Dead outlets are, unfortunately, a common issue. It’s a pretty difficult mystery to solve on your own if you do not know the underlying cause. There are various reasons why this happens but luckily, there’s a way for you to find out through process of elimination. Here’s what you can do before calling in an electrician.
1. It may be the device, not the outlet.
The first thing to do is to test the outlet you discovered by plugging in a working device, like a lamp, a charger or something you know that isn’t faulty. It’s a dead outlet if everything you plugged in didn’t work.
2. It’s a tripped breaker.
The next best step is to test the outlets within the same area of the first one. This is to ensure that it’s a isolated problem. If nearby outlets aren’t working too and ones in other rooms are, check your breaker if it tripped. Unsure what to do? Call your electrician.
3. It’s a GFCI outlet that needs to be reset.
A GFCI outlet is designed to shut off power when it detects a power surge to help minimize electrocution and other problems which makes it great for areas where electricity is near water like your kitchen and bathroom. If you have a GFCI outlet that isn’t working, most of the time it probably just needs resetting.
4. It’s just one outlet.
Having just one outlet not working is pretty common. The outlet itself might have burned through an electrical surge. Biggest tell for this is if the outlet is hot or warm with a burning smell. But! Don’t attempt to DIY this but instead call for an expert.
If you’ve ruled out some, if not all, of these reasons, it’s time to call for your electrician because this might be a bigger issue such as:
Tripped circuit breaker
Loose wires
Improper installation
