I replaced 4 old outlets in my living room. Tops are hot. Last outlet, below the light switch has 2 reds, 2 blacks, 2 whites & a ground. Reds are top brass, blacks are bottom brass, white is 1 to bottom silver & 1 to top silver, ground to ground screw. Light switch above has only 2 blacks, 1 top and 1 bottom. Broke the tab on the outlet brass side only but that didn't make a difference. Just learned about the tab so didn't do that to any of the other outlets I replaced, would it make a difference? What am I doing wrong? Tested the switch, it has power. Outlet too.

 

So I clipped all the tabs on all the other receptacles and it didn't work. Any ideas appreciated.

 

We need to know all the wires in the box. There should also be two or more white wires in the back of the box connected only to each other.More likely that is the first receptacle unless the last switch has a 3-conductor cable (red, white, black) and a 2-conductor cable (black, white). Do the other receptacles have a single 3-conductor cable (red, black, white)? That will determine if you break the tab at other switches. Did you touch the wiring at the switch?

Minor thing: You should not use the back stabs for connecting wires. They can be less reliable. You should pigtail instead.

 

Light switch box: 3 white wires tied together with a wirenut, not connected to anything. Also, wiring on the light switch has not been touched yet.

Outlets: Already broke all the tabs but it didn't make a difference.

 

Do you have just a black and white wire at the light.

Do you have a multimeter, preferably analog or a test light? (A non contact tester won't work for testing.)

Plan: Get the lights working then work on the receptacles.

 

Great plan but the reason the lights don't work is something I did with the receptacles!

No, there are only 2 black wires at the light. I didn't touch the light only the receptacles.

Yes, I have an analog multimeter, tested and the continuity is good.

 

There should be a black and white wire at the light. Are there any other wires at the light?Not what I am interested in. I was going to suggest you disconnect all the wires at the switch and determine if you have one 2-conductor cable (black and white) that is 120 volts. If so tell me if you have any other 2-conduvtor cables and how many 3-conductor cables (white, black, red).

 

So here is what I found...there's a black, white and ground coming from the breaker (on the top right of the picture), black, white, red & ground going to the lighting (top left of picture). A short black wire was pigtailed to the red wire going to the switch (just to make it confusing). There are 4 black wires with a red wire nut (1 from the power, 1 to the lighting, 1 to the switch, 1 going to the outlet below). The red wire coming from the outlet meets at the switch and runs to the lighting. All 3 white wires are connected with the yellow wirenut in the switchbox.

Again, I want to make it clear I never touched anything on the light switch so I feel like it has to be something I did wrong with the outlets but at this point I'm willing to try anything.

The 2nd picture, the outlet: red, white, black & ground coming from the switch above (right top of box), white, black, red & ground from the outlet to the other receptacles in the living room (left top of box.

Right now the red are disconnected but they were attached to the top brass, black to bottom brass and white on both silvers.

There is only 1 2-conductor cable (coming from the power source - 120v) all other cable are 3-conductor cables.

 

Then if you have only a two conductor cable at the light it can't come from the switch. It must come from a receptacle. You need to find that receptacle.