No power to a "labeled" 120 outlet that is dedicated strictly to a lawn sprinkler and has a lighting on-off switch connected to it below the outlet. Checked the outlet, no juice, checked the switch no juice but there is power to the circuit breaker, (20 amp). Touched the hot at the breaker connection and the neutral bus at the main and there is power. Even changed the breaker and still no power to the sprinkler unit.

Don't detect any break in the wiring. Any clues as to what else I can do? Thanks in Texas...

That outlet should be, must be, GFI protected. Since you have power at the breaker terminal and do not have power at the switch there must be something else in between. That something else is most likely a GFI outlet. You say this is a dedicated line for the sprinkler but most likely it is the circuit for all exterior outlets. Find the GFI outlet and reset it. If you have garage or unfinished basement look there also.

That outlet should be, must be, GFI protected. Since you have power at the breaker terminal and do not have power at the switch there must be something else in between. That something else is most likely a GFI outlet. You say this is a dedicated line for the sprinkler but most likely it is the circuit for all exterior outlets. Find the GFI outlet and reset it. If you have garage or unfinished basement look there also.

The cover plate has a GFI sticker on it but the outlet is not a GFI and I could not find another GFI along the route. I have the covers off the outlet and the lighting toggle/on-off switch. The power from the main goes to the lighting switch and there is no power there at the light switch. The run is in the garage from the panel to the switch about 10' to 12' and there is no outlet with a GFI in between?

Look at the garage outlet, should be GFCI.

That is "proof" that there is a GFI somewhere. GfI outlets can be wired to protect themselves only or they can be wired to protect themselves and everything down stream.

There is a GFI outlet somewhere unless the breaker is a GFCI breaker. Keep looking. Could also be a bath GFI outlet.


The run is in the garage from the panel to the switch about 10' to 12'
Are you saying that you can see the cable from the breaker box to the outlet switch?

Could even be hidden in a suspended basement ceiling like mine was, and took me about a week to find.

Sallie,

I need some help understanding your circuit, please.

From what I understand of your situation is that you have no power at your light switch, is that correct?

Switches do not use GFCI circuity. A switch carries only the "hot" side of the circuit. Lights do not use GFCI circuitry either. However, they can both be on a GFCI circuit.

How have you determined that you do not have power at the switch, with a meter or just because the light does not work?