A friend says a wire may have come lose on the adaptor and that I should take the plate off and check for lose wires. Is this something I can fix myself? (I have trouble putting batteries in a flashlight correctly.)
2007-01-25 05:04:44 · 7 answers · asked by Beth 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Beth... first of all, COMPLETELY disregard the advice of the "master electrician'. Were he competent at all he would have told you that 120 volts CAN kill you (it's not as likely to as a higher voltage, but by far the most frequent voltage where people are electrocuted is 120 volts), and second, the white wire is the neutral (if the house is wired correctly) and actually normally carries NO load. You can, however, be shocked by it under certain conditions. Rule of thumb.. you should always treat ANY wire as potentially dangerous until you test it... and even then, you should retest from time to time as you work. I have been shocked by a copper wire that was not hooked to ANYTHING at either end (I won't explain the physics) because a precaution I thought I took had failed.
Safety aside... if you've never worked on one, I'd hire someone. If you HAVE to try it out, do the following:
Plug a radio into the faulty outlet (this will only work at the time when the outlet really IS working, obviously). Turn it up loudly enough so that you can hear it at your electrical panel (alternatively you can just do this with another person). Turn off the breaker you believe controls that plug. If the radio goes off, try turning it back on. Did it go back on? Repeat. Be completely satisfied that you have the correct breaker/fuse... then switch it off (remove fuse) and be sure nobody can turn it back on while you're working.
Receptacles are about 80 cents at Home Depot. Just buy on and change it out. Be sure you get the right color (white/ivory/almond/brown/whatever), and that it has either two holes or three holes per plug (to match what you have at home). It's illegal to put a 3-hole receptacle where there was a 2-hole unless a ground is present in that box (or you've added one).
The receptacle will either be wired "stab in" (wires are poked into holes in back of receptacle), or on the screws on the side of the receptacle.
When the power is off at the breaker, undo the screw(s) on the cover plate and remove it. There will be 2 screws on the receptacle (top and bottom). Undo those and the receptacle will be loose. Gently bring it out, w/o pulling too hard on the wiring. Look inside the box. If there are wirenuts, I've found that they really are the most common culprit for intermittently operating equipment. Make sure they are screwed down tightly and that there are no loose wires. Generally, all the whites will be nutted together. As with the blacks, and bares copper ones too. That is not always the case, though. If there are more than 3 wire nuts in the box, I'd let a pro step in and finish the process (if you have a loose wire). You may just create more problems if it's more than just one simple circuit in the box.
If the plug is a "stab in", you can either decide to cut the wires, and restrip them for the new receptacle (if they're long enough, that's the easiest way). If you have to get them out, use a pair of needle nose pliers and twist the end of the wire in the receptacle back and forth about 70-90 degrees as you apply pulling pressure on the wire... it should work its way out. If the receptacle is made up on the screws, just loosen (or remove them, but they are crimped and will try to stop when they are most of the way out)... sometimes that's easier because you keep the loops on the stripped conductors and can just put the screws on the new receptacle right back through them when you hook them up.
Notice, the white wire is on the silver screw (which is on the side of the receptacle that has the slightly longer slot... ever notice that?). White = silver ; Black = Brass ; Bare = Green screw. Just put it back in in the reverse of how you took it out. I often find that guys wire them backward (i.e. Black = Silver, etc...) Even if you find that, wire them as I've outline.. which is the correct way. I would recommend, prior to reassembling into the wall, that you wrap electrical tape around the sides of the receptacle and screws (two wraps - not the back...) for safety and to prevent future problems.
I wish you luck. If you can't find it yourself, ask a licensed electrician. Should not be more than $120 and/or one hour of his time to diagnose and repair, if it's the receptacle itself. If could also be the breaker/fuse/socket, or anything in between that and the receptacle. Also, before you even pull it, shut the breaker off and be sure the screw holding the wire is tight.
2007-01-25 07:43:13 · answer #1 · answered by wlm_loh 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Are you sure it is the outlet? Sometimes the cord you are plugging into it is faulty. Try plugging a different item in and see if it works. If you already tried that, then it may very well may be a loose wire. Turn the power off. Remove the face plate and look on the sides to see if the wires are screwed on. Black wire goes to the copper color screw. White wire goes to the silver color screw. bare copper goes to the green color screw. Some outlets have quick connections where the wire is pushed into the back of the outlet. They will still have the screws on the side but the wires are pushed into the back in their respective sides. You might just want to have someone that knows what they are doing to do it. Getting zapped because you thought the power was off isn't fun.
2007-01-25 05:52:07 · answer #2 · answered by Jason F 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
beth, messing with electricity is not simple. it can kill. i am not trying to scare you, just warn and inform. your friend is correct, it could be a loose wire, but it could be a bad connection, or a bad outlet, too. since the outlet only works part of the time, how would you know for certain if you turned off the correct breaker or fuse? you could get a nasty shock or worse if it isn't off. also, the wires have certain places they need to be connected to for safe and correct connection. if they are connected wrong, it could damage whatever is plugged into them, or worse. your best bet would be to get a book from the library and look up on how to replace an outlet. then you can decide if you think that you have the ability to do it. you might decide after reading up on it that it would be best left to someone more qualified than yourself. consider a handyman instead of an electrician to save some money, but make sure that they are qualified to do it. get references from people who have had this type of work done by him. good luck, and i hope that it all works out for you.
2007-01-25 05:31:49 · answer #3 · answered by car dude 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes you can fix this. I am a Master Electrican, before you do anywork, CUT hte breaker off. Its only a 120v, it wont hurt you if you get shocked but SAFETY is the main thing.. If the wire are tight on the adapter, then the DEVICE ( receptacle ) may be bad and needs to be replaced.
You should see 3 wires, blk,white & green.....if not you will see, blk, white and bare copper.. DONT TOUCH THE WHITE WIRE... it carries the load of the power....
www.nec.com they can answer any additional answers you have.. plus they have a phone number also....
Hemp Maser
2007-01-25 05:20:41 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
that's no longer very basic. this actual outlet is in a team that someplace alongside the line is drawing present day, like a refrigerator. Plug your refrigerator or air conditioner in yet another outlet. sure, this does must be checked.
2016-11-27 01:24:25 · answer #5 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
if you do check it yourself make sure you go to the fuse panel and turn of the power to that room before you take the plate off. I would suggest you call a electrician to check it for you if you are not sure how to do that.
2007-01-25 05:17:23 · answer #6 · answered by sunshine_rae 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no, if your unable to change batteries in a flashlight have someone else ( an electrician) look at it.
2007-01-25 05:24:14 · answer #7 · answered by RUSSELLL 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋