Home electrical outlet acting strange

[TechAZ]

I'm hoping someone can help me out on this before I call an electrician out.

Yesterday I plugged in my electrical shaver in the bathroom and it didn't work. No power and the lights on the shaver did not light up. I figured it just died since it didn't work in 2 different outlets and it is about 7 years old.

I buy a new one, it works in the outlet. Today my wife is going to plug in the hair clipper to cut my hair and that doesn't work either. I'm thinking "wtf?" so I try it in the kitchen and it works. I try my shaver that I thought died in the kitchen and that worked too.


Why would my new shaver work in the bathroom outlets, but nothing else?

 

[96Firebird]

Are they GFCI outlets? They should be, because I believe they are required in bathrooms, but figured I'd ask.

 

[Drako]

Take the faceplate off, and look to see if the wires are all connected securely.

http://www.ehow.com/how_5611579_fix-electrical-outlet.html

http://www.ehow.com/way_5492139_electrical-outlet-troubleshooting.html

 

[TechAZ]

Are they GFCI outlets? They should be, because I believe they are required in bathrooms, but figured I'd ask.

They are not. I'm renting this house and they are old school regular ones. Maybe I'll have to call the owner and let him know they need to be replaced then.

 

[sdifox]

your electrical shaver has a battery...it's rechargeable.

 

[TechAZ]

your electrical shaver has a battery...

The hair clipper does not and the shaver battery must have been dead too.

 

[Vdubchaos]

Flip the breaker at the electrical box (one of them will be to opposite side of the others).

 

[KMc]

I had an outlet on my porch that had the same intermittent problem. Even though all the wires to the back were connected tightly, there was some sort of short in it. Replaced it and all was fine.

 

[TechAZ]

I had an outlet on my porch that had the same intermittent problem. Even though all the wires to the back were connected tightly, there was some sort of short in it. Replaced it and all was fine.

When you say "intermittent", are you saying it would just sometimes work and sometimes not....or it would work with certain things and not others like what is happening to me.

 

[96Firebird]

They are not. I'm renting this house and they are old school regular ones. Maybe I'll have to call the owner and let him know they need to be replaced then.

Depending on when the house was built, and when the last remodel was, they may be legal. If the house was built after 1975, or the bathroom was remodeled since then, they should have been switched over to GFCI outlets. Either way, I'd request they be switched over just to avoid the risk.

 

[TechAZ]

Depending on when the house was built, and when the last remodel was, they may be legal. If the house was built after 1975, or the bathroom was remodeled since then, they should have been switched over to GFCI outlets. Either way, I'd request they be switched over just to avoid the risk.

Thanks. I will definitely do that since this house is only 16 years old.

 

[Rvenger]

I had an outlet on my porch that had the same intermittent problem. Even though all the wires to the back were connected tightly, there was some sort of short in it. Replaced it and all was fine.

Mine is doing the same thing. The right plug works but the left one doesnt. I gotta change that here soon.

 

[KMc]

When you say "intermittent", are you saying it would just sometimes work and sometimes not....or it would work with certain things and not others like what is happening to me.

It would work fine with some things, but not others. I had two identical extension cords, for example, that simply would not work in that outlet even though they were fine in any other outlet. After I replaced the outlet, the problem went away.

 

[thepriceisright]

I would start with the outlet like others have said. It can depend on the electrical load of the device as to why it works for some things and not others. Or heck, even the shape and size of the prongs of the device you plugged in can make the difference with worn outlets.

 

[SphinxnihpS]

$5 problem you are posting about.

 

[Rubycon]

It's old and tired.

Replace it with a quality (nylon face) receptacle. Do NOT use back wire connections, ALWAYS side wire them for best results. Loose grips cause intermittent connections and heating with heavy loads (like 1500W hair dryers hehe). Beware of aluminum (AL) wiring as well!

Since it's a rental your LL should be contacted and they should dispatch an electrician immediately to fix it.

 

[disappoint]

First of all I have to recommend not working on mains unless you know what you are doing. Hire a licensed electrician.

Now that the above disclaimer is out of the way.

If you really feel comfortable fixing this yourself there are some things you should have. Like a non-contact AC voltage detector. I recommend the Fluke, but lots of brands will do fine.

https://www.google.com/#hl=en&safe=off&tbo=d&sclient=psy-ab&q=fluke+non-contact+ac+voltage+detector&oq=fluke+non&gs_l=hp.1.3.0l4.6296.8361.2.13100.8.3.5.0.2.0.52.143.3.3.0.les%3B..0.0...1c.1.qgZ1ulb2N4c&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.1355534169,d.dmQ&fp=89c8db76974e7f67&bpcl=40096503&biw=1024&bih=545

Next up is an AC outlet tester like this one:

Those 2 and a good multimeter are must haves for AC mains work. Also some good electrician's pliers. You can find a lot of this stuff and a new outlet at hardware stores.

*Also it's fun to set your multimeter to ohms or diode test and connect it to live AC mains. If it's a Fluke 87 or equivalent December 21st 2012 will not be the end of the world for you.

*just for fun

 

[BoomerD]

Bathroom receptacles SHOULD be GCFI protected. While the outlet itself may not be a GCFI receptacle, there should be one "upstream" that's protecting the outlet. Look around. Odds are, you have one somewhere...and it's tripped.

 

[Paul98]

Turn off the power to the outlet pull it out see if all the connections look alright. If not fix that see if it works, and if that doesn't work I would just replace the outlet and see how that works.

 

[disappoint]

 

[nickbits]

It's old and tired.

Replace it with a quality (nylon face) receptacle. Do NOT use back wire connections, ALWAYS side wire them for best results. Loose grips cause intermittent connections and heating with heavy loads (like 1500W hair dryers hehe). Beware of aluminum (AL) wiring as well!

Since it's a rental your LL should be contacted and they should dispatch an electrician immediately to fix it.

I always used the side screws until I moved into my new house here and noticed they were all back wired, so I thought that was preferred and started doing it that way. Guess I'll go back to side screwing them.

 

[Rubycon]

I always used the side screws until I moved into my new house here and noticed they were all back wired, so I thought that was preferred and started doing it that way. Guess I'll go back to side screwing them.

Just think about it for a moment...

If you were an outlet and had no chance to avoid a screwing you'd rather take it in the side then in the back too!

 

[disappoint]

Just think about it for a moment...

If you were an outlet and had no chance to avoid a screwing you'd rather take it in the side then in the back too!

?!

 

[Drako]

Just think about it for a moment...

If you were an outlet and had no chance to avoid a screwing you'd rather take it in the side then in the back too!

Wow, this thread got off track.

 

[SphinxnihpS]

?!

Colostomy sex. I would suspect I am being trolled, but someone around here claimed ignorance of anal beads, so I guess I'll play along.