No power to light or bedroom plugs - circuit breaker good - how I got it working
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ธ.ค. 2017
- At the top, I am not an electrician, so take this as a disclaimer that only an electrician should work on electrical - not dummies like me. And just do it is said, when I do work on electrical in my home, I always have the power to the area turned off at the panel. This is for your entertainment.
Below is an excellent video showing a man testing his circuit breakers.
• Checking for a Bad Bre... - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
From one non-electrician to another I think you did a real good job of explaining that Thank you.
Appreciate it, thanks
I was about to call an Electrician after checking the breaker box (which was fine) after power went out in my son's room. Saw this video and voila, same deal problem - an outlet had shorted and broke the connection. Replaced outlet with the help of another video and we're back in business. Thanks!
As a master electrician i would like to make a couple comments. In the video, "series" was mentioned. I believe the presenter intended to say circuit, branch circuit or run. To avoid confusion, all homes are wired in a Parallel configuration. A failure in a series circuit will result in all down stream devices from working, one reason its not used in this application. It used to be a common practice to use the receptacle as a junction block on 2 wire systems ( 2 prong outlets without equipment ground) and it resulted in failures described in this video. Using a device as a junction block in effect, makes the branch circuit fail like its a series circuit. When using the device as a junction, when the connection fails on the "hot" or "neutral" side the electrical path is interrupted and all downstream device (receptacles/lights) stop working. Loss of a neutral may not result in a complete loss of power, often it will result high or low voltage conditions on the circuit and result in equipment failures (electronics are very susceptible to voltage deviation) . Always use a pigtail and only connect a single neutral to each device (not required on end of run). The NEC requires use of a pigtail for 3 and 4 wire circuits, "for multiwire branch circuits (3-wire or 4-wire circuits) where the removal of such devices would interrupt its continuity, the continuity of a grounded (neutral) conductor cannot be dependent on device connections [300.13(B)]."
The Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) in my area requires pigtails on hot and neutral conductors excluding the last device on the run. Remember, the NEC sets the minimum requirement, the AHJ has the final word. Its just a good practice to use pigtails everywhere you can. The device can be removed from the circuit without interrupting anything downstream.
A drawing of what the NEC requires to have a pigtail
www.ecmweb.com/sites/ecmweb.com/files/styles/article_featured_standard/public/uploads/2002/01/202ecmcqafig5.gif?itok=6fkis6VO
A couple random videos on how to wire a receptacle using a pigtail.
th-cam.com/video/UGWRijiQpQc/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/YTbaQfqCt2U/w-d-xo.html
Thank you for adding this.
Some houses are wired in series, I have seen videos on TH-cam where electricians wiring houses in series vs parallel
Your first link doesn't work.
@@electronics_hobbyist It’s not possible to do house wiring in series. A serial circuit divides the voltage across the appliances in the circuit. If you put 4 lights in series on 120 volts then each light will end up with only 30 volts. Parrallel wiring is the only way.
Thank you for this video. I used your knowledge to fix this problem in my home. Great info Sir.
EXCELLENT ADVICE ! changed my duplex outlet and the part with no electricity now has electricity! THANK YOU FOR YOUR VLOG! $5.00 fix and a electrician would have charged me $100 at least just to come out and check. MUCHAS GRACIAS!!! FROM SHAMONG, NJ!!
THANK YOU!! I had several outlets go out at once in a trailer home, my aquarium air pumps shut off and I lost dozens of fish. This helped me save the last 2 koi. Much appreciated!!!
thank you very much. Im a new homeowner and you just saved me thousands of dollars for an electrician
Good to hear. Thanks
When it’s broke it’s called “open” not “closed” just a fyi. When a circuit or switch is “closed” it means it’s making contact or the “loop” is “closed”. If it’s open the electricity can’t go past that “open” point because there’s not a path to make the “loop”. Great video, just saying so maybe someone doesn’t get confused.
I appreciate the correction, thanks!
Because of this video I was able to trouble shoot and fix a similar issue. Thank you
A+p
Great help, I Found an outlet in corner that I didn't know was part of series. It was a GFI outlet that had fried. We never use it and did not know it was hooked before lights and fan. Thanks much! used a Klein tools voltage tester and receptacle plug in tester to trouble shoot. $20 plus new outlet.
Thanks to you, I was able to fix a problem in my basement. I had lost power in about 6 outlets and did not know where to start. I had checked the breaker and knew the problem wasn't there.
Best of Luck.
I replaced the GFCI in the bathroom and the circuit breakers in the panel. NOTHING changed! I will check and replace some of the receptacles this morning. Thank you very much for your video..Have a good weekend and be safe. This is very helpful.. I am sure many of us out there would appreciate and love your video, too.
Thank you for posting this informative video. In my case, it gives me either a start to fixing the issue, or at least explain to an electrician what may be happening causing the problem. RE the stab terminal thing: I've seen that before, and have always wondered what they were thinking (or weren't thinking) when they came up with that idea.
My house built in Mo., USA, in 1976. I was the second owner. They used aluminum wiring, which was acceptable at the time. Where they failed miserably, was using receptacles and switches designed for copper only. To add insult to injury, they used the backstab connections as shown on this video. Needless to say, it wasn't long before I heard sizzling in my bedroom wall, and found this problem. I had to go through the entire house and change all receptacles and switches to CO/AL. There were also copper and aluminum connections in boxes with no antioxidant on them, so there were issues there too. My kitchen and laundry are wired with copper clad wire. It's deceiving when looking at the ends of the wire. When you look at the wire from the end, you will see the center of the wire is silver. It seems to work alright. Needless to say, with aluminum wiring, I have smoke detectors all over the house. Just thought I should share this for those of you with aluminum.
It is a good comment. We had a problem with the wiring back in the '70s when I was a kid and my recollection is that my father is was tied into the copper/aluminum deal.
i ran across this video, after i had already had licensed electrician in the property. outlets and lights out in 3 rooms, everywhere else ok.. electrician pulled the outlets out to put a multimeter, on each. no power coming in he said, he said re wire the whole house. he left , did not turn any breaker off to that area, they didnt call me back to schedule re wire, which im glad they didnt. the person living there said 4 days later she smelled a faint, but burning smell..i turned off all breakers at this point, pulled first outlet in the room out, and found that one of the wires had broken off and was touching other wire, replaced outlet, now everything back on. 7 total outlets now work + all lights, no rewire needed, nice try though on the electricians part, i dont think taking someone s word that they are certified means anything, make them provide certification, also you could give them a written exam to take before they step onto property, if they refuse they have 30 seconds to get off property. might seem extreme to some, but to bad. they say dont do anything on your own, get electrician. for what, the house would have burned to the ground, if waiting on his re-wire
That’s awesome explaining how a series circuit works. it baffles me when i see these types of wiring methods. If you wire them in parallel make a pig tail for each outlet You if one goes out you still have current flowing through the rest of the loads.
Had this happen today. Thank you for posting this advise. Happy Holiday's
HA !!! Had a friend of mine who is a " supposed " electrician over 2night to try and diagnose the same type of problem as described in this video. I kept telling him " Are you sure that the problem might not be this outlet that is the first in the link out of the Breaker Box and that might be the cause ? " after he could find no problem with my breakers. " I'm not sure, I'll have to come back 2morrrow and I'll check that possibility out ", he told me. After he left, I grabbed a new outlet unit I had on hand, installed it in the outlet cavity in question, and guess what … I was back in action. Everything fired right back up.
THANK YOU!!!! My husband has been telling me we just need to call an electrician. Pffft! I got this!
How did we ever make it before the internet and TH-cam? Thanks again!!!
Same here...my husband wants a professional...I am working on it lol
@@luciaguilera7068 You folks make sure to shut off those breakers and test the outlet prior to performing any work so you don't electrocute yourselves.
First time home buyer here, Thank you so much for the info I will try it.
Did it work? I’m also a first time home buyer
@@luigi2018 same
This a good video from someone who isn't an electrician. You did a good job explaining what was going as best you could. The situation you had is what is called back wiring .Where you push the stripped back wire into the back out of the outlet. This is an expectable wiring practice. I don't do it that way . The problem and what caused the outlet and wire to melt was the loose connection in the back wiring.Under load ,the loose connection will arc which will generate heat ,a lot of heat which in turn will ruin your outlet and cause an open circuit. I have pulled out outlets that were totally fried and had to replace the outlet.Good thing for you the conductors were still good .Great job!
Thank you sir.
Thanks, I was going to pay an electrician after I had replaced all breakers with no luck.
I ended up replacing an outlet 2 rooms down and the power came on in every room.
Hey! Thanks alot for the help. My problem was close to this. In my case, I have an attic fan that had an old mini breaker which was causing my lights to go out but not trip the main breaker. I was able to fix my issue and the mystery of my lights going out and back on after a couple of seconds!!!
I just wanted to say thanks for this video. This was my Problem Exactly! I am not too savvy on electricity and this dumbed it down pretty good. I was able to change my receptacles and fix my problem! THANK YOU!
Glad it helped
Thank you for educating me to this problem. I was baffled before watching and now confidant this is what happened. You may have saved a life. Eternally grateful.
Glad it was helpful!
I have same problems in two rooms, now it's late, but tomorrow soon I am back from work I am going to start working on.. Thanks, video is easy to understand..
Good luck.
Thank you very much - this is the exact problem I'm experiencing. I will do the same and use the screw-terminals.
You are a savior. For me it was another outlet adjacent to the one that was out
Thank you for your video. Most helpful.
Thank You!!! You saved me $120.00 Today. I was able to solve my issue with a trip to Home Depo and $0.68 cents!
Glad it helped
Add me to the crowd of folks who have benefited from this video. Followed your instructions and it worked perfectly. I had been close to calling an electrician. Thanks a bunch!
Glad it helped
I have had this problem many times. Don’t like push in connectors at all. Also check for loose wire nuts in junction boxes and light fixtures in series.
I LIKE HOW HE DOES EXPLAIN EVERYTHING.. IM GOING TO TRY FIXING IT .THANKS
sometimes the receptacle will look ok on the outside but will be fried on the inside.
My man!!!!! Thank you for your video... it answered my problem. I was trying to figure it all out before I called an electrician. I came across your video I did exactly what you said and low and behold it was the very last outlet before I was done with them all. Thanks again for this video.. saved me time and money!!!! Lifesaver.. I recommend this video because it's the only one I found that explained to the T.!!! Thanks again.
Glad it helped, appreciate the feedback!
That Helped Greatly And I have an Idea where the Problem Is. A Burned Out Outler In The Garage. Thanks. I’ll Replace it.
Good job for troubleshooting and fixing your own problem. Great at explaining and awesome video. Thank you sir!
Well informed thank you for the info I had the same problem.
This was very informative. Thank you
Lol don't worry, your picture is great! Thanks for the video!
Had this problem today. I have an outlet with burn marks. Tried to use it today and my whole bedroom and bathroom is now out, however the hall lights still work. Given that they are on the same circuit and the breaker hadn’t flipped, I was really lost. I’ll get someone to replace the outlet and hopefully my problem will be fixed. Thanks!
Thank you! I had a similar problem, and your video gave me the information and confidence I needed to solve the problem! 71 cents plus tax to fix! My wires and receptacle weren't melted or burned like yours, but replacing the receptacle restored power. Thank you very much!
I would have installed at least a $2 commercial grade receptacle.
Great job, awesome video. Thank you for sharing your experience. Thanks to your video I was able to help my friend with the same issue. Plain and simple and straight to the point just the way most of us DIYers like it.
You can also check the small opening in the plug (hot side) on each receptacle to see if you have a break in the line voltage, then check the load line to see if there is a break there most of the time i can find where the break is just by doing that.
Nice clear explanation. Probably too late, but there's a way to avoid multiple devices (outlets, receptacles) from all going out when one is bad. You need to pigtail each device within its box when you wire it, so that the circuit does not flow through the device. Instead it flows through a main wire, and each device is running off the main wire. I just rewired most of my house, just a few more to go, and did this..
Thank you for this video. Had the same problem in my house. Breaker was fine but no power to bedroom. Found the bad plug in the living room.
Glad it helped
Great video and excellent Explanation.
Excellent video!
Thanks for the video trying to help other people, as an electrician myself I would tell you never rely on the outlet to pass the power to another outlet.. This can be fixed with more effort on the original installer by simply pigtailing the wires down to one that way when something goes wrong it shows itself and it makes the circuit stronger..
Can you answer this question as a electrician. In the kitchen I blew a fuse using a kettle at one end and then the air fryer in another outlet. I check the fuse box everything looks to be the same but now the outlet that I plug the kettle in works but the one below doesn't why is that and is it a easy fix??? Any danger to using the one outlet for now
Thank you very much.. This information saved me today!!
Wiggle lever nuts are great for short wires in the receptacle boxes. 2, 3 and 5 connector types. A hand full of each works wonders.
They are called WAGO lever nuts.
Thank you. Great video it refreshed my brain
Very skillful handyman
I changed receptacles and I'm still not getting 20amp breaker it's tied to work .I'm gonna change to outside might be because I cut hot and negative to short to go inside the back of the receptacle .great vise thanks for the assistance
Some information would help. 1. What was plugged into the outlet(s) that failed? 2. What gauge wire was used? What is the amp circuit breaker in the box? Regular receptacles and light switches are usually rated for 15amps. If a 20amp circuit breaker is used, it will not trip until the amps exceed 20amps. 20amps load will cause the outlet to overheat. An overloaded receptacle or light switch will not trip the breaker, but the receptacle will overheat from an overload; let's say a hairdryer and a small floor heater or AC. Receptacles and light switches are usually rated for 15amps, and the circuit breaker should only be 15amp. Cheap outlets and wall switches are just that, cheap. I use only commercial grade.
Thank you so much praise God this video just helped me So much !!!!
I just had the same issue and it’s winter so lost power to one room and breaker was good . Found a melted outlet in the hallway replaced it and good now woooo Gloryyyy to God !
Great info my brother thank you.
Thank you for the great video. It helps me understand the same issue I have in my house. I would use your video to troubleshoot the same issue I have in my house.
Glad it helped
Thanks, solved my issue. Was trying to figure out what caused the power failure in two of my rooms. turned out to be a bad outlet.
Glad it helped
Awesome video thanks for the help cause im going to do the same by getting rid of these old outlets and making sure they're done rite 👌
Yes this technique does cause some problems and should have never been allowed, here in the US this is called "back stabbed" . during the short time i was able to work for an electrical company of 5 years working towards journeymen's , I never back stabbed a device but went on a lot of service calls because of this technique , my opinion . Very good catch !
I wish that the manufacturers would eliminate that push in wiring feature. To me it is downright dangerous and I never use it. Rather than use an outlet as a through device many old school electricians would pigtail the connections so the current for the outlets downstream doesn't have to go through all the preceding outlets. Yes it is a bit more work but it is worth it to me to save the possible inconvenience of an outage later on.
Great video! I believe this might have happened to me!
Love this video, I had the exact same problem.
Check the wiring I bet there’s a faulty junction in the wall of ceiling that’s starting to burn
Happened at my dads one house with aluminum wiring when the previous owners moved a wall and did a BAD junction
Super helpful. Thank you!
Thanks, glad it helped
The screw terminals in my opinion is the safest connection, the stab on connector is just there for a quick connection, but I rather spend my time and be safer using the screw terminals
nice find.
Thank you so much you make my day God bless you you save me a lot of money
Great information……having the same problem
Very good!! Thanks!!
They also sell a more expensive receptacle called a back wire, you put the stripped wire straight behind a compression screw and tighten down securely, easier than wrapping wire around the screw and the tangs for the receptacle are made better so your plugs fit securely into them.
I just bought 20 of those commercial grade receptacles today and started replacing them in our 25 year old manufactured home.
IIRC, the term "BACKSTABBING" applies to the placement of the wires into the back of the wall socket receptacles. My understanding is that it is a rather shady practice.
Out of 5 outlets one 1 worked and the outlet with the wall switched seem to be the problem. We replaced it and not all the outlets work but that one and the wall switch still doesn’t work. What could be the issue?
I would tie all the receptacles into the circuit as a parallel; splice the wires together with wire nuts and have a "jumper" wire(s) (black, white and green) from the splices to feed each receptacle. That way if a receptacle goes bad, it won't interrupt the entire circuit, just that particular receptacle will be bad.
I appreciate the input although this is over my head. But thanks again for leaving the comment.
I have this problem now,lost power to a cpl lights and several receptacles but it sucks because its a few different rooms and a old house,I suspect I loose wire somewhere in the beginning of the circuit I just haven't got to troubleshoot yet,wish me luck I need it
God bless you and yours good sir, thank you.
Thank you kindly
You’re good sir,,,,,,,THANK YOU VERY MUCH…….your technique is good and correct 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽
Thanks this helped
Thanks for the video. All of the electricity in my moms four seasons room is out and I tested every circuit breaker in the panel.They all check out just fine so it is a matter of figuring out which outlet or wall switch in the four seasons room is bad. I guess I have to just start at one and keep going till I find which is bad. Do you know how to check if the outlet is bad without evidence of melted wires or anything visible?
I don't know how to check other than what I showed. For the price it may be a better option just to replace them.
hello,,,, thank you very much for this nice video,,,,, I did have the same problem,,,, on of the bedroom receptacles got burned ,, which caused half of my mobile home lights and receptacles turn off,,, I did replace it with new one,,, but it didn't solve the problem,,, any suggestion ?,,,, thank you
I'm sorry but I am really able to go beyond what I did in this video. Good luck and I hope you have been able to find an answer.
i have the same problem but i replaced all my recepticles and still no power the weird part is that before i did it i had power in two recept. and other two were bad. i replaced all of them now i dont have power in none. and they are in the same circuit.
How old is your home? What you are describing is wiring outlets in "series" vs. "parallel". I believe the more common model these days is to wire outlets in parallel to help prevent one outlet from taking down the rest when one fails. In parallel circuits, you don't have that problem. Think of it like Christmas lights...remember when 1 bad bulb took out the entire string and you had to hunt to find that one bulb? That was because they were wired in series. Now, they wire them in parallel so if 1 bulb fails, the string still works and you can find/replace that 1 bulb easily.
Hey thanks for the information, I wasn't aware of the change in wiring from when this house was built to current practice. This section of the house was built in the early 70s, 1973 to be specific from my understanding.
@@fixitmyself No problem. I don't think it is a "code requirement", just more common way.
Thanks!
My kitchen light went out and 2 nearby outlets at the same time. (I saw them) but they still have power according to that pen tester, but they don't work. I tried to replace one outlet but they didn't work still. And my neighbor doesn't get shocked when he holds both sides. Yet that pen tester thing says it has power.
Do you like or dislike your neighbor? That pin tester, as you call it, has a test range. This means that it will detect ANY wire close to the tester. Therefore, you will get a 'false positive.'
I have this problem..my receptacle search starts now..I hope I'm this lucky..
Good luck!
Thanks...I found the outlet and fixed it.
Well thank you for the feedback. Glad it helped.
why does one of the outlets work in my kitchen and not the other below
Old outlet. Broken contact.
Replace outlet (turn power off)
Thanks
Thanks good show
Isn't it pathetic that electricians use the back stab method because it saves them a minute or so during installation on a new home yet the risk could be a fire that destroys the house or kills someone?
This is why modern electricians pigtail outlets, so if an outlet fails then only that outlet is affected, and the rest of the circuit is functioning
This is why I pigtail to the receptacle. All the hots, neutrals and grounds will remain connected even if one receptacle becomes defective.
Thanks for this, I don't personally understand this, but someone reading this can google it.
@@fixitmyself It means you twist the incoming wire, and the outgoing wires with an additional wire that goes to the receptacle. Those twisted ends receive a wire nut and if the receptacle stops working, current still flows through the circuit. Here is a photo example: images.app.goo.gl/21hn2vvcGtL67V2R6
Thank you
If u not electrican u should be cause i fix my problem with this video
Hey thanks for the great video,can this happen to a receptacle that's not being used , but is on the same circuit as other receptacles that are being used more often.......so I guess what I'm trying to say is the receptacle that's in your video will call that receptacle number one that's not being used, butt receptacle number three is being used alot, and then an overload occurs, is it possible that receptacle number one is the receptacle that took the impact from the overload ?......
Thanks for the comment. To be fair, I best leave this to a qualified electrition. Good luck.
My guess (I'm not a licensed electrician) us that it's very possible. In fact the first receptacle is bearing the load from the rest of the circuit when everything has been daisy chained without pigtailing each receptacle.
Good video and your explaining series circuit. Bad way to wire. Parallel is better each outlet goes to basement then all wires connect in one box, but don't put a lot of outlets in a box. My problem is somewhere in those basement boxes there's a shot circuit and my friend did his basement over and all ceilings are plaster. It's also old wirerring with boxes unknown. He's a friend so I'm trying to help
Thanks
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas Michael
Yeah my light in my lamp blew up just now now I gotta get 3 of these because it blew power out for 2 parts of the house same my braker was fine
I had a similar problem. The one closest to the breaker had no power. The tester didn't light up. The other outlets on the line will show power, but don't work when I plug a lamp in. So have I found the problem? Or could this be something else? Than you. Excellent video
I don't know enough about electricity to know what is going on with the plugs showing power but not working. But you have nothing to lose in replacing the plug closest to the panel that you test no power in.
Just remember to kill the breaker or need be, kill the panel so you don't get shocked.
I unplugged a window unit in my bedroom & now all the outlets in my bedroom don't work except for 1. We replaced ALL the non-working wall outlets & they still don't work. The breaker for the room is still active/working fine. Anyone with any advice on what I should do?
It's the wiring going from one outlet to the next outlet if you pigtail the outlets you wont have that problem hope this helps
Thank u Thank u Thank u! Great vid overall
Glad it was helpful!