Top Reasons Your Electrical Outlet is Not Working

We rely on electricity for comfort and convenience. If an outlet in your home or business building stops working, it may not always be dangerous, but it can certainly be inconvenient.  Electrical outlets stop working for many reasons, but when they do, it is best to call a licensed electrician in Brantford to fix the problem. Electrical work can be dangerous, and experts like the ones at the Handyman Connection have the skills and knowledge to repair outlets safely. Here are the top reasons your electrical outlets stop working.

Loose Electrical Connections

If the electrical connections inside of your outlet are not tight, the outlet may stop working, You may be tempted to check the connections yourself, but because electrical work can be complex, you may not know what you’re looking for when it comes to loose wires. When you call a professional technician, he or she will perform the following steps to identify loose wires in the outlet.

• Disconnect the power
• Remove the outlet cover
• Gently tug on the wires inside the outlet to determine which one is loose
• Tighten the connection of the loose wire
• Replace the outlet cover
• Restore power
• Test the outlet

If the wire is extremely loose or is corroded, the technician may need to replace the entire outlet. Unless you have electrical experience yourself, you shouldn’t attempt changing an outlet because it is essential to install the new one correctly to avoid a fire hazard.

Burn Out

Sometimes outlets just burn out. You may see a brief flash or even a spark from the outlet when it goes out. However, there are also warning signs that an outlet is close to burning out, so when you see them, it is best to call an electrician immediately and stop using the bad outlet until it has been replaced. If your outlet stays warm, starts to spark, or starts to blacken around the plug, you need to stop using it immediately because it is close to burning out. An electrician can replace it. 

Tripped Circuit Breaker

A tripped circuit breaker is the most common reason for an electrical outlet to stop working. Your building’s electrical system is designed to trip the circuit breaker if any individual outlet is overloaded. This can be inconvenient, but ultimately, it prevents fire hazards. You can check for a tripped circuit breaker yourself, but occasionally, a loose wire is the cause of the problem. Only licensed professionals should deal with electrical wires, so it is best to have a technician check out the circuit breaker if flipping the switch doesn’t cause your outlet to start working again.

Tripped Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter

GFCI outlets are used in areas of buildings with the greatest risk for a fire hazard. In a home, this is usually the kitchen or bathroom. These outlets are marked with a small reset button. All of the other outlets in the room are connected to the GFCI, so if something is wrong with this one outlet, the problem trickles down to others. The best indication that a GFCI outlet has tripped is if every outlet in a specific room stops working. In some cases, simply resetting the system is enough to resolve the problem. If pressing the reset button doesn’t work, you need to have an electrician change the GFCI outlet.

If one of your electrical outlets stops working properly, you need to call a professional for electrical repair services. The experts at Handyman Connections are all master technicians who are ESA-certified so you can be sure the repair job will be completed quickly and properly. Call us today to schedule an appointment for an electrical outlet repair.

*All electrical work is subcontracted to ECRA/ESA Licensed Electrical Contractors