On Aug 3, 9:45*pm, Steve wrote:
I don't know a lot about house wiring. My wife and I moved into a
house a couple of years ago and are essentially trying to learn as we
go.

We have an air conditioner in our bedroom. Next to the air conditioner
is a wall outlet, but the wall outlet is dead (both the top and bottom
receptacles) and we've had to power the air conditioner via a long
extension cord. It would be much better to be able to power the AC via
the outlet that's right next to it, but I'm not entirely sure what's
wrong with that outlet.

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).

I'm guessing that the lever-action switch is simply defective and in
need of replacement. However, is there something I ought to be looking
for or considering before I run out and buy a replacement switch? Any
thoughts and/or advice will be appreciated.

Thanks!

Steve: This business of reading 'funny' voltages happens all the time
on this group and others.
Even the cheapest of the digital, hardware or big store meters are
sensitive enough to pick up stray induced voltages which can occur
when dead or unconnected wires run near live ones. The reading is
usually meaningless!
Much better to get a regular 120 volt lamp in a socket, 25 or 40 watts
will do. Test it first to make sure it is working.
Then connect one wire to the black wire to the switch and one wire to
the metal ground of the switch box. If it lights you have a live wire
from the fuse/breaker panel that far.
If not you have break somewhere between the 'fuse/circuit breaker'
panel and that point. Find out why ....... maybe the wiring goes
through other outlets before the switch. Maybe one of those is faulty;
or is there a GFI outlet upstream of the switch that has tripped?
Preferably get someon to help you; and make sure that extension cord
is not getting even warm to the touch. If so replace or switch it off
immediately. The thin wires in some of those are sometimes several
gauges smaller than the regular wall wiring to the outlet!
When you have done that reply or post to the news group for next step
of testing.
BTW you don't have bad circuit breaker feeding that circuit do you?
Also BTW those wall switches controlling an outlet were sometimes
installed to control bedside or table lamps; as in some hotel rooms.
Sometime they only controlled half the duplex outlet; the other half
was on all the time for a bedside TV, radio, electric powered phone
etc.