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    hopegroves's Avatar
    hopegroves Posts: 3, Reputation: 1
    New Member
    		  
    #1

    Sep 27, 2010, 11:58 PM
    Changes light switch; now outlets don't work
    Changed the light switch in my office. The light works fine but now no outlets in the room have any power. What gives?
    Stratmando's Avatar
    Stratmando Posts: 11,188, Reputation: 508
    Uber Member
    		  
    #2

    Sep 28, 2010, 06:00 AM

    A wire came loose in the switchbox, could be the white or hot wire.
    WallyHelps's Avatar
    WallyHelps Posts: 1,018, Reputation: 136
    Ultra Member
    		  
    #3

    Sep 28, 2010, 06:04 AM

    Help us help you by providing more info:
    1. Were there more than 2 wires going to the switch?
    2. Do the outlets have power when the switch is ON?

    I suspect the answer to #1 is yes.
    If the answer to #2 is no, then a hot wire is probably not connected.
    If the answer to #2 is yes, then the hot wire to the outlets is in on the wrong side of the switch. Figure out which is the supply wire, the light wire, and the outlet wire (generally by trial and error--and a volt meter). Then put the supply and outlet wire on one side of the switch and the light wire on the other side of the switch.

    Hopefully, this will make sense when you get back in there.
    WallyH

    Edit: An as Stratmando above said, it could be a white wire came loose that goes to the outlets.
    hopegroves's Avatar
    hopegroves Posts: 3, Reputation: 1
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    #4

    Sep 28, 2010, 08:45 AM
    That was it exactly! It turns out that the switch isn't grounded at all, so I took the wire off the ground screw and moved it to the other side with another wire. When I turned it on, it turned everything on - outlets included - but when I turned it off, it turned everything off, too. So I turned everything off again, moved the wire to the other post, turned it on and now it's perfect!

    Thank you SO much!
    hkstroud's Avatar
    hkstroud Posts: 11,929, Reputation: 899
    Home Improvement & Construction Expert
    		  
    #5

    Sep 28, 2010, 12:40 PM

    What do you mean the switch isn't grounded? How could you take a wire off the ground screw if it isn't grounded. I don't know what you did but it sounds WRONG. Tell us what wires are in the switch box.
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