By Dave Rongey Summary:
Electrical Outlets Question:
Have half power to on wall and one wall has no power,have checked breakers and all good any advise?
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Electrical Outlets Question: I have half power to on wall and one wall has no power, have checked breakers and all good any advise?
Mike.
Hi Mike - Great Electrical Repair Question!
Follow these directions and I believe you will find the problem:
Sketch out the room on paper taking note of what is working and what does not. Make note of any outlets where space heaters or other high wattage devices are plugged in.
Shut off the power to the affected area and make sure the every outlet is off before proceeding. One by one start opening what appears to be the last outlet that was working before one that does not, starting with outlets that have had any high wattage devices plugged in.
Inspect the wiring inside the outlet box, any splices and how the wires are attached to the outlet.
You are looking for burnt wires in a splice or attached to the side of the outlet. If you do not find a problem in the outlet boxes then you will have to inspect the fixture boxes in this room and switch boxes as well.
Any burnt wiring will need to be repaired by removing any burnt or scorched insulation back to the point of good clean wire.
Attaching a splice may be necessary to extend short wires where they may be joined to other wires they may splice to. Be sure to use insulated wire connectors that are sized properly for the gauge of wire and amount.
After inspecting or repairing the wiring carefully fold the wires back into the box as far back as the wire length will allow being careful to not damage the insulation. If all these inspections do not reveal the problem then there may be splices under the home or in an attic space above which will need to be inspected.
Be Careful - Be Safe, never work on energized circuits.
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Skill Level:
Intermediate to Advanced - Electrical Repairs and Circuit Wiring is Best Performed by a Licensed Electrical Contractor.
Tools Required:
Basic Electricians Pouch of Hand Tools, a Voltage Tester and a Multi Meter.
Estimated Time:
Depends on personal level experience, ability to work with tools, work with electrical wiring, and the available access to the project area. Precaution:
Identify the project circuit, turn it OFF and Tag it with a Note before working with the wiring.
Important:
Modifying existing electrical circuits or installing additional electrical wiring should be done according to local and national electrical codes with a permit and be inspected.
This is a testing tool that is a Non-contact tester that I use to easily Detect Voltage in Cables, Cords, Circuit Breakers, Lighting Fixtures, Switches, Outlets and Wires. Simply insert the end of the tester into an outlet, lamp socket, or hold the end of the tester against the wire you wish to test. Very handy and easy to use.
This is great to troubleshoot a problem with outlet circuit wiring, is also used by most inspectors to test for power and check the polarity of circuit wiring.
It detects probable improper wiring conditions in standard 110-125 VAC outlets
Provides 6 probable wiring conditions that are quick and easy to read for ultimate efficiency
Lights indicate if wiring is correct and indicator light chart is included
Tests standard 3-wire outlets UL Listed Light indicates if wiring is incorrect, Very handy and easy to use.
A wire stripping tool used to safely strip electrical wires.
This handy tool has multiple uses:
The wire gauges are shown on the side of the tool so you know which slot to use for stripping insulation.
The end of the tool can be used to grip and bend wire which is handy for attaching wire onto the screw terminals of switches and outlets.
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