Methods for troubleshooting a non-working outlet

If a receptacle goes dead, there is usually a good reason why. It’s not a good practice to just randomly replace outlets, switches, and receptacles. The first thing to check is to make sure power is reaching the outlet. Turn off the power and take out a screw that holds the outlet cover (white thingy) in place. Remove the cover plate and take a quick look to see if the wires are attached and look for any signs of burning, or other obviouse faults. Many times, outlets just get a bit loose and rattle around. The wires may have just vibrated off. Sometimes, the screws that hold the wires in place are not tightened properly. Sometimes, the wires were just stuffed into the plug and not actually seated on the screws.

Try to avoid the temptation to check the outlet first. If you don’t get power, the problem is possibly upstream. Check other outlets, switches, and lights that may be on the same circuit. If a number of things are out, then it’s probably further back towards the panel. Otherwise, it could be in the receptacle itself.

It is also easy to neglect the fact that there are 2 wires involved with a receptacle. If the neutral is broken, it will read no power on the receptacle, even though the hot side is perfectly good. Check them both. Again, look for connections that were not good and push the wire into the plug if it wasn’t seated. If not seated, you probably will have to strip the insulation again, seat the wire, and screw it in place, ensuring no copper strands are left loose or folded back.

It’s a good idea to practice with a receptacle that works. Shut off the power and go remove the cover. Now, unscrew the wire. Now, go back and reattach the wire, but watch how the wire goes into the receptacle this time. Take note of what you see. This should only take 15 or 20 minutes to do. If you do this several times, you’ll be familiar with what’s in there and how the wire gets seated in the receptacle.

If you turn the power back on and it works, that shouldn’t be a surprise. You should know that you’ve done the steps to fix it. After a while, you’ll be able to tackle the more complex problems with some confidence. Just remember to look for the obvious first. Then, trace the wires back to where the break in power is. Finally, repair the break.