How to Troubleshoot a Nonworking Electrical Outlet
- 1). Unplug the electrical appliance from the outlet and plug the appliance into another outlet on another circuit in the home. If the appliance stays off, the probability is that the outlet is fine and the appliance is at fault. If the appliance turns on, the outlet is at fault.
- 2). Look for any wall switches in the room where the outlet is located, and turn them on: Some outlets are wired so that one set of prongs is operated and powered by a wall switch. Turn on all wall switches and plug the appliance into the outlet. If it works now, the outlet is fine.
- 3). Open the home's breaker box cover and find the circuit breaker that controls power to the outlet. See if the breaker's switch is in the "off" position or between the "on" and "off" position. If it is, turn the breaker's switch to the "off" position, then to the "on" position. Close the breaker's cover and retry the outlet with the appliance. If the appliance doesn't work, turn off the breaker.
- 4). Loosen and remove the outlet's faceplate screw with a screwdriver, and take off the faceplate. Remove the screws holding the outlet to the wall box, and pull out the outlet. Look at all terminal connections to see if any wires are free of the terminal screws. If they are, reinstall them and tighten the terminal screw heads to the wires with the screwdriver. Also look for any charring on the back or sides of the outlet. This can be caused by shorts or interior problems with the outlet. If none of these issues are found, and the other outlets in the circuit are working fine, the probability is that the outlet is still at fault and needs to be replaced.
