Several dead outlets, but breaker is fine

Question

In my living room, when I first moved in, there was a dead outlet. Everything was tested by an electrician before I moved in, and there are a lot of outlets in the room, so I ignored it. Then some time ago, the outlet I had my floor lamp in went dead. Circuits were fine, everything else in the room/floor/house was working, just (again) one outlet.

Now a THIRD has gone in the same room - I am getting worried. Is this likely a wiring problem? Is this a DIY job or should I get an electrician to check it out? The house is pretty old (1930's) and I have no idea when the current wiring was done.

Answer 1

It's possible one or more GFCIs have tripped.

Look for outlets with 'TEST' and 'RESET' buttons on them - note that they may not be in the same room, or even on the same floor. May be hidden behind couches and similar.

A little unlikely given that you had multiple sockets stop working separately, but possible, so I thought I'd mention it.

Answer 2

With a home this old it probably has been updated. Are there still 2 prong outlets? If modern 3 prong some level of updating has been done. It is possible that they used back stab outlets very easy to wire but not reliable.

With the circuit breaker off, pull the outlets that are not working. Use caution when pulling the outlets because the original braided wire may still be there and the insulation can be fragile. Examine the connection to the outlet--if the wire is pushed into a hole, this is probably your problem. Most outlets have a slot next to the hole that will release the wire or it may have burned loose. If there are screws on the side move the wires to the screws or purchase new outlets with screws.

If you find plastic-coated wires, this is good news, as all the wiring was replaced. I have replaced hundreds of these back-stabbed outlets and this is where I would look. I've found everything from a wire totally burned off to ones that just slide out of the outlet.

There is also a slim possibility of a wire nut being loose but that is really rare. Replacement only takes a few minutes and is something most DIY folks can do with just a screwdriver and pair of wire strippers.

Answer 3

Turn off the corresponding breaker. Remove the receptacles. Turn the breaker back on an test the wires for electricity. If there's no electricity, you have a wiring problem. If there is electricity, your receptacles are bad - replace them.

Answer 4

Sometimes, if the receptacle isn't properly shimmed from the box with little plastic spacers, it will move, slightly, every time something gets plugged in. That movement will stress the solid core wires, and "back stab" connections (as described in another comment). With backstabb connections, sometimes it'll lead to load arcs and melt the wire at the connection. Other times, it'll just come loose. And sometimes, with both backstab connections and the conventional side screw connections, it could lead to broken wires. You need more information. 1 - Turn off the breaker. 2 - carefully remove the cover plate 3 - use an electrical tester to confirm that the wires are not hot (I always test my tester on a hot plug first). 4 - unscrew the receptacle screws holding it to the box. 5 - examine the receptacle connections (maybe take pictures and add them to the question if something looks suspicious but you're unsure)