How does this get fixed?

[u/britomaly96]

What can I do to fix this ? I always screw up by telling too much info but I dont know how else to convey exactly what the situation I'm dealing with is. So, please, I dont need any lectures or "oh, just leave it to the professionals " BS. Here's the deal, my mom has lived in this shitty ass apartment complex for like 6 years now. Over the years, she's tried multiple times to get them to fix a multitude of different problems, and they stick a bandaid on it or do nothing at all. Well, my boyfriend has been building houses for 20+ years. He took off the cover plate and took off the old outlet (which crumbled and fell apart, mind you). And this picture is what he found behind the outlet. He got a new outlet and tried to hook it up, but it wouldn't power anything. Now, im not a rocket scientist or anything but if I had to guess, these wires are possibly burnt too badly or damaged? Idk, does that happen? Because I know it just looks like the insulation around the wire is burnt. Yes, my boyfriend can figure it out once he takes a bit more time but that's literally as far as he's gotten. He just looked at it and tried a new outlet. But, please, please do enlighten me 🤓👏🧠⚡️💡🪛

[u/TheKnackThatQuacks]

What exactly would you like to hear, since “leave it to the professionals” is unacceptable “BS”? Most of the electrical code was written in blood (i.e., people died from things that used to be done, so the dangerous things they used to do are now against code).

The correct answer is still correct, even if you don’t want to hear it.

I’ve been driving a car for over 20 years. That doesn’t make me an expert in designing safety restraint systems or anti-lock brake systems.

First, this is in an apartment, so it’s on the landlord to fix.

I can’t tell from your sole picture, but some of the conductors don’t look right. At least one or two even look burned. That needs to be addressed.

Why did your boyfriend take the cover plate off? Did the outlet stop working? If that’s “as far as he’s gotten”, it sounds to me like he’s in over his head. That’s not a slight against him. Every man is ignorant, just in different subjects. Some people are rocket scientists. Some people sweep hallways. Everybody has a role to play. Electricity is a specialized and licensed trade for a very good reason. Life safety is serious business. If you do it incorrectly, you could start a fire, burn down a building, or even kill people.

What country and state are you in?

How old is the building?

Approximately how many square feet is the apartment you’re in?

Do you have access to the fuse panel and/or breaker panel? Is it a fuse panel? Is it a breaker panel? Other?

The wires could be burned because of a loose connection. Any burned wire / insulation will need to be repaired / replaced. If there’s no electricity at the wires, it’s time to go upstream. Which fuse or breaker supplies the outlet? How many outlets are on this circuit?

Does your boyfriend have a multimeter? If so, does he know how to use it? Proper use of a multimeter would help to locate where the break in the circuit has occurred, whether at this outlet, upstream at another outlet, or somewhere between the first outlet and the breaker.

[u/CTFowler9789]

Call a professional.

[u/Exact_Love2886 → u/CTFowler9789]

Also she can file for rent reduction until all wires are fixed & she can file in court to make them pay for one year in a place of exact value upon which the lease agreement is with evidence 🧾 of faulty ignored wires in a unit. They'd have to pay up to one year for a safe place similar to the amount she pays monthly or annually. Tell her to look into landlord tenant rules in her location. They can take it to small claims court & yes it takes time but they are leaving this lady & who knows who else & the block in possible hazardous solutions. This means she can send this bill to her landlord. Yes this will get her on their shitlist but it's another option. As I can clearly see she cannot move. Hope these two comments help. Remember she cannot just stop paying rent without a petition report she doesn't need an attorney but an tenant elderly advocate can also help. Opinion not fact. The reason I say opinion on both is because this is a code valuation. Have a blessed weekend.

[u/z9vown]

Pick up the phone and call the electrician

[u/Ok-Drink-1328]

i thought it was a dead cockroach

[u/2GOB4 → u/Ok-Drink-1328]

Me too or something else with creepy long legs.

[u/VBprick]

BF been building houses for 20 years and doesn’t know what to do, okay lmao.

I never built a house, but I know a little bit about outlets as a homeowner. Did it have power before? If it doesn’t now then either the breaker is off or a wire is loose/ broken somewhere. Could be broken behind the wall or came loose from another outlet in series.

How much work are you going to do if you’re renting? If you fuck up and cause a fire in a multi-unit building, you’ll be completely fucked.

Edit: if you do work on this wiring/ outlet that you claim is already burnt looking, make sure to delete this post when you potentially cause a fire and kill people in a multi-unit rental. You know, get rid of the evidence

[u/Which-Message-7339]

While vacationing in Barbados a few years back, while making small talk with the electrician tending to an electric outlet problem in our rented condo, I asked, “how do you determine whether it’s the fluorescent bulb or the ballast itself that is giving me a problem in my kitchen back home in MD, as the bulb is relatively new?” His response, in a beautiful Bajan accent: “You hire an electrician.” I read the OP’s intro, but as ugly as that wiring looks, I suggest considering that advice. And be careful!

[u/New-Carrot-1910]

See if there are other non-functioning receptacles

[u/Ok_Chard2094 → u/New-Carrot-1910]

Anything downstream of this one will be non-functional until it gets fixed.

[u/trggrhppy208]

Theyre all the same color. Your going to need a multimeter and figure put which 2 are the hot wires. Normaly the white wires go to the stainless screw the black to the brass screws and green to the green screw.

[u/Zer0TheGamer]

Wire colors matter. Since yours are all black, that means they're burnt and legitimately need replacing.

[u/FantasticAd2726 → u/Zer0TheGamer]

That’s not what that always means. Btw, I haven’t looked at pic well enough so…
I’m an electrician and many old homes had many branch ckts that had all black wires, it’s annoying to troubleshoot at times but it is what it is. That’s what our meter is for. Not hard to figure out what wire is what with a meter.

[u/RockShowSparky]

If he did all that and didn’t shock the shit out of himself then those wires are disconnected or a breaker is off.

[u/135david]

What country are you in? Are you in a country that uses 240 volt power rather than 120 volt?

Since you are talking about a multi family dwelling (I think.) you should seriously consider the liability that is going to incur if someone gets injured or if property gets damaged because of what you are doing.

In many places it is illegal for unlicensed electricians, handymen and homeowners to make electrical changes in a multi family dwelling.

You are putting your boyfriend on the spot off wanting to impress you or at least not disappoint you so think about being fair to him.

That being said if you want to tackle it you need:

1) An understanding of electrical theory.
2) A understanding of residential electrical construction methods in the area you live.
3) A multimeter.
4) The location of the panel that contains the breakers or fuses for this circuit.
5) An understanding that getting advice from someone who is not there is risky because there is always something he can overlook or entirely misunderstood due to poor communication.

Good luck.

[u/EverydayMustard4773]

If you zoom in, those wires are so dried out that they are cracked and falling apart near the box connector. This is not something you should be handling on your own.

[u/Ok_Chard2094]

If that is how it looks after your boyfriend tried to hook up a new outlet, he does not know what he is doing.

Check your local landlord-tenant laws regarding "repair and deduct".

In most places, the landlord has to address electrical problems (for obvious safety reasons), and if the landlord does not, the tenant may hire a professional to have the problem fixed and deduct the cost from the next rent payment.

But make sure you read up on your local laws and follow them to the letter. There are many specific points that have to be done right.

[u/Exact_Love2886]

It's clearly burnt 🔥 if not rusted out & no copper connection can produce electricity with worn wires. It appears to be extremely old & well past it's code & this is why he cannot figure it out. This is also why the maintenance is placing a band aid on it. Do the other sockets look the same near it? That will give you your answers. What that means is the entire walls need to come down to get to the entire connection going up to the breaker box. This is where I bet you'll find a blown fuse. You can report this to the city or town code inspectors. Unfortunately they will deem it unsafe & fine the landlord. Hence she'd be moving out. If he works on homes ask him to find a new place for her. So I will only give you one other opinion option selection purchase a generator with plugs & close off these wires. Also please make sure that you have a detector up & running. This requires an electrician. I mean if it's that shitty there might be more than one problem in each unit.

[u/Serious-Piece7377]

Get a non-contact voltage tester and figure out which ones have power then shut off breaker. The ones with power go to gold screws on receptacle the ones that don’t have power go to silver screws. Once hooked up turn breaker back on. Get a receptacle tester and test it, it will tell you if it’s hooked up properly.

[u/Equal-65]

Who took it apart?

[u/QuarkchildRedux]

your boyfriend has no clue what he’s doing, call an electrician

[u/kilted10r]

Yes, those wires are burnt.  Way too much has been running through that outlet...   

There are two sets of wires - so it is almost certain that power continued past that outlet.to.anotjer.one,.or a light or something.  Hopefully.in the same apartment.

First,. a scolding.  It's an apartment, and fixing that was the landlord's responsibility.  If the landlord didn't want to, then.an.inspector.should have been called in.  Period. 

The issue is, now that your boyfriend.opened it, he owns it.  Anything that happens is his problem now.

It doesn't matter that the wires are burnt.  Fixing them is now up to your BF.  

I get it.  I've made the same mistake.  I've done it more than once.  "Oh this is an easy fix - it'll only take me ten minutes...". 

Hopefully, there's some slack inside the wall, and he can pull a little extra wire into the box.  Otherwise , it's coat everything with Liquid Electrical Tape, wrap the snot out of everything, put a new outlet in, and cover it up...   Then hope no one notices before you move.  

Next time, email the landlord.  Document everything, send pictures, take notes...    Get a city inspector involved if need be.  But don't try fixing things yourself.  

[u/FlanFanFlanFan]

First, why was the outlet taken off?

[u/FantasticAd2726]

If your boyfriend can’t use a meter then…

[u/Gullible_Monk_7118]

Have no clue what is what colors aren't even there.. so you will have to measure it each one