Tomatoville® Gardening Forums - View Single Post

Cole_Robbie · April 29, 2018

I have two outlets that don't work. This is in my grandpa's 1980's rental trailer. My electricity meter lights up when I touch it to the side of the outlet, but nothing plugged into them will work. I thought I should replace the outlets.

The first one was at the end of a wiring run, just a white, black, and neutral to attach. The second one was in a series. It looks to be original to the trailer. What surprised me is that the outlet was wired so that there was one black and one white on each side, instead of both being on the same side. I wired it with both colors on the same side, which I thought was the right way, instead of the way I found it.

I flipped the power back on....and the outlets still don't work, and still light up the meter. What the heck? Does it matter the way I put the wires on the series outlet? I thought I did it correctly.

Also, I don't know if this is relevant, but on the other side of the door from the series outlet are two switches. One is supposed to work the ceiling light, I think, but it doesn't do anything. Power to the ceiling fixture is constant. I don't know if someone modified it somehow for a ceiling fan, but I just put up a new ceiling fan, and will let the renters just use the pull chains on it to turn it off and on. I'm only mentioning it in case it gives a clue about the dead outlets.

April 29, 2018	#240
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	I have two outlets that don't work. This is in my grandpa's 1980's rental trailer. My electricity meter lights up when I touch it to the side of the outlet, but nothing plugged into them will work. I thought I should replace the outlets. The first one was at the end of a wiring run, just a white, black, and neutral to attach. The second one was in a series. It looks to be original to the trailer. What surprised me is that the outlet was wired so that there was one black and one white on each side, instead of both being on the same side. I wired it with both colors on the same side, which I thought was the right way, instead of the way I found it. I flipped the power back on....and the outlets still don't work, and still light up the meter. What the heck? Does it matter the way I put the wires on the series outlet? I thought I did it correctly. Also, I don't know if this is relevant, but on the other side of the door from the series outlet are two switches. One is supposed to work the ceiling light, I think, but it doesn't do anything. Power to the ceiling fixture is constant. I don't know if someone modified it somehow for a ceiling fan, but I just put up a new ceiling fan, and will let the renters just use the pull chains on it to turn it off and on. I'm only mentioning it in case it gives a clue about the dead outlets.