We have two bathrooms, one on the ground level and one in the basement. I was downstairs while my wife was taking a shower and I noticed water leaking from the fixture above the sink. Naturally, I was horrified.

So I called a plumber, and the shower was clogged, causing the leak. He cleared it, no problem.

But now, a **lot** of the basement ceiling lights in that area of the basement won't work. I've tried flipping the circuit breaker a few times on that section, but to no avail.

I'm really afraid to call an electrician, I really don't want the ceilings torn into. What should I do?

What happened when you tried to reset breaker did it reset or did it just trip again. Is This a GFCI circuit? Is there a GFI outlet in the bath? If so try resetting it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hkstroud

What happened when you tried to reset breaker did it reset or did it just trip again. Is This a GFCI circuit? Is there a GFI outlet in the bath? If so try resetting it.

---

I'm not sure what you're asking on resetting the breaker. I flip it back and forth, no difference either way. I don't think it ever tripped at all.

I don't know if it's a GFCI circuit, is there a way I can find out? There is NOT a GFI outlet, but even so, the wall outlets are fine, it's the ceiling lights that are the problem.

Thanks so much for reading my problem, if I can give you any more information I will, I just really don't know what I'm doing (like you can't already tell).

If it is a GFCI circuit there will be a button on the circuit breaker to reset in addition to the handle to turn on and off.
If the lights are wired through a GFI outlet the lights could be GFI protected also (which is what it sounds like). Try resetting all GFI outlets, even if in another room.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hkstroud

If it is a GFCI circuit there will be a button on the circuit breaker to reset in addition to the handle to turn on and off.
If the lights are wired thru a GFI outlet the lights could be GFI protected also (which is what it sounds like). Try resetting all GFI outlets, even if in another room.

---

I was wrong. There ARE GFI outlets in both ground level and basement bathrooms. I pushed reset on both. No change.

I'm looking on the circuit breaker, but I don't see any buttons, only the switches. I'm resetting the GFI outlets over and over and flipping the switch for that part too.

Here's the other thing, and I'm feeling pretty stupid that I forgot to mention this. There are several ceiling lights connected to the same area that DO turn on (never went out after the leak), and several that don't. I'm tempted to just start taking pictures if that would help.

When you press the GFI reset button do the GFI"s actually reset. That is, does the button click and stay in, you then press the test button to make them click off. The lights that work are obviously on another circuit.
Are you certain you have the correct circuit breaker? Some brands don't move a lot when they are tripped. When triped they feel spongy if you press the handle toward the off position. If you are not sure, reset all single handle breakers.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hkstroud

When you press the GFI reset button do the GFI"s actually reset. That is, does the button click and stay in, you then press the test button to make them click off. The lights that work are obviously on another circuit.

---

Yes, both the upstairs and downstairs GFI reset buttons stay in until I push test.

Any other GFI's in the house, laundry, garage, basement, outlets outside house?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hkstroud

Any other GFI's in the house, laundry, garage, basement, outlets outside house?

---

Got to leave for work right now, but I'll look through the whole house for any more of those outlets when I get home and report back. Thanks so much for your patience!

When you get back from work, take a moment and open up the first light fixture in the circuit nearest the wet down and make sure it is dry. Inspect the wiring for pits or burns. Melted insulation is another giveaway of problems.

The water from the leaking may well have caused the connection points to short because of the water. You might want to consider R&R of the breaker before going much further.

If this is not something you feel safe doing, please call an electrician. Mistakes inside the panel can be fatal. "First time final"

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by donf

When you get back from work, take a moment and open up the first light fixture in the circuit nearest the wet down and make sure it is dry. Inspect the wiring for pits or burns. Melted insulation is another giveaway of problems.

The water from the leaking may well have caused the connection points to short because of the water. You might want to consider R&R of the breaker before going much further.

If this is not something you feel safe doing, please call an electrician. Mistakes inside the panel can be fatal. "First time final"

---

I'm exhausted tonight (worked all day, then had college class four hours tonight), but I ran around looking for those outlets with the reset button and have not found any.

I'm just going to take pictures of everything tomorrow and hopefully one of you outstanding gentlemen will notice something.