How do I repair a bad electrical outlet?

Question

2 of the three wall outlets on a particular circuit are bad. The lights and fan also on the circuit operate normally. I have changed out both outlets, but they still do not work. They were working fine a month ago, then just went dead. Also, there are no GFI plugs in the house... Is there any way to determine where the fault is?

Answer 1

check the breaker box for a gfi. it will have an extra button on the breaker to is the gfi. sometimes a gfi can be located on the outside of the house. check any outlets that are out there. outlets also have a metal peice that is in between the 2 screws that somtimes will fault or break and will not allow the rest of the outlets to operate.

Answer 2

They're probably fed from one of the spots you still have power. Either from the working outlet, the light box in the ceiling, or a junction box somewhere that they are all linked to. The most likely spot is that working outlet, since most of the outlets power is fed from one to the next like links in a chain. It could be one of the wires is disconnected from it, so power's not feeding to the next outlet in the chain. Or it may have some kind of fault in it. Be careful, don't get electrocuted. If you have a voltage tester, check for power. It should have two sets of wires, one that bring power in which must have power since it works, and a second set which take power to the next outlet in the chain. But be careful, sometimes they wire outlets off different circuits. Those two dead ones may feed off a seperate power feed. Be sure you turn off power before you do anything that'll get you shocked or cause a short. Good luck.

Answer 3

Try going to the outlet that works and checking the wiring for tightness. The daisy chain starts there. Also, are any of the outlets on a switch? Good luck.

Answer 4

If your circuit breaker is OK, you may have a wiring problem. You may need to call an electrician to sort it out.