Outlets Not Working: What to Check First

With outlets not working, the cause is very often a GFCI outlet that has tripped somewhere else in the house, sometimes in a different room from the dead ones. The next most common cause is a tripped breaker. Both are safe for you to check and reset. If neither brings the power back, or an outlet is warm, buzzing or scorched, the fault is in the wiring, and it needs a licensed electrician. One Call Home Pros connects you with a vetted, insured local professional for that.

The short answer

A GFCI outlet, the kind with test and reset buttons, cuts the power when it senses current leaking to ground, for example through water. One GFCI can protect a whole run of ordinary outlets wired after it. When it trips, every outlet on that run goes dead, even ones in another room or outside.

So a dead outlet in the garage might be fixed from a bathroom. A dead outdoor outlet might be reset in the garage. Find the GFCI first, before you assume anything is broken.

What to check first

These checks are safe. You only need your hands and a lamp or phone charger you know works.

1. Test with something that works. Plug in a lamp or charger you know is good, to rule out the appliance.
2. Find every GFCI outlet. Look in the kitchen, bathrooms, garage, laundry, outside and near any pool equipment. Press reset firmly on each one until it clicks.
3. Check the breaker panel. Look for a breaker in the middle position or showing a flag. Switch it fully off, then on, once. Some panels have GFCI or AFCI breakers with their own test button.
4. Try the wall switches. Many rooms have an outlet where the top or bottom half is controlled by a switch, usually by the door.
5. Note which outlets are dead. Walk the house and list them. A pattern helps the electrician find the problem quickly.

Half-dead outlets and several at once

One half works, the other does not. That is often a switched outlet. Flip the wall switches in the room before you assume a fault. If no switch controls it, the outlet itself may have failed.

Several outlets in a row are dead. Ordinary outlets are usually wired in a chain, with power passing through each one to the next. If a connection loosens at one outlet, every outlet after it on the chain loses power, while the ones before it still work. The dead outlets are a clue; the fault is usually at the last working outlet or the first dead one.

Outlets not working in a whole room, or a whole side of the house. That points at a breaker, a tripped GFCI further up the run, or a connection problem in the panel.

When to stop and call a pro

Do not take the cover plates off outlets or switches, and do not pull outlets out of the wall to look at the wiring. The circuit may still be live, and a loose connection is often the very thing that is dangerous. Do not remove the panel cover.

Stop and call an electrician if:

• A GFCI will not reset, or trips again straight away
• A breaker trips again after one reset
• An outlet or cover plate is warm, discoloured or melted
• You smell burning, or hear buzzing or crackling from an outlet or switch
• Plugs fall out of an outlet because it no longer grips
• Lights flicker or dim on the same circuit as the dead outlets

Florida specifics worth knowing

Outdoor and garage GFCIs trip more often in South Florida because of rain and humidity. Water gets into a weatherproof cover that does not close properly, or into an extension cord left outside, and the GFCI cuts the power to protect you. Once things dry out, it will usually reset, but one that keeps tripping after rain points at a cover or box that needs attention.

Lightning storms can also damage outlets, GFCIs and the electronics plugged into them. If outlets stopped working after a storm, mention it when you call. In older homes, original outlets and wiring connections have had a long time to loosen with heat and use, which is a common reason for a chain of dead outlets.

What the electrician looks at

A licensed electrician dealing with outlets not working will usually:

• Trace which outlets share a circuit and find where the power stops
• Test GFCIs and replace any that have failed or will not reset
• Check connections at the last working outlet and the first dead one
• Look for back-stabbed connections, where wires are pushed into holes in the outlet rather than fixed under screws, which can loosen over time
• Check the breaker and the panel connection for that circuit

How One Call fits in

One Call Home Pros is a connector. The electrical licence, and the work, belong to the professional we match you with. Tell us which outlets are dead, what you have reset and whether you noticed any heat, smell or noise. We send a vetted electrician who is licensed and insured for the job. The electrician finds the fault and makes the repair. One Call arranges it, vets the pro and stays with you until it is done.

You pay One Call, and One Call pays the electrician. Ask what is included before the work starts. Read more about electrical services, or see the pages for electrical work in Sunrise, Davie and Fort Lauderdale.

Get the power back

If the resets have not worked, or anything is warm, smelling or buzzing, tell One Call which outlets are dead. We connect you with a vetted, licensed local electrician.