Receptacle/Outlet Not Working? Our Dangerous Issue and a Few Easy Fixes

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Күн бұрын

Electrical Outlets (Receptacles) Not Working? Our Dangerous Issue Plus a Few Easy Fixes
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Some common reasons why electrical outlets (receptacles) can stop working and how to identify the problem. I also cover more of an advanced issue when there is a loose wire nut that caused an arc and created a bad connection. This could have caused an electrical fire in the box but fortunately, it just melted the wires.
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From fixing your plumbing to installing smart home tech, we've got you covered with awesome content that's informative and entertaining. Our mission is to help you make your home the best it can be!
==Product Link(s)==
Outlet Tester: geni.us/yX8n7
Non-Contact Voltage Tester: geni.us/BqrxE
==Tools Used or Shown In This Project==
Long Nose Pliers: geni.us/2ZWhvjW
Wire Cutters: geni.us/NYasAR
Ratcheting Screwdriver: geni.us/Q5T4Lo8
==Materials Used==
14/2 Electrical Wire: geni.us/olrAu
Electrical Tape: geni.us/is4s
Wire Nuts: geni.us/ceyV
15A Receptacle: geni.us/UDcH6pq
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⏰ Chapter Timecodes ⏰
0:00 Quick Fixes
0:05 Troubleshooting
3:28 Big Problem
Disclaimer:
Top Homeowner produces videos for informational, educational, & entertainment purposes only. Information here is not to be viewed as advice but as an opinion. Viewers should be aware that if they choose to work on their homes, they do so at their own risk. Top Homeowner is not responsible for any damages that may occur to the property of a viewer. Some of the projects, materials, and techniques may not be suitable for all ages or skill levels. It is up to the viewer to decide whether to consult with a professional before working on their home. We make no claims to the safety of the projects, techniques, or resources featured in this video, and we will not be held responsible for the actions viewers may choose to take with the information provided. It is recommended that viewers use common sense and take all necessary safety measures. Codes, regulations, standards, and rules are constantly changing around the world, so it is the viewer's responsibility to ascertain their local requirements before starting any type of work.

Пікірлер: 67

@DrD6452 Жыл бұрын

Backstabbing is bad. Get rid of all them cheap receptacles and replace them with spec grade receptacles and use hook side wiring.

@joegreen6020 Жыл бұрын

This^

@RenaissanceMan78 Ай бұрын

Wago connectors have become my go-to. I really don’t like wire nuts, esp. when connecting different wire types like stranded to solid. In the last 5 years I have seen wire nuts “fail” twice in two different homes I lived in, i.e. one wire slipped out of the nut and caused an open condition. To my knowledge, these were both on work done by pros, for what that’s worth.

@Danny-fs1hk Жыл бұрын

Excellent video. Thanks!

@pdemore Жыл бұрын

Awesome Video! Very helpful…… TY. I disconnected and reconnected the main one / connector and it worked!

@obfuscator Жыл бұрын

Good job. I would also tidy up that ground wire while in there.

@bushgnome Жыл бұрын

man, THANK YOU for including the fact that "back stabbing" devices is a BAD practice! so many people and even electrical companies make this mistake. the electrical companies are generally a "new construction" type. they do great work but tend to cut corners in terms of longevity to SAVE TIME. (big mistake) the back stabbed devices may work fine for years, but at some point they are a 100% failure risk. 9 times out of 10 they are the biggest reason we get diagnostic calls because their lights are either flickering, not working or have outlets that quit working with no breaker tripped, alot of the time its both and the most common culprit are BACK STABBED devices. when you back stab a device the wire is only held in with a small amount of tension between two thin pieces of copper. under load, wires heat up and cool down. and over years and years of this, those thin pieces of copper get weak. this is why so many failed devices melt and creat problems. you get arching, arching creates heat, and heat.. leads to the dark side.

@tswhite7929 Жыл бұрын

And heat leads to the dark side. You are after my soul. Hahahahahaha.

@jamesborton9237 Жыл бұрын

Get higher quality receptacles and learn the difference between backstabbing and BACKWIRING. The life you save might be your own. Backstabbing =NO , Backwiring =YES

@absolutelyfookinnobody2843 9 ай бұрын

This is a perfect! This happened to me in my new apartment, but the only difference is i know it wasn't me overloading anything because i didnt have anything plugged in other than my phone charger

@chozen_juan Жыл бұрын

Good video explaining how it works. I hope people view this and then realize they dont need to be messing with it. If you have issues, call a licensed electrician. Dont fuck around with your electricity. Its important and should be done right by the guys who know exactly what they are doing. Too many people watch youtube videos these days and think they can rewire their furnace or swap out their transmission.

@bilhep 4 ай бұрын

Great video! Very practical. Some trivia: It may not be obvious to some, that you must rotate the wire-hook clock-wise, under the recepticle-screw.. An interesting fact; The temperature of the arc, inside that wire nut, is around 10,000 degrees. and A question; Why doesn't the tester check for a connected ground?

@rashellyohn5128 2 ай бұрын

Hello and thinks for sharing your knowledge. I have an old house that was built in the 50'S with the two prong receptacles and someone put in the 3 prong receptacles but they are test for open ground. They have no ground wire in the box. After putting in a gfci receptacle it tested for open hot. So I thought i reversed the blk wire the hot wire to the load and not the line. Still read for open hot . then I swapped the neutral wires around. Now im lost. When I test the wires with a multimeter it backlights red and I get 117.2 Volts and the other blk wire gives me a wired number like 9.679 or something. But the green button on gfci is lit up. I've read you can ground the receptacle box to the grn nut on the gfci. Please help. I need to get this up and running to feed the daisy chain. Thanks for your earlier reply.

@nickkiser8958 Жыл бұрын

My grandfather has old floor outlets that probably arent up to code. One hasnt worked in a long time and im trying to change it now. Ive tried changing recepticle. Im getting voltage with my tester from the plug and wire but i think im now noticing that it might be the neutral wire that isnt giving off any voltage. I cant be cutting out his floor though to change any wires i cant reach.

@WhenPokemon 2 жыл бұрын

awesome and thank you! =)

@TopHomeowner 2 жыл бұрын

Sure thing!

@kiddynamite3931 Жыл бұрын

Thanks. That was a huge help. I have a run of 4 outlets running from the breaker box. I noticed one of the outlets looks burnt. I'll replace that one the way you did. 2 questions. If 1 outlet goes, will the entire run of outlets go, as has happened here? Why wouldn't the breaker have flipped?

@apackwestbound5946 Жыл бұрын

I am not an licensed residential or commercial electrician, but do have "some" training in electricity, others may have a better answer. This attempted answer assumes you understand the difference between series and parallel circuits, I did not until somebody explained it to me. First question; it depends on how the circuit is wired. If the other outlets are wired in series, then yes if power is lost to the first outlet, or the circuit is broken by an "open" wire, then the subsequent outlets will also be without power. But, if the outlets are wired in parallel, as in this case, the hot and neutral wires were combined under separate wire nuts with pigtails extending to the outlet. As long as power is being supplied to the wire nut where the hot wires are connected then and the hot and neutral wires continuing to the subsequent outlets are also intact then the subsequent outlets will be powered. Your second question; breakers are designed and built to trip (flip) when they reach a internal thermal limit (heat) or they reach the tripping amperage they are rated for (designed to trip). In this case the poor/loose neutral wire(s) connection under that burned wire had enough resistance to cause enough heat to be generated to begin to melt the wire insulation and the wire nut BUT it had not yet reached either the thermal limit or the amperage limit of the circuit breaker at the main panel. There is another possibility as well; that would be a failure of the circuit breaker itself. Circuit breakers have a limited life span and will occasionally fail. That bedroom outlet is rated at 15 amperes (Ah). And the white Romex 2-1 is also rated at 15 Ah. My guess is with the space heater plugged into that outlet, in addition to whatever else the household had running on the same circuit may have overloaded the circuit. That heavy load and/or overloading combined with the high resistance caused by the poor wire connections led to the issue. When the author pulled out the receptacle one of the neutral wires simply fell out of the connection. Clearly, the connection was faulty/had failed before he removed the outlet. Had that circuit been protected by an AFCI (Arc Fault Current Interrupter) circuit breaker at the panel or by a AFCI outlet, then the arcing that caused the damage would have been detected and the circuit would have been shut down either at the Main Panel or at the AFCI outlet. Most house electrical fires are caused by exactly this kind of failure. I believe, under the most recent NEC (National Electric Code) revision, new construction residential bedrooms outlets must be safeguarded by both AFCI and GFCI (Ground Fault Current Interrupter) protection. - Respectfully

@brandonherrero3027 Жыл бұрын

@@apackwestbound5946 thank you for that thorough answer! Super helpful 👍

@jamesborton9237 Жыл бұрын

Make sure your receptacle wire is 12 gauge. If you are going to use a space heater , I recommend spending a little more for commercial receptacles . Pretty cost effective 'insurance ' because they are more heavy duty . If you decide you want a space heater in that area 'permanently ' consider running a new 'dedicated ' circuit for that outlet. Also pay attention to what all you have on that circuit. The space heater may have drawn too many (over the limit) amps. Use good judgment and THOROUGHLY inspect circuit breaker. (Smell burnt ?) New breaker is cheaper than increase in insurance premium from the house fire ?

@rashellyohn5128 3 ай бұрын

Thank you for creating this vid and the knowledge that you are sharing. I have a breaker that is charging 4 outlets. The daisy chained goes to the front room outlet then goes to a room and powers two more outlets then goes to one more outlet in the next room where it ends. The first outlet is fine powering one power strip that charges the internet. sometimes Xmas lights. Then the circuit went into my son's room where he had too much connected to one of the outlets and melted the other outlet that had less connected to it but too much still. so glad the house is still standing. My concern is that the wires that caried the power to the outlet also melted and now the wires may be exposed along the route. Is there a way to test these wires to check if they are now all exposed. New wires may now have to be pull from the breaker box to these outlets. I will have to cut into the sheet rock due to unknown nails the wires could get snagged on and to set the wires into place. Just trying to understand the whole picture. Also, these outlets are from the 50's with thick gauge wire and hardly any wire to work with. No 6" feed loop on any outlets to work with. What would you do?

@TopHomeowner 2 ай бұрын

An electrician should be able to tell you whether or not replacing the wire would be required. They can do insulation resistance testing without opening up the walls.

@fesbra Жыл бұрын

this is a really good video

@TopHomeowner Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@chuckfreakingnorris3333 Жыл бұрын

Heater knocked out half the power to my room. 3/4 sockets are out and the main light is out. The last socket is on a separate wire grid. My dad couldn't figure out what was wrong, I'll try testing this to see if I can fix it.

@bramwellprice8833 Жыл бұрын

I was told not to pre twist your wires prior to putting on the wire nut as doing so can cause a loose connection but rather let the wire nut do the twisting of the wires as your twisting it on the wires another thing I like to do is wrap electrical tape around the wire nut connection to help insure it can’t back off

@stevelopez372 Жыл бұрын

I guess it depends who told you not to twist. Twisting is standard practice. Some wire nut manufacturers may suggest otherwise. If you did not twist, it’s good you taped up the connection.

@joaquinsuarez6090 Жыл бұрын

It is always better to twist wires before using the wire nut. When only using wire nut many times the wires come lose when you stick them into the junction box. Also tape won't stop wires inside wire nut from coming lose and actually many electricians are against using tape because it gets hot and can melt and cause fires.

@passion4vintage559 2 жыл бұрын

Hi can you help me out please? Thank you for the videos. So about couple months now it all started from the master bedroom light and a wall outlet on one wall that stopped working. Then since then electrical around the house stopped working. For instances, the kitchen one wall with an outlet where we plugged the fridge and microwave suddenly stopped working. Then we used an extension cord on the other wall (left side) where sink is so it can reach the fridge…it worked but keeps going out and we thought maybe it’s cause the extension cord is heavy and may not plug in tight and we wiggled as we wiggle it will turn on and off so we taped it to hold in place…that outlet now is dead too. Then now I have a different extension cord with just 1 plug I use to plug the fridge in and it connected to the outlet on the right side of the sink where the disposal switch is (oh and the disposal doesn’t work but has power maybe that just need replacement), anyways and from there just last night the outlet on the wall facing the front door stopped working and an outlet on the left of that wall only 1 plug outlet works but can clearly see black things like it exploded so I unplug it now today after I saw how dark the damage is and same night last night the dining room and kitchen lights (both separate areas) stopped working, hallway bathroom light stopped working, my sons room light and outlets are not working. I watched KZfaq how to check using a multimeter and I have one that from harbor freight called cen tech a red one and I set it to ACV 750 and tested the dark one that looks blown up and top plug one comes out at 125 and bottom plug zero reading or no numbers come on and it doesn’t work when attempted to plug something in to test only top one works. Then as I went to test the wall outlet in the dining room I inserted the black lead probe on the left of plug and RIGHT when I inserted the RED lead probe in at first no reading so I thought maybe I didn’t put in far to where probe is not making contact so I push a little and the outlet SPARKED in my face and outlet is also black now with the right side of the hole looking so much bigger! Like it suppose to look like a parallel line but now it’s a circle. And the multimeter the red probe metal part is damage. Do you think you can help me? I have reset all the gfi 1 main one that turns the other 2 on I guess cause if the main gfi isn’t on the other 2 will not reset at all. Other 2 gfi only lets me reset and actually clicks if I reset the main one that has the red and black button. I also checked the power panel switch box outside to see if any of those switch are in the middle and all are turn on but I did turn off and on all switches that said ;lighting, kitchen, washer and dryer, etc. still none of the lights work and outlet still not working. We have home warranty and already requested service but taking too long. I’ve contacted the service company and left a message as they have not even contact me for an appointment.

@keithharrington4595 Жыл бұрын

Hire a pro. This sounds like a loose neutral like he had. Since it appears to be throughout your house, I would guess it is in the panel. That may not be your only problem.

@everythinghomerepair1747 2 жыл бұрын

People always complain about back stab wiring but I almost never see them fail. Like in this case where the wire nutted connection failed.

@TopHomeowner 2 жыл бұрын

I've seen it happen only once where one wire loosened up. Probably because the receptacle was jostling around in the box

@stevelopez372 Жыл бұрын

It really depends on workmanship. I have seen many stab ins that have excessive copper exposed, insulation should completely cover the copper conductor when placed. Some trades are more forgiving. Electrical is not one of them.

@glasshalffull2930 10 ай бұрын

I had one back stab become loose inside the device and it caused an intermittent problem. Subsequently, I checked the rest of the receptacles and switches and found a few were backstabbed. Re-did those. Bottom line is that just about every electrician, the guys that do this work every day, does not recommend backstabbing for the failure rate and potential hazard.

@koredekolade3378 Жыл бұрын

My cooker burn my socket Everytime, I use 15amp for socket, both the socket and plug got burn often, any solution to this

@joaquinsuarez6090 Жыл бұрын

You will have to check how many amps that cooker uses. 15 amp brakers can only handle 80% of continuos use which is only 12 amps. I am guessing your cooker uses more that 12 amps. If you really need to use that outlet for your cooker you must replace the braker for a 20 amp braker and change the wiring to a 12 gauge and the outlet for a 20 amp. If you have an attick or crowlspace it won't be to hard, otherwise it would be really hard. The easiest solution is to plug it elsewhere with a 20 amp braker/outlet in the house. Good luck.

@m.n.3490 Жыл бұрын

I pulled out an old electric outlet, to replace it with a GFCI. I accidentally touched some part of the old outlet while removing it on the metal box, and saw a small spark. (I thought the fuse was out, but maybe I had the wrong fuse out). Now, I am reading 14 volts from hot to neutral, and from hot to the metal box(ground). I've pulled every fuse in the panel, and still see 14 volts! Note, the outlet was working fine before my accident (although the hot/neutral were reversed). What did I do break when that old receptacle sparked? Did I burn/short a wire, or junction? How do I find the problem. I cannot use continuity tests since I have 14 volts present. Help!

@keithharrington4595 Жыл бұрын

It appears that you tripped a breaker or blew a fuse The 14 volts I expect is "induced voltage". Because a live wire is next to your de-energized receptacle wire, they can work like a transformer and give you some kind of voltage. Rested all your breakers and, if safe, remove your fuses and make sure they have not blown. If that does not show a problem or if you feel any worry, call a pro please.

@battlestar1788 8 ай бұрын

So a none contact voltage detector would it still pick you power even if there is a natural wire come lose

@TopHomeowner 8 ай бұрын

Yes, the electric field exists around a live wire even if the circuit isn't complete

@im.thatoneguy 9 ай бұрын

"What caused this problem?" Umm, it's very clear what caused this problem. The wires weren't twisted enough in the wire nut. They showed no signs of ever being twisted together. Also is that stripping sufficient for those wirenuts. It looked pretty short. (And as someone else said, double check your conductor count). If you've already had problems with correct wirenuts, Wago lever connectors seem to be the way to go.

@vvvsnvp 2 жыл бұрын

In this case , will breaker not trip?

@TopHomeowner 2 жыл бұрын

If an arc occurs, it won't cause the breaker to trip unless it's specifically an Arc Fault breaker (AFI). Usually only newer homes have those. They're also about 10x the price of a normal breaker

@vvvsnvp 2 жыл бұрын

@@TopHomeowner Thank you very much. I will check mine if we have AFI breaker..

@im.thatoneguy 9 ай бұрын

Common Wisdom: "Pigtail instead of daisy chain because if one outlet fails, everything daisy chained down the line won't go out as well." This pigtailed outlet: "Challenge accepted!"

@TopHomeowner 9 ай бұрын

😂 So true!

@DrSnuggles22 Жыл бұрын

Better use Wago

@tylerhale1696 Жыл бұрын

Your kids said “hey the receptical outlets don’t work in our rooms”????!!!?!?!? 😂

@TopHomeowner Жыл бұрын

Lol... OK well they may have said Alexa doesn't work in our room :)

@daniellambertsr.713 Жыл бұрын

Did you just turn off the breaker for the room or the entire house.

@TopHomeowner Жыл бұрын

Just the breaker for the room

@clarkyateman3871 Жыл бұрын

Why would all 3 lights come on?

@julianscoolword3956 Жыл бұрын

Why are there so many wires on the faulty receptacle?

@joaquinsuarez6090 Жыл бұрын

Because in that receptacle is giving power to that outlet and also sending power to another outlet in the room.

@dimitriberozny3729 Жыл бұрын

Are you running a 20 amp breaker on #14 wire? A NO NO!!

@BlackhawkPilot Жыл бұрын

You did not use a torque screw driver so you don’t know that you have met the specs of the receptacle.

@jamesborton9237 Жыл бұрын

I encounter this problem frequently. 100% of time a loose wire or a "backstabbed" wire not connecting. My RULE IS NEVER BACKSTAB switches or receptacles. Also receptacles should be 12 gauge wire. Do not install 14 gauge replacement wire.

@TopHomeowner Жыл бұрын

I agree, although I've found that is a highly debated subject!

@glasshalffull2930 10 ай бұрын

Outside of the kitchen/laundry, most receptacles are wired with 14 gauge and are on a 15 amp circuit.

@bobkelley6574 2 жыл бұрын

Maybe all wire nut manufacturers don’t use the same color coding, so yours may be different. But my container of wire nuts typically limits yellow to (2) #14 wires and requires red for (4) #14 wires. Please double check you are alright and replace if needed. As a father, I’d hate to see anything happen in the boys bedroom.

@TopHomeowner 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the comment and I'll double check.

@lesterwatson8519 6 ай бұрын

In my opinion back stab outlets should be outlawed.

@SHerbeck91 Жыл бұрын

The question you have to ask yourself is, why did this happen?

@meekinsstevenmeekins Жыл бұрын

The kids' space heater drew too much power overloading circuit. The circuit breaker should have tripped....needs to continuity test it with main off and breaker pulled. Spooky he doesn't get it.

@justin01144 8 ай бұрын

my grandmother had a flood because of a hurricane a couple of years ago, also destroyed the roof caused water damage and the list goes on. "i got a new roof put on and had to replace the well because the flood destroyed it" the flooding luckily stopped right before entering the house but destroyrd the duct work meaning shes been using space heaters. one outlet after the next has messed up until now power doesnt work on one side of the house, half of the house actually. luckily the kitchen and her room and bathroom have power but the living room, two bedrooms and bathroom do not as well as the front outside lights. Im being overloaded with information trying to understand what exactly is wrong. its getting cold in central NC and shes gonna need heat again. also she lives in a 99 singlewide so we already know they arent made with grade A products.

@TopHomeowner 7 ай бұрын

So it could be the breakers or the outlets like I've shown in this video. Starting with the breakers is the easiest (flip them all off and then back on). To troubleshoot the outlets you'll need to take them out one by one and see if you can find any problems. You could look for visible signs of an issue first too (burn marks, discoloration). Process of elimination, but it's time consuming.