Fixed open neutral on outlet only to have it fail again?

When I moved into my apartment, there was one outlet that didn't work. Landlord refused to fix it. So, I grabbed my outlet tester and found an open neutral. I looked in the outlet and sure enough, the neutral wire had popped out of the outlet. I screwed it into place and everything started working again. Fast forward to yesterday, I find that the outlet isn't working again. Same thing - open neutral. Open the outlet again and the wire is firmly inside the plug this time. I unscrew and see some black lines on the wire, but no other damage elsewhere. I screw the neutral back in, and lo and behold, the outlet works again. What could have happened here? Is this a fire hazard? submitted by /u/56088 [link] [comments]

Apr 9, 2025 - 18:06

When I moved into my apartment, there was one outlet that didn't work. Landlord refused to fix it. So, I grabbed my outlet tester and found an open neutral. I looked in the outlet and sure enough, the neutral wire had popped out of the outlet. I screwed it into place and everything started working again.

Fast forward to yesterday, I find that the outlet isn't working again. Same thing - open neutral. Open the outlet again and the wire is firmly inside the plug this time. I unscrew and see some black lines on the wire, but no other damage elsewhere. I screw the neutral back in, and lo and behold, the outlet works again.

What could have happened here? Is this a fire hazard?

submitted by /u/56088
[link] [comments]