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    sc300's Avatar
    sc300 Posts: 3, Reputation: 1
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    #1

    Sep 14, 2009, 01:13 PM
    Changed an outlet and another one died on a different circuit?
    Ok I'm having an issue with some outlets in one of my old apartments. Let me start from the beginning.

    My father and I are redoing a small bedroom in our 3 family house, after we finished painting we decided to replace all the old outlets in the bed room (there are 3). The first outlet we replaced without any issues, the second outlet we replaced yet again without any issues... or so we thought. After we replaced the second outlet in the bedroom my mother realized that the outlet in the kitchen no longer worked, now this outlet is untouched and was working without a problem before we changed out the bedroom outlet, but after we changed out the bedroom outlet for some reason the kitchen outlet stopped working :confused:.

    Thinking it might be a coincidence I decided to replace the outlet thinking it might have just died due to old age... needless to say that did not work, so then I tested to see if there is any voltage going to the outlet and to my amazement there is no longer any power being passed to that outlet... now I'm really confused. Next I went to make sure that there are no blown fuses, I turned every breaker off and on, then the main power as well and still nothing...

    I decided to take my tester to the other outlets and found that 3 out of the 7 outlets in the kitchen have a reversed neutral or ground... and NONE of them have a ground to them which scares crap out of me to be honest with you. I'm not sure if that is causing the problem but I highly doubt it because the outlet was working fine until I changed out the bedroom plug. Now to make matters even more interesting the 2 plugs are on different circuits and these outlets are not hooked up to any switches.

    The breaker is only 10 years old, but the outlets in the house are much older than that and that is why I want to change them not a single one has a ground plug to it and I have it lol.

    So what could be the problem here anything else I can check?
    KISS's Avatar
    KISS Posts: 12,510, Reputation: 839
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    #2

    Sep 14, 2009, 01:42 PM

    Outlets are easy, but there may be a few gotcha's:

    1. GFCI breakers and outlets affect anyhing down stream
    2. Out lets where 1/2 an outlet is controlled by a switch

    Wiring:
    1. The use of pigtails recommended and not pushing in wires in the back
    2. If the box is metal, it needs to be grounded two.

    If you picked up an outlet with a tab missing between the two hots is a possible cause.

    A kitchen GFCI feeding the BR causing a trip

    If there is an outlet where one is switched can cause enormous grief because a white should have been encoded black since it would be part of a "switch loop".
    sc300's Avatar
    sc300 Posts: 3, Reputation: 1
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    #3

    Sep 14, 2009, 01:46 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by KeepItSimpleStupid View Post
    Outlets are easy, but there may be a few gotcha's:

    1. GFCI breakers and outlets affect anyhing down stream
    2. Out lets where 1/2 an outlet is controlled by a switch

    Wiring:
    1. The use of pigtails recommended and not pushing in wires in the back
    2. If the box is metal, it needs to be grounded two.

    If you picked up an outlet with a tab missing between the two hots is a possible cause.

    A kitchen GFCI feeding the BR causing a trip

    If there is an outlet where one is switched can cause enormous grief because a white should have been encoded black since it would be part of a "switch loop".
    Ok the outlets did not have any missing tabs, there is not a single GFCI in the entire house. Also there are no light switches in either room, both lights are controlled via a pull string
    KISS's Avatar
    KISS Posts: 12,510, Reputation: 839
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    #4

    Sep 14, 2009, 07:23 PM

    Not sure if you have a multimeter, nor sure if there are grounds available in the wiring so It's hard to suggest an approach.

    Since they "daisy chain", one reversed pair can cause everything downstream to be reversed.

    I'm also not sure how you re-wired. The pigtail method, stabbing in the back or black to the brass screws and white to the chrome screws.
    sc300's Avatar
    sc300 Posts: 3, Reputation: 1
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    #5

    Sep 14, 2009, 07:27 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by KeepItSimpleStupid View Post
    Not sure if you have a multimeter, nor sure if there are grounds available in the wiring so It's hard to suggest an approach.

    Since they "daisy chain", one reversed pair can cause everything downstream to be reversed.

    I'm also not sure how you re-wired. The pigtail method, stabbing in the back or black to the brass screws and white to the chrome screws.
    I used the pigtail method as described in the second method you listed. Yes I have a Multimeter, but none of the outlets have a ground wire.
    KISS's Avatar
    KISS Posts: 12,510, Reputation: 839
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    #6

    Sep 14, 2009, 07:38 PM

    Use a neutral or hot from a working outlet anywhere to find which side is missing.
    A wire could have broken off in a wirenut.

    Second:
    You can replace 2 prong outlets with GFCI's properly labeled as ungrounded. Labels are included with the GFCI.

    No ground is not permissible for a 3 prong outlet.
    hkstroud's Avatar
    hkstroud Posts: 11,929, Reputation: 899
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    #7

    Sep 14, 2009, 08:05 PM

    Kiss,
    "Existing nongrounding-type receptacles shall be permitted to be replaced with grounding- type receptacles where supplied through a ground-fault circuit-interrupter- type receptacle"

    sc300
    Check all your receptacle wiring, I think you missed a neutral wire.
    KISS's Avatar
    KISS Posts: 12,510, Reputation: 839
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    #8

    Sep 14, 2009, 08:54 PM

    Hk:
    Better said. They also need to be labeled as "Ungrounded, GFCI proected", I believe.

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