On Aug 4, 8:42*am, "HeyBub" wrote:
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.

In addition to what others have said, the outlet may be the culprit. Often
outlets are wired with "stab-in" connections. Stab-in connectors are
notorious for making poor contact. If the outlet experiences a high load -
such as an air conditioner - the connection may fail and the outlet goes
dead, usually, though not always, quite dramatically.

In addition to your other diagnostics, replace the outlet. When you do, make
sure the wires are attached to the outlet with screw-down connections, not
the "stab-in" method.

P.S.
The short explanation of the 24volts you measured is this: The 24V reading
is meaningless. It neither confirms nor refutes the presence of power.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


I'd say the short explanation is this. If you read 24 volts at wall
switch and think that's normal, then you should call an electrician
because there is an obvious lack of basic fundamentals, which puts the
safety of you and others in the house in jeopardy.