Can an outlet work if the wiring is fried?

[blackcat13art]

Recently we experienced a breaker failure. The electrician came by, replaced the breaker, and told us that the breaker had received a surge from the outlet of a device that fried the outlet and wiring. He also informed us that the whole wall would have to be removed to redo said wiring. The outlet in question is controlled by a light switch. I'm not an electrician but when we tested the "broken" outlet and both sockets work fine. Is it possible to have the wires be fried, but the outlet still works or is this a play to scam us into paying for unnecessary services?

 

[James]

A cable has to be exposed to a continuous and fairly large overload to sustain any damage.

Example, a cable rated at 20 amps will carry 30 to 40 amps for a number of minutes without permanent damage.
A momentary surge is almost never going to damage a cable.

I would suggest that you find another electrician, preferably one recommended by a friend to give you a second opinion and some peace of mind.

Also, what they have done is not making sense.
If said cable is damaged, why would you reconnect it and use it to power your outlet?

 

[Dustydazzler]

Several experiments have been carried out by technicians on YouTube showing standard cable happily taking 2 or 3 times its current rating without any sign of damage...
to ‘fry’ a cable it would require significant fault current / overload for a significant amount of time. If the over current device (panel breaker) did its job and tripped then the chances of the cable actually melting is slim to none...

 

[Megawatt]

Recently we experienced a breaker failure. The electrician came by, replaced the breaker, and told us that the breaker had received a surge from the outlet of a device that fried the outlet and wiring. He also informed us that the whole wall would have to be removed to redo said wiring. The outlet in question is controlled by a light switch. I'm not an electrician but when we tested the "broken" outlet and both sockets work fine. Is it possible to have the wires be fried, but the outlet still works or is this a play to scam us into paying for unnecessary services?

@Blackcat13 I think you have been misinformed, probably the outlet is bad and yes its possible that it will work but as far as tearing the sheet rock out to replace the wiring is ridiculous.The wiring Inside of the outlet could very well be burnt and if it was me I would open and replace the outlet and Inspect the wiring and cut off the damaged wiring. Your so called electrician doesn’t have X-ray vision so he honestly can’t tell you that. Get a second opinion because I have seen burnt wiring inside outlets but never the whole wiring behind the wall. I would also check another outlet which is on the same circuit and the switch wiring. Breakers do go bad but it’s impossible for him to say you had a surge, if you did have a surge it would have affected other circuits also. Hire a real electrician and not someone who just does electrical work.