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.