Most men know how to install an outlet and repair minor damage. But sometimes the outlet does not work for more serious reasons, which are not immediately easy to determine. It's worth taking a closer look at possible malfunctions, problems with electricity in the apartment.

Where to start if the outlet is not working

If there is light in the house, but the electrical outlet does not work, you need to make sure the conclusions are correct. Often the equipment that they are trying to connect turns out to be broken, but everything is fine with the wiring. It is recommended to double-check the operation of the device in another outlet, and then evaluate the network voltage.

To carry out even simple repairs to sockets, you will need a number of tools. Before starting work, you should prepare them:

• voltage indicator - a special indicator screwdriver;
• dielectric (insulated) or regular pliers, the handles of which are wrapped with electrical tape;
• regular Phillips screwdriver;
• sharp knife (construction knife, stationery knife);
• pry bar, hammer, chisel.

The last three tools are not always needed, but when replacing an electrical outlet with a new one they can come in handy. Also, to check the sockets in the apartment, you need to prepare the simplest device, For example, table lamp. Sometimes, if an outlet stops working, you may need to replace the wires.

Troubleshooting

Usually in apartments, some of the electrical outlets are standard, made during construction, interior decoration housing. Other devices are added by residents, so upon purchase old apartment many get it wrong installed sockets, which often break down. Installation of electrical outlets by a non-specialist without following the basic rules does not completely eliminate the risk of short circuits and other breakdowns.

When an outlet refuses to work, the problems can be either hidden or obvious. The latter are visible to an unenlightened person - a burnt, melted box, bad smell, sparks. To search for hidden faults, you will need to open the device, inspect the working part, and sometimes disconnect the contacts.

All sockets are not working

Whether or not there is voltage in the outlet, you can check indicator screwdriver. A two-pole indicator works best - a single-pole indicator will not always accurately indicate a breakdown. If the zero is broken, the phase will still be reflected as working, and such an indicator will not detect a break in the neutral wire.

After checking, you can find out whether one electrical outlet is broken, a number of devices in the room, or all the outlets in the house refuse to work. Then you need to check the incoming voltage - perhaps the power supply to the apartment has been interrupted.

The prerequisites for stopping the functions of all electrical outlets in the house may be as follows:

1. Machines are disabled.
2. The distribution box (shield) is broken.
3. The sockets are connected from one panel, the common wiring is damaged.

The machine may also be the reason for the loss of voltage in the sockets. If introductory machine one, its breakdown causes the interruption of power supply to the apartment. It is necessary to check the terminals - if there is current to the input, but not to the output, the reason is in this device. It needs to be removed, sent for repairs, or better yet, replaced with a new one. Sometimes the toggle switch of the machine does not turn on - such a device also needs to be replaced.

The sockets in a certain room are broken

Sometimes electrical outlets stop working in one room. We can conclude that there is no voltage in the socket group. You need to start by finding the machine that powers the group. Typically, the sockets and room lighting are powered by one circuit breaker, so you can find it experimentally - by turning the light on and off. Sometimes one machine turns off the sockets on one wall, and another device is responsible for the opposite ones. Then the non-working socket group will be smaller. The reasons why one group of electrical outlets is not working are as follows:

1. Too much load of devices on the machine. You need to buy a device of a suitable rating.
2. The machine turned off, performing a protective function. You need to check all sockets and wiring - there may be a short circuit in any area.

First you need to check the wires in the panels, the working part of the sockets, because the rest of the cables are hidden in the walls. If there is a wire break (voltage is supplied to the line, but the group of electrical outlets does not work), the repair should be entrusted to professionals. New wires may need to be installed. But often the reason lies in careless installation of electrical devices or damaged insulation. In this case, the indicator screwdriver will show irregularities in the area of ​​the socket contacts.

One more possible reason short circuit - flooding the wiring with water, as a result of which it can burn out and the wires sinter together.

One socket doesn't work

This problem happens quite often. The electrical outlet may break immediately after installation if it was not done correctly. For example, parallel connection the first socket in the block leads to the breakdown of all devices if the main one malfunctions.

You can check this like this: turn off the power to the apartment, rent external panel, inspect all wire connections. Perhaps they have become loose, then they just need to be tightened tighter.

Why does the device look melted, with traces of burning? Most often, the contact wire burns out, which will be noticeable when disassembling the product. The insulation and the cables themselves may be burnt. Repeated melting of wires due to excess power of electrical appliances can lead to destruction of the metal core. As a result, you can get a bad contact - there is voltage in the network, but it is not supplied to the outlet. The solution is to replace the wire to the point of damage, replace the socket. Sometimes you have to disassemble a hole in the wall, significantly spoiling the repair.

Junction box problems

Often the problem lies in the distribution box itself, because a short circuit, contact failure, or wire break can also occur there. The procedure for checking the box is as follows:

1. Identify the location of the box.
2. De-energize the apartment by switching to the “OFF” position. all automatic machines.
3. Open the box.
4. Check the input voltage.
5. Evaluate the connection of the contacts (it is better to disconnect the twisted wires and do them again). If the wiring consists of 1 core, it often breaks. You will have to cut off the insulation, thoroughly strip the wire and twist the cable, and throw away the damaged part.

It happens that a contact in the distribution box has burnt out. After turning off the machines and checking the voltage in the box itself (there should not be any), you need to carefully inspect the contacts. Darkened, oxidized wires are cleaned with a file, then insulated with insulating tape.

When to ask for help

It is not uncommon to have to replace an electrical outlet or part of the wiring in your home. Not everyone can do this, so if in doubt you will have to call a specialist. You cannot do without a technician if all the steps described above did not produce results, the malfunction remains unclear.

The easiest way is to contact management company- There are always full-time electricians there. The technician will carry out all the work safely and reliably, so you can use the equipment in your apartment without fear.

The voltage may disappear in the outlet for several reasons:

• there may have been a complete power outage in the house;
• the machine could also turn off in electrical panel what happens sometimes;
• as a result of damage to one or more wire strands in the cable channel;
• broken contact inside the socket;
• melting of the contact inside the socket;
• socket burnout as a result of a short circuit.

It is necessary to make sure that electricity is present on others electrical appliances. Now you need to check the machine in the panel. If it turns off, you can try to turn it back on, since it will either turn on or turn off again if there is a malfunction. Everything of course depends on the reason. If, for example, a short circuit occurs, then you should not turn on the machine until the cause of the short circuit is eliminated. In extreme cases, you will need to call an electrician.

If you write only about sockets, it means that everything is in order with the wiring in the house (in the apartment), the machine works the same way. The only reason is the socket, and we eliminate it.

At the very beginning, turn off the machine, this simply must be done to avoid defeat electric shock. After disconnecting, remove the socket cover; the cover is attached to one bolt.

Now you need to carefully inspect the wires, most likely one of them has burned out, maybe it has come out of its place. If it just came out, then screw it back in; if it’s burned out, then remove the black end of the wire (you can use pliers), clean the wire again, and then fasten it in place.

Another reason for a non-working socket is poor twisting of the wires together, you need to eliminate (remove) all the insulating tape from the connection point, then twist the wires again, crimp them with pliers and insulate them.

The socket is installed in the reverse order, we move it apart, use bolts (screws), “tendrils” and fasten the body; if the socket is wobbly, you can put metal under the antennae. The socket must sit firmly on the wall; in extreme cases, you can tighten a screw through the holes on the socket itself, or hammer in nails if the wall allows it (for example, a plaster wall).

One of the popular electrical wiring faults in an apartment is the appearance of the so-called second phase in the outlet. If the light in the rooms goes out, but all the appliances are working, then you too have become a victim of such a breakdown. Next, we will tell you what to do if there are two phases in the outlet, why this can happen, and how to fix the damage yourself!

How does this happen?

In order for you to understand the cause of the malfunction, we will provide a visual:

As you understand, voltage is supplied by phase wire and returns at zero. Now imagine what will happen if a zero break occurs:

If you turn on the light switch, the voltage will pass through the filament or the switched on electrical appliance will go into neutral wire etc. the zeros are connected, will go to the socket along the second circuit. The result is that when you check the voltage in the sockets of the socket with a probe, you will see two phases. If you took care of it, there will be no danger to life, you just need to find a break in the neutral wire and restore contact. However, if the electrical wiring was grounded in the apartment, the consequences may not be the best.

Main causes of the problem

As you already understood, the reason for the appearance of two phases on an outlet is most often. Loss of contact can occur on the floor panel, at the entrance to the apartment, in one of the distribution boxes, and even just in the wall.

If the wire burns out in the electrical panel, the lights in the apartment will go out, but the sockets will still work, but only when you turn on an electrical appliance or lighting in the room. If you turn everything off and check the voltage in the outlet, you will see that there will be only one phase.

Another case is when a zero break occurs in the distribution box of one of the rooms. In this case, the light will stop turning on only in this room, in the rest everything will work as before. To solve the problem, you will need to open the junction box and restore it.

One more common reason, why are there two phases in the socket - old wiring in which instead of circuit breakers plugs are screwed into the inlet. If only one plug, zero, is knocked out, voltage will appear in two sockets. To prevent this from happening, we recommend replacing the electrical wiring in the apartment with a modern one - with.

There is also a common situation when a break occurs directly in the wall due to your unprofessionalism. Before hanging a picture, be sure to find the electrical wiring in the wall so as not to damage it with a nail (including yourself). If you only interrupt neutral conductor, two phases will appear in the sockets. This also includes damage to the wire by rodents, which can exist in the voids of the panels of apartment buildings. We talked about this in the corresponding article.

So, we told you why voltage may appear in two sockets of an outlet, how this happens and what to do to solve the problem. Now I would like to explain how to immediately understand that wire N has been damaged and it is not both phases, but one that has flowed through the second power line.

The situation is clear - the light went out in the apartment and you immediately decided to use a sampler. Having noticed that the indicator shows the phase on two wires, you thought that these were two phase conductors in your electrical wiring. As we have already said, everything is far from the case and you can verify this as follows:

Using a multimeter, check the voltage in the socket; if it shows 0, then you have only one phase, flowing to the neutral conductor.

This is the most the right way determine the malfunction, because an indicator screwdriver is an extremely inaccurate testing method. The indicator may be triggered and show a second phase, although in reality there will be only one.

It’s quite unpleasant to encounter a problem when the socket suddenly fails. There are two main types of faults, but there are many more variations, as well as ways to eliminate them.

These include:

The tension has completely disappeared;

The socket has two phases.

Let's figure out why all the sockets or one of them stopped working. But first, familiarize yourself with the design of the outlet.

What does a socket consist of?

First you need to know the device of the outlet itself. First of all, you see the front panel mounted in a frame. They are screwed to the main part with 1, less often 2 screws. After removing the front part, we see the main part, which is fixed in the socket box using two expanding claws, and they are fixed with 1 screw each. When you tighten the screws, the arms straighten and lock, and when you loosen them, the arms lower and you can remove the socket from the wall.

If the socket is single, you see two holes for the plug located horizontally in the center, they lead to the conductive busbars. There may be no holes, then a tire will immediately appear in front of you, as in the photo below.

The wire to the socket is connected through a clamping screw into the terminal block. Be careful there is tension on the screws, do not grab the tip of the screwdriver when unscrewing them.

One outlet in the room does not work, but the rest are fine

You plugged in an electrical appliance, but it showed no signs of life. You need to check for the presence of a phase; if there is only one phase and it is present, then there is a problem with the neutral wire; if there is no phase, check for the presence of a zero - this can be done by ringing the socket connector with a neutral to a similar one in another socket, having first made sure where the phase is on it and where the zero is (most often there is an indicator screwdriver) or to the grounding terminal, depending on the type of wiring and grounding in a particular room or installation.

If it turns out that only a phase is missing or it is not in place with zero, it means that somewhere the contact has disappeared due to oxides, carbon deposits, or the wire has burnt out. First of all, you need to disassemble the socket; to do this, you need to unscrew 1 or 2 fastening screws to remove the front panel.

All operations must be carried out with a tool with dielectric handles, with the input circuit breaker or the socket group circuit breaker turned off.

Next you will see the socket itself, its conductive bars and frame. To remove it from the socket box, you need to loosen the fastening screws, after which the mounting brackets will loosen. Next, inspect the connection of the wires to the outlet. If they are burnt out, clean them and reconnect them. Inspect the terminal blocks to which they are connected. If they are in place and not burnt, then they need to be cleaned to a shine. sandpaper or a small file.

If the housing near the terminal blocks has melted, it is better to replace the socket. Sometimes current can flow through the carbon deposits and this will cause further problems.

To reconnect the wire, you need to unscrew the screw from the terminal block, insert the wire and tighten it. Be careful, the wire must be stripped just enough so that the exposed part is completely hidden in the terminal in order to avoid short circuits. Sometimes it may not work due to the fact that the place where the plug is inserted is covered with a layer of soot or oxide, try cleaning it.

All electrical connections and the contact points should be well cleaned and shiny, then the contact will heat up less and last longer.

There is no voltage in the socket but the wires are connected to it

Voltage may reach the outlet, but disappear there if the tires are cracked or burned out. To check whether there is voltage on the cable, you do not need to disconnect it - just use probes measuring instrument or indicator, touch the caps of the mounting screws.

If the device shows “zero”, remove the socket and wires from it. Re-measure when you are sure that the cables are de-energized and begin searching for the location of the break or loss of contact.

Types of socket connections: loop or star

To deal with this problem, you need to know how the connections are made in your case. There are two types of connection:

2. Star.

A cable is more common: the cable is connected to the first outlet and from it to the subsequent ones. The advantages are obvious: low copper consumption and less . But the disadvantages are: if the cable from one of the sockets burns out, all those connected after it also stop working.

In addition, when a high-power load is connected to the last socket, the load falls on 1 cable, and the remaining sockets can no longer be loaded. This is equivalent to the situation when you have 1 socket and a bunch of tees and extension cords are inserted into it.

Connecting sockets according to the star scheme is as follows: each of the sockets in the apartment is connected with a separate cable to the input circuit breaker or distribution box of the room.

Troubleshooting

Regardless of the method of connecting the outlets, the first thing you need to do is find the nearest junction box and open it. Next you need to inspect the connections for burnouts and melting of the insulation.

If the sockets are connected with a cable, the situation is simplified. Distribution boxes are often covered with wallpaper or, worse, plastered or covered with plasterboard. Then you need to open the sockets in the entire room and check whether the cables have burned out from them.

If during inspection you do not find any faults, then the cable is damaged in the wall. Then the repair becomes much more complicated and you need to drill into the walls to find where the wires are damaged.

If the sockets are connected with a star, inspect the apartment electrical panel; the wire may have come loose from the terminal. The machine needs to be replaced and the connections restored.

All outlets stopped working

Repair in a situation where not a single outlet in the room or in the entire apartment works is similar. If the sockets are connected using a cable, then start checking the connections in the socket boxes. At the same time special attention you need to pay attention to the first socket in the circuit - all the others are powered from it. If there are no problems in the cable, inspect the junction box.

When connecting with a star, most likely the circuit breaker of the socket group was knocked out or failed. If the entire apartment is powered by one circuit breaker, then look at the first distribution box after the panel - it should have a socket connection.

Where do the sockets have two phases and how to restore their operation?

The answer is simple and short - a break in the neutral wire. The fact is that in an open circuit, even if the neutral wire breaks, the end on the side of the supply phase will be at potential. That is, both wires will be live.

Current flows only in a closed circuit. But voltage at zero appears through the load if you turn off all consumers (lamps, heaters, household appliances) second phase in the socket will disappear, and it won't help matters.

You need to look for such a fault as close as possible to the beginning of the wiring - the meter or electrical panel. If there are no problems in the apartment, look outside it. Check the connection at the entrance switchboard. When you restore zero everything will return to its place.

Conclusion

The main problem of voltage loss is a cable break or burnout; restoring this problem may take minutes, or maybe several days, and the cost of such restoration will be repairs in the apartment, since you will have to chisel the walls.

The main thing is to follow safety precautions and turn off the input machine to the apartment or room. Do not work with wet hands or on wet floors and walls; if possible, use insulated tools. Despite the simplicity of the operations, do not try to perform them if you have no experience with electricity - it is very dangerous.

A small memo-algorithm: “What to do if the lights go out.” Tips from a professional electrician, from simple to complex. How to solve a problem without tools and skills yourself in order to save yourself from extra costs to call an electrician (as soon as the tongue turned to write something like that? =)

What to do if the lights go out or the electricity goes out?

First of all, do not panic, if you are not connected to an artificial respiration or heartbeat machine, then nothing seems to threaten you. People have always lived without light and were not impudent. If you still need the light, make sure that it is only turned off for you, and not for the whole house! If the lights in the whole house go out, then you are unlikely to solve this issue yourself; you need to cooperate with your neighbors and take action.

To begin with, it is best to understand what initially preceded the power outage. The most common option: they turned on the switch, turned on the appliance, plugged something into the socket, spilled water, something stank for a long time or began to stink. If this is the case, then first turn off the lights or appliances, fix the leak, turn off what caused the shutdown, find the source of the smell. Then look for machines.

Option #1

Check circuit breakers. Circuit breakers are protective shutdown devices (circuit breakers, plugs, RCDs, differential circuit breakers, switches) that are located in the electrical panel in your apartment or entrance, and they turn off under certain conditions (overloads, leaks, short circuits). There are several types of machines, and sometimes it’s difficult for an inexperienced user to understand them. If you don’t know what they look like and where they are, look at the pictures!

You found machines, what to do next? How to understand where yours is, where it’s not, whether it’s on or off. With modern machines or RCDs, everything is clear - the toggle switch on them falls down (there are cases when machines are installed upside down, look carefully at the inscriptions). Here you can easily calculate your machine in the dashboard. Carefully, with one hand, without touching other wires and parts of the electrical panel, turn on the machine. Everything is fine? You don’t have to read any further and like and repost the article.

How to turn on machines correctly. You need to turn off all the machines (don’t touch the neighbors’ ones), and turn them on one by one, starting with the most important one, in this way you can calculate the problem line, leaving the problem machine turned off until the causes are eliminated. Leaving light on other lines.
Option #2: You have old black machines, how can you tell where yours are? Typically, the machines in such panels are arranged in numerical order, in groups of two or three for each apartment. Old Soviet-style machines do not indicate that they are “off” in any way; they need to be overloaded, that is, turned off and on. Figure out where yours are, and feel free to turn them off and on again! Is the problem resolved? Likes, reposts, ovations...

Option No. 2.1

You have old black machines, you turn them off/on and nothing happens. Before turning off your neighbors' machines, make sure that the main switch is not turned off (see pictures). You need to turn it clockwise 90 degrees (switch 1) or press the red button (switch 2). Also carefully, with one hand, without touching other elements in the shield. Is the issue resolved? Do you know what to do

Option No. 2.2

They turned off the neighbors. Don't be scared! Try to politely explain the situation and apologize. In most cases this helps. Click other machines and switches until the problem is solved or other neighbors come out.

Option No. 3.1

Your automatic differential is knocked out. On some diff. vending machines (see pictures) there is a small button that must be pressed before turning on the device. Did it help? You're almost an electrician now.

Option No. 3.2

The RCD or machine does not turn on (the toggle switch does not move to the “up” position). If a pop occurs, this is typical of a short circuit. In the case of RCD (current leakage), diagnostics becomes several times more complicated. There is a possibility that the RCD itself may fail; replacing the device will solve your problem. And before you despair and invite an experienced electrician to your place, use advice No. 2.

Unplug all electrical appliances from the outlets. Turn off all light switches, check the bulbs in their sockets, and unscrew them. Inspect all sockets for the presence of water or burning, make sure that you are not flooded from above. If you smell burning or smoke, look for the problem. Inspect the shield for burnt wires or melted circuit breakers. In cases where insulation, circuit breakers, or smells from under the wallpaper or walls burn, it is better not to touch anything and wait for an electrician.

Option 5