You can fix this
Likely cause: the lamp, not the wall switch
A wall switch that runs a plugged-in lamp only powers an outlet, and often just one half of it. If the lamp is off at its own switch, unplugged, in the other half or has a dead bulb, the wall switch seems to do nothing.
Why this happens
Family Handyman describes the half-hot outlet: one of its two receptacles always has power and the other only gets power when you flip a wall switch. Bob Vila says the switched half is usually the bottom one, and that the idea is to plug in a lamp, leave it turned on, and control it from the wall. So the wall switch can be working perfectly while the lamp is the part that is off.
How to fix it
- Turn the wall switch on.
- Check that the lamp is plugged in, then turn it on at its own switch.
- Move the plug to the other half of the outlet and try again.
- Unplug the lamp, let a hot bulb cool, and fit a bulb you know works. Then plug the lamp back in and turn it on.
- Plug the lamp into an outlet in another room. If it stays dark there too, the lamp or its cord is the problem, not the switch.
- If a lamp you know works gets no power from either half of the outlet with the wall switch on, go to the outlet not working guide.
- If the lamp works in one half of the outlet but the wall switch never turns it on or off, try the lamp in both halves of the other outlets in the room, since the switch may control a different one. If the wall switch changes nothing at any of them, the switch or its wiring needs a licensed electrician. Do not take any cover plate off.
When to stop. If the outlet or the switch is hot, discolored or smells like burning, stop using it, turn its breaker off and call a licensed electrician.
If this does not fix it, tell the licensed electrician
- Which wall switch and which outlet, and whether either half of the outlet ever has power.
- That a lamp you know works stays dark there with the wall switch on.
- Whether other outlets in the room work.
Build the full list: what to tell the licensed electrician.
Start this troubleshooter over
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