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I have this unusual electrical issue in our master bedroom. I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this.

We have this $3 LED night light in our bedroom and when we take it out, the power/lights go out. Other things also trip it up (It doesn't shut off the circuit breaker) When you put it back in, the power/lights come back on. Sort of reverse of what I would expect. Something is triggering the power to go off. I've reset the breaker, but still experiencing the issue. I believe it's a special AFCI breaker. Wondering if anyone has experienced this before.

manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact
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Vipul Mistry
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4 Answers4

46

Defective receptacle.

Kill it with fire, before it kills you with fire.

And if it has backstab connections (wires jabbed in back holes that auto-grab them) this is a good time to get rid of em. Because they cause this kind of mischief too.

longneck
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Harper - Reinstate Monica
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19

Chances are about 90% that you have a loose connection in the outlet. If I had to guess, I'd say it is a "stab-in" wire connection on the back of the outlet (as opposed to the wire attaching with a screw), so that when you plug something into that outlet, it pushes the connector tighter onto the wire to complete the connection, but when you remove it, the wire gets loose and loses the connection.

JRaef
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6

This could happen if the bedroom wall switch controls both the switched outlet and the overhead light, and is also a digital switch without a neutral wire. Try putting incandescent bulbs back in the overhead light, and if that fixes it (I'm assuming they're currently LED or fluorescent), then we have a better idea of what your problem is and how to help.

This problem sounds like the digital switch is only fed with hot and no neutral, so it needs a resistive load in line with it to switch on. That's why the night light makes it work, it's allowing a return path for the digital switch to turn on. Dimmer and motion switches are the worst for this, but any digital switch without a neutral would do the same.

Dotes
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4

The side screws may have come loose, possibly because the outlet was improperly mounted. Once you've verified the power is off, unscrew the outlet from the box and make sure they haven't come loose. If your outlet isn't screwed securely to the box (or there's a gap that prevents that) you're pushing (or pulling) solely against the wires now. Over time, they can work loose. You said you have an AFCI breaker. If so, anytime the wires fail to make complete contact, it creates an arcing situation, which the AFCI is designed to prevent.

I would go to your local hardware store and look for a premium (sometimes called preferred) outlet. Putting a new outlet in is not going to hurt. Now, make sure the top and bottom of the outlet can make contact with the wall. If they don't, add a box extender or outlet support to the part that is not supported. If your outlet can't move, the likelihood it will work loose again is very low.

Machavity
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