Why don't the last outlets in the series work? It's new construction and the middle of run outlets work fine.
Question:I have some very simple wiring in a new room I'm building in my garage. An electrician wired it for me, but I still had drywall and painting to do so he took the outlets out for me as a convenience. Now that I hook them back up, the middle of run outlets (anything between the breaker and the last outlet) work fine, but the end of run outlets don't work. Any ideas what I'm doing wrong??
Answers:
You have a disconnected wire. Start checking all connections after the last working outlet.
every outlet should have a white wire(neutral) connected to the larger slot and the black wire (hot) to the smaller slot, green or bare copper to ground.
no don't cut the little tab as that is for dual ckts you can have 2 15 or 20 amp ckts depending on if the outlet is rated for 15 or 20 amps connected to the same outlet as for the wireing problem
did you check the "hot' for voltage with a voltage tester check hot (black) to netural and ground if you get voltage going to ground than your 'hot' or line is ok but you have a open netural up line somewhere if you get nothing than your wire is pinched somewhere along the route its not uncommon while installing the wires tho the studs that a nail might have goten driven thro the wire. I know it sounds crazy but it happen to me I drilled a tiny hole tho the floor of a trailer house that I was working on and the pilot bit drill right tho the ground wire in a #14 romax under the floor I could not have done that again in a million years the only wire in the area and it went right tho the middle of it weirdest thing I have every seen so I would check that out some where a wire is not completing the ckt
Happy hunting
To begin with DO NOT CUT the tab that joins the screws on the neutral and hot sides. If you already did this, there is the reason why you lost the end of your run.
this tab is just for that reason, to join the line in to the line (load) out.
You only cut/remove it if you are going to have the outlet switched.
By this I mean, in a lot of units, by law they are not required to install light fixtures in the bedroom ceilings. (think of the money you save cutting this cost in multiple unit buildings) In a lot of places you find that one half of the outlet is turned of and on by the light switch on the wall. This is so the occupant can plug a lamp into it and operate the lamp plugged into that half of the outlet by the wall switch.
Also, a lot of times you will notice that the outlets have an option called Quickwire. Which means all you have to do is skin the wire and push it into the holes on the back of the outlet.
What most people don't realize is that CURRENT FLOWS the same way as water flows through a plumbing pipe, Electrons flow through a conductor (wire). Known as electromagnetic lines of flux.
Electricity is so facinating when you know not only how to wire the devices, but have an understanding of how and why they work. For this, you won't find that in any do it yourself home depot book. You'll need to take the journeyman's electrician courses. For the best one I recommend the Electrician's Mate course taught by the U.S. Navy.
Nevertheless, if you use the quickwire feature, most likely you will see the wire pushed into the hole in the back of the outlet but won't realize that it is not getting a good contact.
As the current flows, it creates vibration. The vibration causes the connection to become loose and therefore, you lost the rest of the string.
Take a voltage tester,or an ordinary lamp and go through each outlet on the line, If you know the order they are wired in series, the last outlet that you come to that works before the string lost power should be the one you need to correct.
I strongly reccommend NEVER use quickwire just for the reason you are dealing with now. Take the wire OFF the quickwire and use the set screws. Rembering to wrap the wire around the screw in the CLOCKWISE rotation so that as you tighten the screw it pulls the wire and seats it properly.
Always make sure all connections are tight and secured by a mechanical connection (set screws, wire nuts, terminal bars ect.) (I do not recommend using crimp-on solderless connectors for the same reason as quickwire.)
If this doesn't work, then chances are the problem is in your conductor. Which means that a staple used to hold the romex/cable in place was hammered in too tight, or as I have seen, somebody moving a couch put it throught the wall hard enough to yank the cable and break a wire.
there is an UNORTHODOX test to see if you lost the NEUTRAL by connecting the white wire on the last working outlet to ground. Do not attempt to correct the problem by using the ground for a neutral permanently. YOU CAN KILL SOMEONE!!
If you lost either the neutral or hot, you will need to replace/rewire the cable between those outlets.
Wanna drive someone crazy? Just loosen the lugs that hold the service entrance cable to the main breaker and watch the power surges it causes.
Rember when you wire the outlets Gold Screws are for the Black (hot wire) silver screws are white wire ( Neutral ) and Green is always ground.
Also, if you are brave enough to work on it hot, you can touch that hot wire all day long and it'll never hurt you. As long as you keep away from the GROUND/ Neutral.
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And you are going to be sued "all day long" when someone is killed after reading a stupid comment like that. But don't worry, with advice like that I am sure you are licensed and your insurance policy will cover it.
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