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    hubandwif's Avatar
    hubandwif Posts: 1, Reputation: 1
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    #1

    Mar 19, 2009, 04:28 PM
    Electrical outlet dead but ears are hot! Whassup?
    Noob here. 23 years after the house was built an outlet in my finished basement went dead while I was using my computer, then recovered, then had intermittant power and now is completely dead. I shoved the prongs of a circuit tester into the slots and got no light, but with one prong in a slot and one prong touching an ear of the outlet I get a light. Same thing with any slot and any ear. After it first went dead I removed the faceplate and pulled the outlet outa the box, but didn't touch any wires. Power came back until I started a power saw, then went dead again. I assumed the wires were crossed somewhere in or near that box but I never tripped a circuit breaker.

    I just replaced the outlet with a new one and stuck the 3 black wires in the brass side and 3 white sires in the silver side - no luck - same symptoms! I got power (slot to ear) but not how I want it.. ; (

    Whassup? Bad breaker? It's not on a GFCI circuit.

    Thanks for any help!
    Stratmando's Avatar
    Stratmando Posts: 11,188, Reputation: 508
    Uber Member
    		  
    #2

    Mar 20, 2009, 05:53 AM

    One of your whites are not making a good connection. Pushing wires in the back can give problems, either a white came loose at that receptacle or the one before it.
    Tieing all whites together with a short piece(pigtail), and connect to one screw can help eleminate this problem.
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