trouble wiring outlet

redfive · #1 (**permalink**) 10-06-2007, 03:22 PM

I am wiring a standard outlet. When I wire it to the electrical outlet, black on copper screw, white on silver and connect the ground screw the outlet is dead. I have a handy tester which has a red bulb which lights when I get it close to an outlet or wire that is hot. The wire is hot at the connection point to the outlet but outlet itself is dead. What am I doing wrong?

lep · #2 (**permalink**) 10-06-2007, 03:52 PM

It is possible to have 120V at the beginning of a cable, and nothing at the end of cable when a device is wired up. If you remove the wires form the device and detect 120V, then it's the device. You're saying you have 120V at the outlet when it's wired up, but no voltage within the outlet.

You didn't say this, but if you have a twin outlet (double outlet) wired up to the outlet in question, then that's probably what the problem is. Remember, you can't hook up a second outlet next to the first using serial wiring -- it has to be parallel. This means you have to run a single white cable from the second silver terminal (screw) on the first outlet to one of the silver terminals on the second, and also run a single black wire from the second brass terminal of the first outlet to one of the brass terminals on the second outlet.

Also, your voltage meter should be the type that requires you to actually use the leads to physically make contact with the wires in question. "When it gets near" is not good enough, and may have uncertanty.

Speedy Petey · #3 (**permalink**) 10-06-2007, 03:59 PM

There is nothing inside the receptacle that can go bad, so rule out the device as bing the problem.

Get yourself a real electrical tester and try again. Those "no-touch" tester are good for certain things, but they do have quite a few false positives and negatives.

HayZee518 · #4 (**permalink**) 10-06-2007, 04:02 PM

It IS possible to have a hot at the beginning of a run and NO AC at the end of the run.Twice I've encountered a break in either the neutral [white] or the hot [black] in a run of cable. All outlet wiring is parallel. NEVER series. The only time you have a series connection is in a switch loop through the device [switch] As was already mentioned, don't use an inductive pickup type of tester. Use an analog. If you can't afford a cheapie radio shack analog meter use a neon tester.

redfive · #5 (**permalink**) 10-06-2007, 04:04 PM

Thanks for the quick response. I have a single grounded wire(12) leading to the designated outlet. It seems like this would be a simple install. Let me start by getting the voltage meter you recommended. That may allow me to get more info on the exact nature of the problem.