Short answer
A dead outlet is most often caused by a tripped GFCI upstream, in a bathroom, garage, kitchen, basement or outside, that also feeds the dead outlet. Press RESET on every GFCI you can find and check for a tripped breaker. If the GFCI won't reset, the outlet is warm or scorched, or you heard a pop, stop and call an electrician.
What's probably happening
Outlets are wired in chains. Power comes into the first outlet on a circuit and continues from there to the next. So a problem at one outlet can take out the ones after it, even in another room.
A tripped GFCI upstream
A GFCI is the outlet with TEST and RESET buttons. It cuts power when it senses current leaking where it shouldn't, which protects you from shock in wet areas. One GFCI often protects several regular outlets downstream. A GFCI in a bathroom can feed an outlet in the next bathroom. A GFCI in the garage can feed outdoor outlets. When it trips, those regular outlets go dead and look like they've failed on their own.
A GFCI that won't reset
If you press RESET and it won't latch, one of three things is usually going on. It may have no power, because a breaker is off. Something connected to it may have a real ground fault, like a wet outdoor outlet or a damaged cord. Or the GFCI has simply worn out. They don't last forever.
A tripped breaker
Sometimes the breaker is tripped but doesn't look it. A tripped breaker usually sits in a middle position, not all the way off.
A loose or failed connection
Older outlets, especially ones wired by pushing the wire into a hole in the back rather than wrapping it around a screw, can lose contact over time. That can kill the outlet and everything after it. A loose connection also makes heat, which is why a warm outlet or a faint burning smell matters.
A worn-out outlet
If plugs fall out of an outlet or it only works when you wiggle the plug, the outlet is worn and should be replaced. Many older homes in Huntington still have original outlets from decades ago.
What you can safely check yourself
- Try a lamp or phone charger you know works. Make sure the outlet isn't controlled by a wall switch that's off.
- Find every GFCI outlet in the house: bathrooms, kitchen counters, garage, basement, laundry, and outdoors. Press RESET firmly on each one. Listen for the click.
- Check your breaker panel. If a breaker is tripped, push it fully to off, then back to on, once.
- If a GFCI won't reset, unplug everything from it and from the outlets you think it feeds, then try RESET again.
- Once power is back, press TEST on the GFCI. It should click off. Press RESET to restore it. If TEST doesn't cut the power, the GFCI isn't protecting you and should be replaced.
- Look at the dead outlet without touching it. Discoloring, melting, or a burnt smell means leave it alone and call.
Please don't take the cover plate off or pull the outlet out of the box to check the wires.
When to stop and call
- The GFCI won't reset after you've unplugged everything, or it trips again as soon as you reset it.
- You heard a pop, saw a flash, or see scorch marks on the outlet or plug.
- The outlet or its cover plate feels warm, or you smell something hot.
- You got a shock or a tingle from it. See what to do after a shock.
- You can't find what's feeding the dead outlets.
- The dead outlet powers a sump pump, freezer, or medical equipment.
If you're in Huntington County and a reset didn't bring it back, call Sky High Electric at (260) 519-1188. It helps to tell us which outlets are dead and which GFCIs you already tried.
Common questions
Why would an outlet stop working when no breaker is tripped?
Most often a GFCI outlet somewhere else has tripped and cut power to the outlets downstream of it. That GFCI can be in a bathroom, the garage, outside, the basement or the kitchen, sometimes in a different room from the dead outlet.
My GFCI won't reset. What does that mean?
Either it has no power reaching it, it is detecting a real ground fault on something connected to it, or the GFCI itself has failed. Check the breaker and unplug everything downstream, then try again once. If it still won't reset, call.
Can I use an outlet that's warm or discolored?
No. Stop using it and unplug whatever is in it, if you can do that safely. A warm or discolored outlet usually has a loose or overheating connection.
Is a dead outlet an emergency?
Usually not, if it's just dead. It becomes urgent if there was a pop or flash, a burning smell, scorch marks, heat, or if it's feeding something important like a sump pump or medical equipment.