"Steve" wrote in message

It looks to me like the outlet is powered by a lever-action wall
switch. This sort of arrangement is present in a couple of other rooms
in our house...and the wall switch doesn't seem to be powering
anything *else* at the moment. However, assuming this is correct, no
power is reaching the wall outlet, no matter what position the switch
is in. I know because I have tested it. Power *is* present at the wall
switch, though. I know because I pulled the switch out of the wall and
used a multimeter to see that there is 24 volts on it (well, 23.9 to
be exact).


My first suggestion is that you buy a book on basic home wiring. Switches
don't supply power. They make or break the circuit that is supplying the
power.

You should not have 24 volt in the system. It may be a defective switch,
but you may have a bad ground someplace also. Replacing a switch is fairly
easy and cheap so you may want to try that first. Be sure to kill any power
that may be feeding the circuit. If you have doubts, get knowledgeable
help.