I changed the outlets and the switches for looks in two rooms. I copied same wiring same position from old to the new outlet, or light switch. Figures, not that hard. Tested - everything, outlets good but the light switch stopped controlling the outlet (the one job it has). So I try with the switch of the wires (red and orange) nothing happens. I switch the wires around (red and orange). The light switch doesn’t work. Then I decide to check my outlet so I open it and decide to change the red and pink on that figuring it might fix the switch, there is a white one looped but I don’t touch that). I try the light switch, still not working, outlet tests “open ground”. I switch back the outlet red and pink to original position and then I change the switch ones and the switch doesn’t work and the outlet is still showing “open ground. I then assume since the only ones are those two between the connected outlets and switches in the room, I decide to switch the what in our inspection tested as reversed hot/neg ... to make it amongst the switch an “open ground” testing one, however, this ones wires are all sorts of colors but red and orange. Images attached. Waiting for ideas and questions. Please help me fix this.
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2Were the old outlets half switched or completely switched?– ThreePhaseEelCommented May 7, 2019 at 4:07
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The outlets were all fine. The original faulty outlet is in the powder room by the sink. All other outlets and switches worked fine prior to the exchange.– Lily BCommented May 7, 2019 at 4:38
2 Answers
If the problem is the receptacle in the picture, you have to remove the factory installed jumper (brass connection) that is between the 2 screws in the bottom picture. with the jumper removed, each terminal is separate so 1 is constant on and the other is controlled by the switch.
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So look at your old receptacles and see if the jumpers had been broken off on any of them. Generally it will be the jumpers on the hot side that are broken off. Did any breakers trip when you switched them back on? Commented May 7, 2019 at 12:58
D.George - it worked! Thank you much :-) my outlets tested “open ground” cause I live in Chicago area (we use the metal box to ground stuff), so once I attached them back to the wall, they tested “correct” :-) Thank you all for the help!
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2You might want to connect a ground pigtail anyway -- the connection to the metal box is only a valid ground path if the outlet is pushed up against the box, and in your picture, it would be sitting on the drywall instead of the metal. The screw threads alone may be enough to satisfy your tester, but they can't pass much current and they're not considered a sufficient ground path by code.– Nate S.Commented May 8, 2019 at 16:40