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Merlin1203 · May 25, 2012, 10:04 AM

My son's entire bedroom and two outlets plus the wall switch in my bedroom is on the same circuit breaker. Yesterday all these outlets went dead. I have replaced every single outlet and both wall switches today. I have checked where wires are capped to make sure they were OK also, and after replacing everything and turning the circuit breaker back on I was able to test with my voltage detector that all outlets were now getting juice ( where before not all were) but when I plug in anything it is still not working and the fan/light in my son's room still not working... Please help... Thanks so very much.

Alan B.

Stratmando · May 25, 2012, 10:15 AM

If you installed a receptacle with the tab removed and power goes in and out of receptacle screws, it could be the problem.

Merlin1203 · May 25, 2012, 10:48 AM

I did not remove any tabs when installing the new outlets... Thanks

smearcase · May 25, 2012, 10:52 AM

Describe the method you used to test and verify that "all outlets were now getting juice".
If you tested the two vertical slots of the receptacle properly, found that there was power to the outlet, then plugged in a non-defective appliance or load--into the same openings on the receptacle, and the appliance did not work and the breaker or a gfi did not trip in the process--and especially if you can still test in the same proper manner and still have power--that makes no sense. There is more to this story and I do not understand why when several outlets and switches were not working you decided to disturb them all instead of trying to test and isolate the problem initially. Maybe there are some switch controlled outlets as stratmando has suggested or maybe you miswired one or more of the devices that you disturbed needlessly, but your story does not make sense to me.

Stratmando · May 25, 2012, 10:54 AM

I would plug an extension cord into a known good outlet and bring the other end near a bad receptacle.
The known good cord has hot, neutral, and a ground for a reference. Large slot is Neutral, small slot is hot, Plug Meter/Wiggy, whatever into the cords neutral and the recepticles hot, then check between the cords hot and the recepticles neutral, this will tell you if it is the hot that is interrupted or the neutral.
White wire on light/white colored screw, and hot wire to the dark screw?

Stratmando · May 25, 2012, 10:57 AM

smearcase, some things will show voltage, but open under a load due to a bad connection.
I Would check the recepticles at the end of the working one, or the first bad receptacle, may narrow it down.

smearcase · May 25, 2012, 12:16 PM

I agree start, but merlin has not indicated how he tested and I am not sure yet that he has a neutral. Your suggested test will check for that.

Stratmando · May 25, 2012, 12:29 PM

Using a cord as a reference works well, I did this on a Trailer years ago where I had no hot(could be a breaker or connection), but with the missing neutral as well, figured it was on the load side of a GFI, but with the missing ground, figured maybe all were cut.
Found the cut done by a handy mans saw.

smearcase · May 25, 2012, 12:44 PM

Sounds good as long as an amateur with a receptacle wired with reversed hot and neutral doesn't freak out when he gets a possible 220 or so volt reading. Correct?

tkrussell · May 26, 2012, 04:04 AM

Sounds like the poster is using a non-contact proximity type voltage detector, which will show voltage existing on the hot wire, however, will not detect an open neutral conductor.

Merlin, exactly what type of "voltage detector" are you using?

I suspect you have a loose or open neutral connection, the white wire, someplace.