When to Call a Professional Electrician

We have a washer which we thought was broken but after the technician switched electrical plates in it, they could not find anything wrong and could not make my washer work properly. We found out that our outlet was not grounded and the power in it was moving up and down between the two sockets so there is never consistent power coming out of one hole which shuts my washer off every time I try to use it. I could get the washer to work sometimes by pulling the plug out and plugging it into the second socket because that’s where the power went. We had our landlord ground a brand new outlet for us all on its own to the breaker and it is doing the exact same thing, the power is fluctuating up and down so our washer is not receiving enough power to it to work. is there anything we can use to fix this problem to get consistent power to the washer because our landlord doesn’t believe we have a problem or do we need to force the issue of getting an electrician to come out and fix his faulty wiring if that’s the issue.

This electrical question came from: Jennifer, from Danielle, Indiana

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Dave’s Reply:
Thanks for your electrical question Jennifer
Power Quality and Circuit Checks
Jennifer, from what you are describing I would definitely have a qualified electrician come out and check the circuit wiring and take some voltage checks. The electrical voltage should not be fluctuating so much that it prevents your washer from operating correctly.

The Following links will assist you with your electrical question:

Electrical Outlet Wiring

Using Testers to Identify Electrical Problems

Testers to Help Solve Electrical Problems

Troubleshooting Electrical Wiring
Types of Electrical Testers

Using Electrical Testers