Burnt outlet / Dead circuit

Hello, here's my situation:

In an upstairs bedroom, there was a baseboard heater plugged into one outlet and, in another outlet, a hair dryer and hair iron. Poof, all outlets went dead and the holes of the outlet where the heater was plugged in was scorched and slightly melted.

I replaced the scorched outlet with a new one, but still no outlets in the room have power. Checking each outlet with a circuit tester indicates a dead circuit. This is a house I recently moved into and I don't have experience troubleshooting this kind of problem. I bought a basic home wiring book by Black and Decker and that got me through replacing the outlet, but beyond that, my diagnostic skills are limited.

What other things should I be looking into at this point?

Your help is appreciated, Matt

Reply to
Matt
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Assuming you had located the correct circuit breaker for these outlets and reset it after replacing the burned outlet: Check for loose connections in each dead outlet and in live outlets that are located near the dead outlets, especially if the connections are backstabbed into holes in the back of the receptacles. Sometimes you can find a loose connection by tapping on the outlets while having a lamp plugged into one of the dead outlets (turned on) and watch for it to flicker as you tap on the faulty outlet box

Reply to
RBM

Did you flip the circuit breaker back on? :-)

Reply to
CJT

Flip it OFF then ON

Reply to
Nick Hull

likely a loose connection or fried one espically in the back wired push in connections

Reply to
hallerb

I've seen some that require that and some that don't. Also, it would have been nice to have already identified what breakers control what.

Reply to
Mark Lloyd

Thanks to all for the responses (and for being gentle despite my ignorance).

My breaker box was labelled when I moved in. However, through trial and error, it appears to me that the breakers that control the overhead lights in a room don't control the outlets in that room. For example, I have a computer plugged in an upstairs room and when I flip the breaker labelled "3 bedrooms and bathroom" (meaning the upstairs rooms), the lights stop functioning but the computer stays on. So I will work through each breaker individually so I can label them more precisely, and in the process, perhaps I'll reset the appropriate one for that bedroom's outlets.

I do have a follow-up question: one response mentioned "connections [that] are backstabbed into holes in the back of the receptacles" and another response mentioned "a loose connection or fried one in the back wired push in connections". What is this referring to? The outlets I have inspected thus far are wired to the screws on either side of the receptacle.

Thanks again, Matt

Reply to
Matt

look at the back of the new outlet and a push-in hole for your stripped wire end is seen. 4 screws and 4 matching holes.

Reply to
buffalobill

Poor labeling. That's very common. Whoever did it might have just checked the lights and assumed it was the same for receptacles.

I'm about to replace a breaker with a AFCI. That's a case where good labeling helps.

That's good. Are they wired so the current for the NEXT receptacle goes through this one?

Reply to
Mark Lloyd

That's one reason why baseboard heaters are supposed to be hardwired and on a dedicated circuit. Someone jerry rigged that heater by putting a cord and plug on it.. You should seriously consider getting that baseboard heater properly wired. You may not be so lucky next time. JMHO.

Reply to
volts500

The housing for the burnt receptacle has 2 bunches of wires coming into it and all 4 screws (plus the ground) on the receptacle were occupied. So I think that's a yes to your question about passing current to the next receptacle.

Since the wires go to the screws, I don't need to worry about the comments concerning "push-in" connections, correct?

Thanks again, Matt

Reply to
Matt

Right. I asked that question because a defect in that receptacle could still cut off current to downstream ones.

Also, be sure the screws are tight.

Reply to
Mark Lloyd

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