I recently moved into an apartment and discovered a malfunctioning outlet. My landlord wasn't willing to fix it, so I used an outlet tester and found an open neutral. I figured out that the neutral wire had popped out, reattached it, and it worked perfectly—until yesterday. The outlet stopped working again, showing an open neutral. This time, the wire was securely inserted. I noticed some black marks on the wire but nothing else seemed damaged. After reconnecting the neutral, the outlet worked once again. What could be causing this issue, and should I be worried about a potential fire hazard?
5 Answers
Just a thought, but be careful making repairs in a rented apartment. If something goes wrong after you fix it, you might end up being liable. Loose wires can spark and create fire hazards, so it’s worth considering the risks.
It sounds like your outlet might just need to be replaced. Outlets don’t last forever, and sometimes they fail. You could swap it out for a new one, which is pretty cheap, and see if that resolves the problem.
How are you testing the outlet? Could you upload a pic of those black marks on the wire? It might hint at whether the outlet is failing and needs replacement or not.
I’m using a Klein outlet tester. I'll try to grab a pic of the wire marks later.
When you reconnect the wire, make sure you're securing it properly. Are you putting it under the screw or just pushing it into the back? You might want to hook it under the screw instead.
You might want to consider replacing the outlet altogether. Also, if you come back with what you find after doing so, that’d be helpful for troubleshooting further if the issue persists.
Awesome! Let me know how it goes after you get the new outlet!