How To Check An Electrical Appliance Outlet

Home Outlet Testing Made Easy: Testing home receptacle outlets can be easily done by using a plug in circuit analyzer. © By: Dave Rongey

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Checking the Condition of an Outlet and the Wiring
[ad#block]Question: I have a 120 volt outlet in my house that I can’t get appliances to work on. I’m getting a 120volt reading on my voltmeter. I put the black lead in the ground hole and the red lead in the small hot hole. with the red in the hot hole and the black in the neutral I don’t get a reading. Could the neutral be disconnected somewhere?

This electrical question came from: Tim, a Handyman from Sandy, Utah.
See more about Home Wiring for Utah

Dave’s Reply:
Thanks for your electrical question Tim.

Checking an Outlet

Checking an Appliance Outlet
Tim, this could be an easy fix if this problem is isolated to just this one outlet, so here’s what I do in a case like this. First identify the circuit and turn the power OFF. Then remove the outlet and inspect the wiring paying close attention to the  connections of the white neutral wires. Sometimes I will notice signs of burnt wires or a loose wire.  If I see that the outlet has signs of wear then it would be best to just replace the outlet while it is being checked. Tim if you see badly burnt wires and you are not comfortable about the repairs, then it may be best to contact a licensed electrician to make the repairs for you.
Home Outlet Testing Made Easy
Testing home receptacle outlets can be easily done by using a plug in circuit analyzer. This type of tester is simply plugged into the outlet and reports the condition of the power with a lighted display.

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