Electrical Outlet
#1
06-19-03, 02:41 PM
Electrical Outlet
Help. I have an oultlet in the garage that is not working. I replaced the outlet recpticle (sp?) and still not working. I have curcuit breakers but they have not been tripped. Do I need a voltage meter to see if the wires are hot? If they are - what is my next step?
#6
06-19-03, 07:09 PM
Member
Excellent investigation. If your tester is reading open neutral, then it is definitely not a GFCI or breaker problem. You have exactly what your tester says you have, an open neutral.
Sometimes fixing an open neutral is easy, sometimes not. You need to start by shutting off the breaker. Start with the non-working receptacle. Pull it out of the wall and remake all the connections. Check the wire nuts to see if they are tight. Move backstab connections (wires stuck in the little holes) to the adjacent screws (a book on home wiring can show you how to do this properly). Concentrate on the white wires, because that is where the problem is. Then reinstall the receptacle, turn on the breaker, and test. If you've led a good clean life, then it will work. More likely it won't work first time. Move to the next nearest receptacle or switch on the same circuit. Repeat the same procedure. Keep at it until you've done all the switches and receptacles on the circuit, both working ones and non-working ones. If you do them all and it still doesn't work, then have a qualified person tighten the neutral connections in the panel.
Sometimes fixing an open neutral is easy, sometimes not. You need to start by shutting off the breaker. Start with the non-working receptacle. Pull it out of the wall and remake all the connections. Check the wire nuts to see if they are tight. Move backstab connections (wires stuck in the little holes) to the adjacent screws (a book on home wiring can show you how to do this properly). Concentrate on the white wires, because that is where the problem is. Then reinstall the receptacle, turn on the breaker, and test. If you've led a good clean life, then it will work. More likely it won't work first time. Move to the next nearest receptacle or switch on the same circuit. Repeat the same procedure. Keep at it until you've done all the switches and receptacles on the circuit, both working ones and non-working ones. If you do them all and it still doesn't work, then have a qualified person tighten the neutral connections in the panel.
