Electrical Outlet - Help

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The bottom outlet on the receptacle in the living room doesn't work so I check it with my Klein outlet tester. It says "open neutral" so I remove it from the wall and notice the wires are plugged into the back. So I disconnect them and install them on the side screws. Now the bottom outlet works but the Klein outlet tester still gives me an open neutral error. What can I do to fix the error ?
 
Your picture is a GFCI outlet. It doesn't sound like you actually have that though.

The old (1980s) push-in wired outlets can become open-hot or open-neutral anywhere along the chain back to the breaker box. You really should replace them all.
 
If i remember correctly a gcfi should have 3 wires going into it. An open neutral means that there is a break somewhere in the ground wire.
 
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Honestly this is where you probably should call a professional if you're not 100% familiar with residential electric. A true open neutral condition would not allow the outlet to function. Depending on your tester you could have the hot & neutral reversed or a myriad of other conditions. Did the outlet have any of the side tabs broken to be switched?
 
They are wired different than a regular plug. Buy a new plug and wire it using the instructions . I have those plugs fail from the electronics inside.
 
Sorry I showed a GFCI ...... it isn't. It's a 3 prong outlet without the ground hooked up.
 
If i remember correctly a gcfi should have 3 wires going into it. An open neutral means that there is a break somewhere in the ground wire.
It SHOULD have three wires but it doesn't have to . And a neutral and a ground are two different things .
 
Are you sure it shows open neutral? It should show open ground.
Replace it with a gfci and you're legal, label it no equipment ground.
 
Which is illegal per the NEC unless the circuit is on a GFCI. Good time to get a professional.
There are numerous situations where that is not illegal...

First make sure your tester works.

There are little tabs that can separate the halves of the receptacle. Sometimes those can go.
 
There are numerous situations where that is not illegal...

First make sure your tester works.

There are little tabs that can separate the halves of the receptacle. Sometimes those can go.

406.4(D)(2) makes it pretty clear that unless you have the circuit/load protected by a GFCI you can not install a grounding-type receptacle where an EGC is not available.
 
Sorry I showed a GFCI ...... it isn't. It's a 3 prong outlet without the ground hooked up.
If you only have a hot and neutral with an older house, you should replace the three prong outlet with a two prong outlet. What you have is technically a code violation.

Many times outlets are fed from another outlet box. There could be a bad connection there. Some outlets do not have a home run back to the breaker panel.
 
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Seen neutrals get loose at another device or in a wire nut termination. Have a volt meter? Black to white 120vac black to ground 120vac don't have one start at panel then devices.
 
I would test the wires themselves

If the neutral is bad at the tap a new outlet does nothing

Also why is the top and bottom outlet wired separately? Are they on switches?
 
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The bottom outlet on the receptacle in the living room doesn't work so I check it with my Klein outlet tester. It says "open neutral" so I remove it from the wall and notice the wires are plugged into the back. So I disconnect them and install them on the side screws. Now the bottom outlet works but the Klein outlet tester still gives me an open neutral error. What can I do to fix the error ?
I assumed the top outlet worked nominally and there are H-N-G wires present.

This is not the case?

Are you sure bottom outlet isn't switched via a switch on the wall somewhere?
 
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