The socket in the apartment does not work, the reasons for what to do

Many people are faced with a situation where the outlet in the apartment does not work. But it’s not a problem. Even with minimal knowledge in an electrician, you can quickly figure out the cause and determine what actions to take to restore voltage.

Below we will consider where to start work, what are the possible reasons for the malfunction, and what to do in a given situation.

The socket does not work: where to start

If the socket in the apartment does not work in the house or apartment, it is worth checking this fact, and after that take more serious measures.

First, try connecting other household appliances. Make sure it doesn’t work either. Immediately after this, plug the appliance into another outlet for a control check. If you have a multimeter, measure the voltage in the network.

To carry out repairs in the apartment, prepare the following tools:

  • voltage indicator or indicator screwdriver to determine the phase;
  • pliers with a dielectric handle (as an option, you can take ordinary pliers and wrap the handles in several layers with electrical tape);
  • a screwdriver with a Phillips and a regular sting;
  • sharp knife (clerical or construction);
  • new wire or circuit breaker (may be required depending on circumstances).

In some cases, you need a chisel and a hammer if you need to expand the hole for the socket or do other work. Also, to check the sockets in the apartment, it is worth preparing a multimeter. If you don’t have one, use a table lamp (make sure it works right away).

troubleshooting

Once the preliminary work is completed, you can start looking for breakdowns. As a rule, the wiring in the apartment has a standard wiring. The exceptions are cases when the previous owner has already remade it earlier in his own way.

All sockets not working

If you find that some outlet is not working, use an indicator screwdriver to determine the phase. If available, it is better to use a two-pole device.

The reason is that when zero breaks, the indicator screwdriver will still show the phase. In this case, the socket will not work.

Now check if the rest of the outlets in the room and house are working. If there is no voltage anywhere, pay attention to the position of the introductory machine. There is a high probability that it was simply knocked out due to a short circuit.

There are other options – breakage of the junction box or damage to the wiring to the first junction box.

There are situations when the lack of voltage is caused by a malfunction of the machine. For example, it is on, but no current passes through the contacts.

In this case, measure the voltage at the input and output. If it is not available at the output when the circuit breaker is on, it is necessary to replace the device or take it in for repair.

Doesn’t work in private room

If there is no power in the outlets that are only in one room, the cause may be the shutdown of a group of devices.

In some apartments, a separate circuit breaker (AB) is installed for each room. If so, try disabling and enabling it.

The reasons for the failure of an outlet group can be as follows:

  • increased load on the machine;
  • disconnection of the circuit breaker due to a short circuit or overload in the controlled area.

To troubleshoot, check the integrity of the wires in the shield and sockets. The rest of the wiring cannot be inspected, because it is hidden in the wall.

Alternatively, you can look into the junction box, which is located in the “problem” room. Perhaps that is where the blockage occurred.

If the voltage to the machine is suitable, but the sockets in the room do not work, it is better to call specialists. The master must find and replace the damaged area.

In most cases, the cause of the malfunction is hidden in the careless installation of electrical devices or insulation failure. An additional nuisance that can occur in an apartment is moisture getting into the outlet, which can cause a short circuit.

One outlet not working

If the problem occurs with only one outlet, the cause may be a bad connection.

You also need to consider that when several devices are connected in parallel, falling off a common zero or phase can lead to a malfunction of the entire group.

In this case, you need to de-energize the apartment, open the socket housing and inspect the quality of the connections. If the contacts are loose, they must be tightened.

It happens that due to the heavy load, the wire burned out or simply broke off due to improper installation. In this case, it must be cleaned and inserted into a special connector.

Please note that the contacts in the socket must be well tightened. In other circumstances, under heavy load, the wire will overheat and possibly even ignite.

Problems in the junction box

Sometimes the reason that the outlet in the apartment does not work is the junction box. In this device, a short circuit, wire breakage or poor contact is also possible.

Here the algorithm of actions is as follows:

  • turn off the power in the apartment (turn off the general machine);
  • open the box;
  • check the voltage level at the input and make sure that it is absent;
  • check the condition of the contact group (wiring may need to be disconnected);
  • in case of a broken wire, strip it and make a new twist.

When inspecting the box, pay attention to the condition of the wires. Perhaps one of the contacts burned out there. Evidence of damage can be the appearance of oxidation, darkening and other problems.

In this case, bite off the old section and clean the new one. If the length of the wire is not enough, just clean the problem area with sandpaper. Next, twist the wires and wrap the area with several layers of electrical tape.

Overhead light works, but no sockets

Another common situation is when not a single outlet works in the apartment, but there is lighting. In housing with two or more rooms, only half of the electrical outlets can fail, and light bulbs will burn everywhere.

In many apartments, the light and the power part work from different circuit breakers. Perhaps the machine that feeds the sockets has turned off due to an overload or short circuit.

Try turning on the AV and pay attention to its further behavior.

If, after turning on the machine, the sockets in the apartment still do not work, the reasons may be as follows:

  1. Breakdown of the circuit breaker (needs repair or replacement).
  2. The wire on the AB or zero bus has burnt out (recovery is required).
  3. Junction box. If there is voltage on the meter, the AB is working and there are no burnt wires, the reason may be in the switch box (we already talked about this above).

The simplest case is when the problem is caused by turning off the machine (just turn on the AB). In other situations, it may be necessary to repair and call the master.

Sockets do not work, but there is a phase

A non-standard situation, when a check shows the presence of a phase in the outlet, but household appliances in the apartment still do not work. The reason may be the missing zero.

This is possible in such cases:

  • the contact of the old wiring burned out;
  • knocked out a zero plug (relevant for old houses);
  • open circuit;
  • burning or oxidation of contacts in the places of clamps;
  • metal corrosion on copper or aluminum (depending on wire material).

There are situations when unscrupulous electricians connect copper to aluminum, which, under heavy load, leads to plaque and loss of contact or burnout.

See also:

Perhaps zero disappeared when drilling the wall and damaging the wire with a drill. To avoid such situations, it is advisable to have a hidden wire detector on hand to determine the location of the wires.

Sometimes rodents can be the cause of zero damage.

To restore zero, you need to know the places where it can disappear:

  • shield on the site;
  • a box with machine guns in the apartment;
  • junction box;
  • the first socket in the circuit.

In all cases it is necessary to reset to zero. But you should not do this if the problem is up to the shield on the landing. In such circumstances, there is no way to turn off the voltage to the apartment.

The most difficult thing is if the wire is damaged in the wall. In this case, it can take a long time to find a cliff.

Two phase

The most dangerous circumstance is when there are two phases in the outlet at once. This may result in damage to connected equipment and additional costs.

The reason for this problem is the zero break, as mentioned above. In this case, both wires are energized.

The first is the main phase, and the second is the potential. The most difficult situation is when zero hit the phase before entering the house (at 0,4 kV overhead lines). In this case, only the electricians of the supply organization can solve the problem.

To determine what caused the appearance of the second phase – a break or drop in the phase wire to zero, turn off all devices from the outlets in the apartment.

If the second phase is gone, then the problem is a break in the neutral wire. We immediately recommend checking the zero contact on the machine or zero bus.

If she remained in two terminals, then the situation is more serious and electricians must be urgently called.

Read more – what to do if two phases appear in sockets.

When to ask for help?

If a person does not have experience in repairing electrical circuits, it is better to contact specialists (electricians) who will help in resolving the issue. Alternatively, ask a friend for help.

The simplest things, such as turning on the machine, pulling and cleaning contacts, can be done by yourself. But at the same time, you need to remember about safety, have the necessary tools and prepare for work. Without the experience of repairing electricity, it is better not to joke.

Useful Tips

When performing repair work on an electrical circuit, it is important to follow a few tips.

Let’s highlight the main ones:

  1. Always check the voltage level before carrying out repairs.
  2. If possible, call a specialist in matters of electrical repair.
  3. Install high quality machines. This requirement also applies to wires, sockets and switches.
  4. For safety, use cotton tape (it provides the best insulation).
  5. The appearance of visual damage or thinning of the metal indicates the need to replace the outlet.

Keep in mind that electricity is deadly and you can’t joke with it. If there are any problems with the outlet, junction box or inlet shield, it is better to fix the problem immediately.

Delaying repairs often leads to an aggravation of the situation, damage to household appliances and even a fire.

In addition, working on an electrical circuit without the proper skills can cause electrical shock, serious injury to internal organs, and death.

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