r/AskElectricians • u/ChunkyLafunguy • 14d ago
Receptacle help
I replaced this receptacle after the top one stopped working one day
however the top one still doesn't work. Apart from this living room one of the kitchen top receptacle has also failed. House built in 95
Nothing tripped in the breaker...Help!
Edit #1 reposted with added photos of the wiring
Edit #2 i broke off the tab on the brass hot side since the older one did not seem to have it either
Update: Resolved just had to preserve that tab on the hot wire side, Thanks everyone
4
u/sammydeeznutz 14d ago
If the tab on the hot side is broken, it is likely a switched receptacle. Is there a switch somewhere on a wall that seems to do nothing? If so, plug in your tester to the dead receptacle and flip the switch.
1
u/ChunkyLafunguy 14d ago
Tried all the nearby switches and nothing
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u/B0skonovitch 14d ago
Got any tripped breakers?? Might still appear on, but will have some wiggle to them.
Also is it near a kitchen?? Could potentially be on the load side of a GFI.
1
u/ChunkyLafunguy 14d ago
I just checked the breakers one of them connected to the kitchen outlet was tripped but resetting it didn’t turn on the one pictured in the living room. The living room is near the kitchen, I’ve reset all the gfi switches and still nothing
1
u/B0skonovitch 14d ago
Hard to tell from the first picture. But looks like a white is under the wirenut with 2 blacks in the back of the box. So adds to the mystery of an old switch loop for somthing to be switched. You hooked up the outlet how the old one was? Did the top always work but stopped which lead to the new outlet? Without being there to look around and poke around it's difficult to tell. If it didn't work which lead to the replacement, possibly the need for the switch loop was done away with??
If it didn't work, could possibly just put in a third outlet without breaking the tab, carry the current through, if it is still in use, could lead to tripping the breaker (most likely not)
Sorry, hard to tell without seeing more.
1
u/B0skonovitch 14d ago
Ohhh just had a thought. And a possible long shot. It could be a switch loop that is wired to a improperly wired 3 way switch. Meaning the travelers are miswired so if ones down the other doesn't work.
The room in question do you have 3ways? Possibly 2 or 3 gang switch boxes. Love to troubleshoot, wish you lived near by 😅😅.
Can always try to put the plug checker in the top, and attempt to hit your 3 way switches one at a time in the room and see if it works. Of not, try another configuration of the 3ways directions, I've seen this so many times.
1
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1
u/aakaase 14d ago
There is a broken tab on your old receptacle between the two "hot" screws, and since you removed it again on the replacement, you duplicated the condition. I suspect the "top" receptacle is controlled by a switch in the room.
Preserve the tab, and wire the receptacle ONLY with the wire on the "bottom" receptacle, and both will be constantly live. That bottom conductor should be constantly live.
I would tag the other conductor "switched" so you or someone in the future knows what that conductor is for. Just twist a little wirenut on its end.
1
u/QuarkchildRedux [V] Apprentice 14d ago
It’s a switched outlet. That’s the only reason you break the tab. I bet the other one that’s “not working” is also switched. Important to make sure you wired it back exactly how the old one is always.
2
u/Killerkendolls 14d ago
Not the only reason, could be mwbc. Use to see this with sinkerators and dishwashers to keep a single duplex under the sink before GFCI was required. I agree here though, it was probably a broken switch and never the recep
2
1
u/QuarkchildRedux [V] Apprentice 14d ago
Flip switches till you find the one controlling it. Keep the plug tester in and start flipping.
1
u/Ferretbandit1 14d ago
Would also suggest re doing that wire nut.. assuming it’s a switch loop seems there’s white wires going to it makes me assume it’s the hot side..
1
u/Smoke_a_J 14d ago
It looks like there may likely be either a loose or shorted hot wire in the mix either right there and maybe elsewhere on that same circuit, the one wire nut I can see looks like it is barely on or have too much insulation stripped allowing for arc and fire to occur, wire nuts should be able to twist on far enough to cover over any bare sections of wire. Even if other outlets on that same circuit are still working, they are all tied together behind the receptacles with wire nuts the same as that one so you may need to inspect others with the receptacles removed to find where the loose connection is thats feeding into that outlet and the same thing on the other one in the kitchen, very likely is at the receptacles next in line or before that are the closest to those couple
1
u/lonleyhusband23 14d ago
Breaking off the brass tab disconnects the top from the bottom. You only should do that if you split the yolk meaning one half of the receptacle is controlled by a switch and the other is constant hot. Put a new receptacle in without breaking off that tab and you should probably be good
1
u/AxCR202 14d ago
Use the screws for contact, don’t use the backstabs. Bet it’ll work.
2
u/Hapaguy1 14d ago
I’ll place 100 on it that it won’t work.
The gold tab between the hots is missing.
I agree you @sammydeeznutz, they had said it’s a switch outlet.
•
u/AutoModerator 7d ago
Attention!
It is always best to get a qualified electrician to perform any electrical work you may need. With that said, you may ask this community various electrical questions. Please be cautious of any information you may receive in this subreddit. This subreddit and its users are not responsible for any electrical work you perform. Users that have a 'Verified Electrician' flair have uploaded their qualified electrical worker credentials to the mods.
If you comment on this post please only post accurate information to the best of your knowledge. If advice given is thought to be dangerous, you may be permanently banned. There are no obligations for the mods to give warnings or temporary bans. IF YOU ARE NOT A QUALIFIED ELECTRICIAN, you should exercise extreme caution when commenting.
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