see the outfeeds.

2. Although I haven't had time to check which circuit it is, I have checked voltage of the hot wires to neutral (I only have one bus for neutral and ground wires) to all circuit breakers and all appear to be fine. Maybe this is not a good test and I just need to pull and temporary swap a known, good breaker. My apologies for not having done this before writing this, but I am going under the assumption that something shorted right at the hood and I'd easily find an open wire...

3. I checked the bulb socket and there is not evidence of a short there.

4. I checked all the wiring for both fan and light switches and again no evidence of a short. I also disconnected the hood and switch wires and re-tested the wall voltage and still none.

Help!!! Any ideas??? I haven't been able to cook for a few days.

I am wondering if I can temporary pull power from an outlet a couple feet away with jumpers for the hot, neutral and ground wires and see at least if I can get the fan to work.

 

I'm guessing somebody used the "stab" style recepticals. Pop a short through one of those and the little bronze blades burn back away from the wire. If you find that is the problem, use the screws to connect the wires. It takes a minute longer to do, but they stay connected.

 

Ours is Nutone, just a simple 3 terminal connection, if the same, there is a cover on the RH side of the fan with one screw to disclose the terminals where you can measure the incoming power.
Max.

 

Ours is Nutone, just a simple 3 terminal connection, if the same, there is a cover on the RH side of the fan with one screw to disclose the terminals where you can measure the incoming power.
Max.

I already did this. NO voltage at all from these power lines from the wall.

 

I'm guessing somebody used the "stab" style recepticals. Pop a short through one of those and the little bronze blades burn back away from the wire. If you find that is the problem, use the screws to connect the wires. It takes a minute longer to do, but they stay connected.

I had replaced 3 of 5 outlets so far at the kitchen outlets a few months ago and had used the screws as I always do. The other two...I haven't checked so maybe it's one of those...

Thanks!

 

OK, I just had one of those moments. I replaced bedroom outlets about a years ago (similar). Then one morning, the power went out in 2.5 bedrooms. I hurried and got the UPS powered that powers the phones, medical alarm and a light for an elderly parent.

Now troubleshooting. Popped "fuse". Removed anything plugged in to "dead" outlets.

I had a issue (no power) with a ceiling fan, so I started there. Many wires branched out from there. I identified the switch wire and taped it (white taped black). I found a 40 ohm hot-ground short, "somewhere". I was able to disconnect wires until the short was removed.

My test or trick was to replace the "fuse" with an incandescent light bulb. Shorts will cause it to glow.

As you said, I replaced some outlets so I started at a probable one. Removing the receptacle, removed the short.

I brought power up and had 4 outlets without power, still including the UPS.

I restored everything and inspected the one that removal fixed it with the outlet still out of the metal box.
Still no fan/light.

Turns out that the screws hit the side of the metal box, so wrapped electrical tape around the outlet and used "cool parts" not manufactured anymore called Ideal "term-a nuts". This puts the pigtail in the back of the outlet and gives me a fork terminal to attach to the outlet. They were also used to fix the ceiling fixture, so you gave one drop. The grounds were fixed too. Older construction without tapped ground holes.

The outlet box misses specs by a few mm or so. I think the receptacle s a really bad design. With plastic booxes, which I don't have, it doesn't matter.

So, the fan had two loose neutrals, no ground to the fixture and some poor connections inside the box.
What isn't fixed is a stripped mounting hole. While I was at it, I added a ground from the wall box to the wall switch.

The major issue was the tolerance and outlet screws were too close.

So, it wasn't easy. I could guess the wiring path. I did not expect all three bedrooms to share 1 circuit including lights except for 2 outlets. I also wasn't expecting the ceiling fixture to act as a junction box.

The upgrade in one bedroom came about because some receptacles were still 2 wire plugs and were old. They got tamper (kid proof) and wet location outlets. Cheap at an electrical supply store. The other bedroom, got the Decora stuff in tamper-resistant when the room was painted.

So, split and conquer. The difficulty is knowing the path. Cutting the path and checking for voltage and then continuity. There are expensive testers that can trace wires in walls.

 

So, you have short, opens, phantom voltages and things that behave as shorts like a transformer across the line.
Breakers don;t fully trip. The squish a bit when turned to on. Everything on that circuit should not be plugged in.

Although, I think you may have missed a tripped breaker, you do have to identify what is on that circuit and guess the daisy-chained path.

 

Thank you @KeepItSimpleStupid. I see you've read War And Peace, too. Thanks for the tidbits of info!

I had only an hour to work on this project today. I attempted to identify all twelve of my circuit breakers and was doing pretty good but unfortunately, I was unable to figure out four of them. Yes, four. . The previous owner did have a spa in the backyard at some point but the electrical dead-ends there so that's probably one of the circuits. And then I have a shed which I haven't checked yet but I assume one of the circuits is for that. That would still leave two unaccounted circuits. But I'll take that and will assume my lack of power is on one of these circuits. I'll swap out the breakers so to determine if the breaker is bad.

But I did discover something else. Along with the range fan/light and kitchen counter lights not working, there is a ceiling light and outlet in a china cabinet room that doesn't work either. The ceiling light is across the kitchen and dining rooms, and about 15' as a bird flies.

I'll have time tomorrow to work on this more. Frustrating. I do have a tone and tracer but often those have been hit and miss, mostly miss with me.

 

This is Ideal's Suretrace system. I don;t have this model. I do have to buy a $40.00 probe set from the ebay item.

I had only an hour to work on this project today.

I know that feeling very well. Something else usually wins. I've lived in the house all but 3 years of my life. Dad;s not around to ask anymore. We still have fuses with no extra capability.

There's another circuit I have to fix AND identifying the problem was the hardest part. An outside outlet has to be re-installed in a much better fashion. The problem may have taken out, somewhat, an antenna pre-amp. Variable gain doesn't seem to work anymore.

But, there was voltage between Neutral and ground and Ideal's Suretest (a little different gizmo http://www.idealindustries.ca/produ...cuit_analyzers/suretest_circuit_analyzers.php) I got one really cheap, like less than $50.00 USD. I don;t have any of the accessories.

I found a box that I know my father wired where the ground wires were twisted, but not wirenutted. That caused the neutral ground drop.

Just a reminder: You have to ground the metal box and the device. You cannot relay on the device making contact by the ground screw.

Ideal doesn't make these https://www.arcade-electronics.com/Ideal-30-3172-Term-a-Nut-Wire-Connector-p/ide-30-3172.htm anymore. Yell at them. They were available in green, black and white with either a fork or a wire terminal.

The forks were good for pig tailing daisy chained outlets and the wire ones for lighting fixtures.

I haven't done much electrical wiring troubleshooting except the usual new or upgrade or loose outlet.

The work one was also tough. It started with an expensive computer being damaged in the non-PC era. Potentially 420 outlets (all of them in the building) were defective. The ground was mode only by pressure and the ground of one of the duplex sides could let go ONLY if you plugged in two cords.

It was not my decision as to what to do, nor did I have to fix them. I did find a way to identify them.
The decision was, to blanket replace some (change from white to brown) and to test and replace "as needed".

 

Thanks again for all the info, @KeepItSimpleStupid. In appreciation, private message me your address as I would like to send you eight pounds of decaffeinated coffee. That circuit analyzer from Sure Test looks cool.

I think I found my problem and got things working, but I still need help...

I identified the circuit at least. Just a reminder of my problem: the range hood fan and light, as well as all kitchen counter lights, and the ceiling light to a china cabinet room all went kutputz. Today I got around to removing one outlet that was due for replacement. This outlet is the nearest one to the wiring for the hood fan/light that goes into the wall. It's about 2' over and 2' down from the hood wiring.

The outlet has three sets of wires, all joined into a pigtail for the hot and a pigtail for the neutral. I did a continuity check (with power off, of course) from the hood neutral to the outlet neutral and it showed continuity. I did the same for the hot wire but no continuity. Of the three hot wires in the outlet, I identified one that actually showed the 120 volts. The other two are load lines and in experimenting by energizing individually from hot to one other at a time, these go to the other kitchen outlets (two each.)

Eventually I temporarily jumped both the hot and the neutral wires from the live hot and neutral from the outlet to the wiring out of the wall for the hood and turned on the circuit breaker. All under cabinet lights, the hood fan and light, and the china cabinet room ceiling light turned on!

So the problem appears to be a broken hot wire somewhere in the wall between the hood and the outlet. So now we move onto phase two: how do I re-wire the hot wire? I tried tugging on it from the hood (wall) and it doesn't seem to give. Pull harder? It's in an awkward spot as it's above tile work and the outlet is under the kitchen cabinet which has a backing. In other words I don't want to bust up these two things.

I have fish tape but I'm not sure how to proceed with this setup. Things seem pretty tight. I live in California if I haven't said it, and my house was built in 1955. This particularly wiring for the hood going into the wall is the old style, interwoven, black sheathing (pardon my ignorance--I'm sure there's a name for it.) Everything else in the house is the newer Romex (looks like 12 gauge.)

Any ideas?

P.S. At least I can cook again for the time being .

 

P.S. At least I can cook again for the time being .

I know what that's like.

Your neutral continuity might not be continuity at all. Why? Neutral is bonded to ground, so it MIGHT not be the source. Disconnecting the ground and repeating the continuity tests might be worthwhile. e.g. ground, hot and N continuity. You might be able to disconnect the ground and neutral at the "fuse box" to remove that path.

Is there anything on the opposite wall?

Another thing, that is a remote possibility is a GFCI that's in the path and hidden. It would block anything downstream) if tripped.

Unfortunately, the boxes make it really tough to re-wire because the wires are also stapled.

A "middle break" seems pretty hard to happen.

You did say pigtailed, which is good, otherwise I might suggest looking at the tabs on the receptacle that can be broken off.

Back in 1955, the might not have even had 12 AWG. I have the same sort of "Romex" - not plastic.

New wiring is slightly easier. My father was a master at that. I'm not that good at it. Some tricks were a nail drilled inconspicuously in the hardwood floor near, say a thermostat install. A flashlight or string or wire down the hole. Two people help.

FWIW:
I have this wonky flexible drill bit that can drill a >1/2", probably like 3/4, hole inside the wall through the bottom joist through a hole in the wall. It uses a "steering wheel" at the wall side and the bit has screw threads so you can locate the bit on the joist side. You generally need a big drill like the Dewalt stud and joist drill.

Some low-voltage stuff is still in the cards.

I painted a bedroom and installed a two gang low voltage box, Hole drills. No wires.

Another BR room has two 2 gang boxes and one was an oops. I didn't check what was on the other side of the wall. (120 V receptacle). Four Cat6 and one or two RG-6's. Not quite run. RG-6 is fine. One or two CAT6 connectors is terminated to a CAT6 receptacle. Not where it's supposed to be.

The third BR would likely have a wall mounted TV, but no power or Ethernet to that TV. There is no low voltage plate for phone etc yet.

For hall/living room TV location, I ran CAT3 (not CAT6 unfortunately) or telco wire and two RG-6. I doesn't help the smart TV. That location is really tough.

You can buy an obscure adapter that will make an RJ45 and make it accept an RJ11 only.

So, that's my current plan to the demark points. One for TV and one for phone/Ethernet. I need to connect, install and mount a 24 port managed gigabit switch.

So, it's nice to do stuff when your painting. One thought is to use 3 wire H N and Gnd for bedroom switches, so automation controllers can be used. I think that's the new suggested standard. That would require a couple of drywall holes.