help solve this mystery

Not sure as to your wiring description.

Still trying to get a idea as to the layout.

Start at the hot plug and walk down the wall and tell us what you see.

Is it like this?

• ============1A =======1B ======2A =======2B

Or like this?

• ========1A & 1B ======2A & 2B

Or like this?

• =====1A======2A

Hope my ASCII art holds up. ;-)

Start with the basics. Look for bad connections and loose wires. Take out the receptacles and look for power on the wires. The one receptacle that works may be wired to a different circuit, like maybe a wall switch.

Yo didn't mention whether any breakers (or fuses) opened. Chances are that one serving the now dead outlets did. If not, luouve got a "loose disconnection" somewhere.

Pull the #2 receptical. I bet you'll find that the "disconnect" straps on the side of the receptical have been snapped off and that there's two sets of black and white leads running to the two halves of that receptical.

Why? I dunno, but perhaps someone wanted to use half of the outlet for a floor lamp controlled by a wall switch, and they brought the power to that switch from another circuit.

Let us know what you find.

Jeff

Because each outlet/socket has its own set of connections.

Have you pulled them out and looked at the wires?

It could be that 2A is fed by a different line. There is a little tab that can be broken off to separate the A from the B.

And of course be certain that the breakers that feed it are turned off.

BE VERY CAREFUL with what appears to be a dead outlet if your unsure as to which breaker its on!

Better to turn off the main and use a flashlight.

you might have a lose wire and get shocked.

BE VERY CAREFUL with what appears to be a dead outlet if your unsure as to which breaker its on!

Better to turn off the main and use a flashlight.

you might have a lose wire and get shocked.

BE VERY CAREFUL with what appears to be a dead outlet if your unsure as to which breaker its on!

Better to turn off the main and use a flashlight.

you might have a lose wire and get shocked.

}}} Have you pulled them out and looked at the wires?

It could be that 2A is fed by a different line. There is a little tab that can be broken off to separate the A from the B. {{{

You're right. I pulled the outlet on one side of the wall. I found the dual sockets were independent of each other, electrically. And, there were two red wires on one side, and two white wires on the other.

At that point, I called an electrician to come sort it out.

Don't know what he'll find about the outlet on the opposite side of the wall.

I agree with you up to a point. I'm guessing the line feed is to 2B, to 2A through the disconnect strap and then to 1A & B with a jumper from 2A. Same troubleshooting procedure; check the straps on 2.

One configuration I might have expected was to find that there was a white feeding one side and a black and a red to the A and B hot sides. That would have indicated to me that it was being fed by a 220 volt line (110 to each outlet). Two reds surprises me.

I recall doing some work on one of my mothers outlets. I turned off the breaker then went to work. Got shocked and used ssome colorful language to express that I had turned the power off.

My mother had some joke about my fathers wiring at that point :)

Now that I recall it, this was my fault. The outlet under the sink has one portion switched by a light switch for the garbage grinder, and the other wired standard. I turned off the switched part, then got shocked by the other part.

So he may want to see if one outlet is on a switch.

So several months have passed since your message, what was the solution to your dead socket problems?

Bob