Loss of Power to Garage Door LiftMaster & Heat/AC Control Units (1st/2nd Floor)

Chairman

Chairman

New member
Just reaching out to this forum to see if anyone else has had this issue and if they have any potential solutions?

The outlet to which my garage LiftMaster is connected to died yesterday. My LiftMaster is running on battery power right now and is very weak.

My heating and AC control units which are downstairs and upstairs died yesterday as well. They do not light up and there seems to be no power to them.

This leads me to believe that they are connected to the same power source as my garage. All my other electrical switches in the house seem to be working.

Another thing to note, my landscapers just connected some wiring to the lighting they are going to be installing yesterday. The same day that I had all these issues come up. Every other light in the garage works except for the one to which the LiftMaster is connected to.

I thought I also heard a rodent of some sort moving around in the garage ceiling when I was up on the ladder inspecting the LiftMaster. It lead me to suspect that maybe the rodent somehow got behind the walls, climbed up to the ceiling and chewed the connection wires. Later last night I saw an actual mouse scurry along my garage and out the closed gate. So when I was up on the ladder was I just hearing the mouse that was in the garage and not behind the ceiling wall?

Appreciate any help anyone can offer. Thanks.
 
Did you check the fusebox?

I remember one time we didn't use the oven for a month because I thought it broke.

Turned out, the fuse just tripped outside.
 
irvinehomeowner said:
Did you check the fusebox?

I remember one time we didn't use the oven for a month because I thought it broke.

Turned out, the fuse just tripped outside.
Click to expand...

I did check the fuse box last night and flipped the garage switch (labeled G) off and back on. Nothing else looked like it had been touched.
 
Chairman said:
irvinehomeowner said:
Did you check the fusebox?

I remember one time we didn't use the oven for a month because I thought it broke.

Turned out, the fuse just tripped outside.
Click to expand...

I did check the fuse box last night and flipped the garage switch (labeled G) off and back on. Nothing else looked like it had been touched.
Click to expand...

You may have to reset everything...sometime the master switch gets triggered.
 
Something similar happened to us. We have one breaker that requires a screwdriver to reset. Maybe yours is the same?
 
Also check that a GFCI didn't get tripped.

Most outlets in the garage are on the same GFCI circuit so you have to check the outlets that have the buttons and see if one needs to be reset.
 
irvinehomeowner said:
Also check that a GFCI didn't get tripped.

Most outlets in the garage are on the same GFCI circuit so you have to check the outlets that have the buttons and see if one needs to be reset.
Click to expand...

I did try hitting the test button on the outlet that the LiftMaster is connected to and it doesnt make the led turn red. On my other outlets, when I hit the test switch the light turns red. Then when I hit reset it clicks and I hear some current buzzing.

This made me believe that the switch is dead.
 
Chairman said:
irvinehomeowner said:
Also check that a GFCI didn't get tripped.

Most outlets in the garage are on the same GFCI circuit so you have to check the outlets that have the buttons and see if one needs to be reset.
Click to expand...

I did try hitting the test button on the outlet that the LiftMaster is connected to and it doesnt make the led turn red. On my other outlets, when I hit the test switch the light turns red. Then when I hit reset it clicks and I hear some current buzzing.

This made me believe that the switch is dead.
Click to expand...

Make sure all the breakers are all the way to the right.  Even if its a smidge over, it's tripped.  Then do the reset on the GFI outlet thing.
 
I just got word that you have to flip the AC and furnace breaker off and back on if it trips. I will try that. I think that might be the fix! Thanks everyone!
 
One of my wall plugs went dead downstairs.
I realized it was connected to the GFCI upstairs which was also dead.
resetting the GFCI in that upstairs bathroom made them all work again.

This was last week when we had that storm.
 
Just to close this topic. The switch that needed to be turned off and back on was the one labeled F.A.U. and G.D.O.

Not sure what those acronyms stand for. Is GDO, garage door?

Also, I set up a mouse trap and removed the concrete blocking i put in the corner of my garage and this morning there was a dead mouse in the trap.
 
Just a reminder, if you're poking in the fuse box with a screwdriver, make sure your face is not directly behind the screwdriver.

If you get shocked by accident, your arm will um, shoot back by reflex and smack the butt end of the screwdriver into your face.  Better yet, wear proper gloves and eye protection.

 
When you say "switch", do you mean circuit breakers?  I would be very interested (read: concerned) about what caused this in the first place.  Is something failing? Drawing more current than it's supposed to?  Was the rain (or mouse) really a factor, and if so, what does that imply?  Did someone shut them off on purpose and are they now at risk? 

If you found a set of muddy footprints crossing your property that you knew weren't yours or your family's, would you simply wash the mud away, or would you investigate a little?

Electricity kills.  If you're going to be poking around anything electrical, I recommend one of these:  http://www.amazon.com/Greenlee-GT-16-Adjustable-Non-Contact-Detector/dp/B001QIJOW0/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1418983795&sr=8-6&keywords=voltage+detector  Make sure you test it each time you use it.
 
daedalus said:
When you say "switch", do you mean circuit breakers?  I would be very interested (read: concerned) about what caused this in the first place.  Is something failing? Drawing more current than it's supposed to?  Was the rain (or mouse) really a factor, and if so, what does that imply?  Did someone shut them off on purpose and are they now at risk? 

If you found a set of muddy footprints crossing your property that you knew weren't yours or your family's, would you simply wash the mud away, or would you investigate a little?

Electricity kills.  If you're going to be poking around anything electrical, I recommend one of these:  http://www.amazon.com/Greenlee-GT-16-Adjustable-Non-Contact-Detector/dp/B001QIJOW0/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1418983795&sr=8-6&keywords=voltage+detector  Make sure you test it each time you use it.
Click to expand...

If you read chairmans initial post, he said his landscaping guys messed with his box the same day. My bet is they did it. I wouldn't be too alarmed.
 
I did read the initial post.  Where does it say the landscapers messed with the breaker box?  Also, I don't know that landscape lighting is or should be related to garage door opener and forced air unit circuits (the latter of which usually operates at 240v, unlike landscape lighting).  And if the landscapers did do it, are they completely done with the work?  If not, then flipping the breaker back puts them at risk.  Electricity can kill, after all.  And it sounds like the breakers were tripped, not flipped, since they had to be "turned off" first before being turned on. 

Just trying to ask the right questions.  I guess I prefer a higher level of scrutiny for things that involve risk to life and property than some other people.
 
daedalus said:
I did read the initial post.  Where does it say the landscapers messed with the breaker box?  Also, I don't know that landscape lighting is or should be related to garage door opener and forced air unit circuits (the latter of which usually operates at 240v, unlike landscape lighting).  And if the landscapers did do it, are they completely done with the work?  If not, then flipping the breaker back puts them at risk.  Electricity can kill, after all.  And it sounds like the breakers were tripped, not flipped, since they had to be "turned off" first before being turned on. 

Just trying to ask the right questions.  I guess I prefer a higher level of scrutiny for things that involve risk to life and property than some other people.
Click to expand...

I mean, well, if you put it as a life/death issue, then yea Chairman should absolutely investigate this to its fullest.  I'm definitely no expert, but the same thing happened to me when I was going through the landscaping process.  We actually did call out an electrician and they basically said it was the landscapers' fault.  I won't bore you with the details, but basically, everything was fine for months until the landscapers came, they messed up my box, electrician came, said everything is ok, landscapers finished their project, no more electrical issues. 
 
irvinehomeowner said:
FAU = Forced Air Unit
GDO = probably garage door opener
G = outlets in the garage

So it was the fusebox.

Do I get a prize? :)
Click to expand...

My home rep actually went and fixed my issue after I submitted a request. He beat you to it before I could read your post and try it. You have my eternal gratitude, IHO ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top