The frustration when a power outlet is not working is justified. You may be agitated greatly if a power outlet is not working, you might not even know what caused it. In that case, let’s take a look at all the things you can do to troubleshoot a faulty power outlet:
Tripped Circuit Breaker
Circuit breakers trip protecting your home from over-heating and increased flow of electricity. Circuit breakers also trip if the power outlet if it is overloaded with current short-circuited. When this happens, the circuit is out of power, and that can be the reason why your outlet is not working. To confirm that your circuit breaker has tripped you must check the surrounding outlets. If they too are not working, then it is most probably the tripping of your circuit breaker that has caused the power outlets to stop working.
Go to the panel box and check whether the circuit breaker has been filled or not. If it has flipped to the middle or off position, you can tell that the circuit breaker tripped. To fix this you don’t need to do much. Just flick the switch to the other side. But before you do that, make sure that there are no appliances connected to any outlets. If a lot of appliances are connected to outlets, your circuit breaker might trip again.
Check The Wiring
If the wiring is damaged, the flow of current will be disturbed, and the circuit will not complete. This is why it is possible that the outlet might not be getting the current it needs to function. It is important to know if the wiring is faulty so that you can avoid the bigger problems. There are some signs that can help you identify if the wiring is faulty.
If you can hear a constant buzzing sound from the outlet, it is possible that your wiring is faulty.
If the outlet has burn marks or you can smell a burning smell from the outlet, then that means that the wire is faulty or there has been a short circuit.
Open the light using the same outlet, if the lights flicker, then that means that the outlet is faulty, or perhaps the wiring is faulty, and the light is not getting the smooth flow of current it needs to function.
If the wires are touching each other and creating a spark, your outlet is most likely to catch fire or at least be warmer. Touch the plates surrounding the switch to know if your outlet is warm. If you think that it is hot to touch, then you can rectify that the wiring is the problem behind your outlet not working.
You might not have the knowledge or expertise needed to see what exactly is wrong with your wiring, which is why you must let an expert take a look at your wiring to see if you need to replace them.
Check The Fuse Box
A fuse box has different colored knobs that melt if there is an overload of voltage. You must check the fuse box and see if the fuse has melted. This can also be the reason why your outlet is not working anymore. To solve this, you don’t have to do much. Discard the old fuse and screw in the new fuse so that the current easily flows to the circuit.
Check The Outlet
Faulty outlets are not unheard of. The reason for your outlet not working can be the outlet itself. There are instances where outlets go bad on their own. They are either of poor quality or are misused by users to an extent where they stop working. If you are sure that the outlet has stopped working on its own, you can easily change the outlet and place a better one in its place. But safety is a must. Make sure that you have switched off the main power supply and are changing the outlet without any current in it. If you are not too careful you might get the worst electric shock possible.
Not many people are familiar with how electricity works, and it is foolish to venture into something like this when you don’t have the faintest idea of what you are doing. In such cases, it is best to take help from an expert. You can call an electrician Burnaby as soon as you think you will not be able to handle it alone. There is no use in taking a risk as it might result in unfortunate events.
An electrician has the right skill set to deal with such problems, which is why it’s best if they deal with these problems for you.
