Quote:
Originally Posted by FF/PM
The one and only outlet in the kitchen has stopped working. It did this morning, then I had to replace the switch in my water heater. That went well and is working fine. Now there is no power to the outlet in the kitchen. No idea if it's related or a coincidence. Every other outlet is working (including GFCI). This outlet ends at the box, so there is no downstream. I am not very electrically knowledgeable, but I am handy. I appreciate troubleshooting ideas!
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Let's start with the bolded sentance above. Define " not very". Do you know which wires are black, white, bare copper are the line, nuteral,and ground? Do you have and know how to use a multimeter or ac voltage tester?
These questions aren't despairing in any way but just looking for a minimum knowledge. IMHO "on the job Google training" can be vary dangerous with concern to 120v ac and rv’s don't have conventional outlets that you will fing in a home. First off if you are not confident in electrical work call a professional. If you try your hand at plumbing and make a mistake you get wet. With electricity you could start a fire or die.
With that said, turn off the electric before you begin. If you are not absolutely certian which breaker controls that outlet then turn the main breaker off. Kitchen outlets are often mounted horizontal under a cabinet which cam make access challenging. Remove the cover and pull the outlet out. You will see the romex shoved into V shaped copper. They are not great connections.
After you have it opened up inspect for physical damage. If this romex passes by the water heater you may have pulled it inadvertently. You didn’t say what switch you changed for the water heater or where it's located so it's unclear. If there's no obvious physical defect then restore power and get your meter ready. With the meter set to ac voltage above 120 vac CAREFULLY check the wire connections.
The black wire is the line voltage abv is L1, the white wire is the nuetral abv as N, and the bare wire is the ground abv is G. You should have voltage present when the meter is connected to L1 and N OR L1 and G. If no voltage is present between either test then the power is not getting to the wire via L1. If one of those 2 tests work then you have those two conductors carrying voltage. Follow the romex back until you find out where the next connection is until you find out where the break is.
Hope this helps. I'm on my tablet so I don’t have a pic of what the inside of these outlets look like but I’m sure someone will post some pics if they haven't already done so while I typed this.