One electrical outlet not working, what are the reasons?

If you find that you have one electrical outlet not working then there are several reasons why this could be the case. We list the 10 most common reasons right here and then explain in more detail what could be occurring behind the scenes. Firstly, check any nearby outlets to see if it is a whole electrical circuit that is affected or just one faulty outlet.

• The fuse has blown
• The circuit breaker has tripped
• The outlet has burnt out
• The GFCI outlet has tripped
• The RCD / RCB Device has tripped
• The outlet may have not been installed correctly
• The outlet is actually controlled by a switch
• The slots or pin entry holes are worn out
• The outlet could be faulty
• There are loose connections behind the outlet
   

1) The fuse has blown

One of the most common issues that can affect the power to one socket outlet is a blown fuse. This is common where a powerful kitchen appliance such as a washer, dryer or oven has a separate fuse unit above the counter top.

These units have a fuse installed in them and they are often used as a means of isolation for the appliance which would otherwise be very difficult to achieve. Appliances such as these often have the plug socket installed behind them and once the appliances are plugged in and in place, the plug can be very difficult or impossible to remove from the wall as the appliance is now in the way.

In order to be able to safely isolate the appliance there is often a switch installed above with a fuse that can sometimes blow. Check around to see if your plug socket may have a separate fuse switch somewhere.

There could also be a fuse blown at the fuse box or electrical panel in your home, check the main panel to make sure that no fuses or fuse wire have blown out.

2) The circuit breaker has tripped

When a circuit breaker trips at the consumer unit or electrical panel in your home, it will cut off the electrical supply to the circuit that it supplies. You should check at the consumer unit or electrical panel to make sure that there are no switches that are in the ‘off’ position.

If you find that there is a tripped circuit breaker in the off position then you can try and reset it to see if it holds. If the switch trips again then do not attempt to reset it once more. These switches trip because there is an electrical problem on the circuit and they should not be continually reset. Resetting a switch that has tripped more than once can cause damage to the cables, switches, power outlets and electrical system in your home.

Where a circuit breaker, MCB, RCD, RCB or GFCI does not reset then there is a problem that will generally require the services of an electrician in order to put it right. If you find that ONE SOCKET OUTLET STOPPED WORKING then the cause could be simply that a circuit breaker has shut off. 

There is more information here: https://www.electricalfaultsfixed.co.uk/blog/fuse-box-tripping-nothing-plugged

3) The outlet has burnt out

A rather common occurrence causing one plug socket to cease operating is that the outlet itself has burnt out. This is a fairly common occurrence where the outlet has been overloaded, suffered excessive wear and tear or is particularly old. As outlets age, they can suffer loose internal connections causing excessive heat to develop as electrical current finds it difficult to flow.

This excessive heat build-up can cause the outlet to burn out and may or may not trip a breaker in doing so. If an outlet has burnt out then it is wise to call an electrician out to investigate why. The electrician can carry out safety electrical testing on the circuit to ensure that everything else is safe and as it should be. The electrician can then replace the plug socket outlet and carry out the required safety checks to ensure that there is a good clean earth and that any electric shock protection is working as it should be.

For more information on burnt plug sockets: https://www.electricalfaultsfixed.co.uk/blog/burnt-plug-socket

4) The GFCI outlet has tripped

A GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) outlet is a form of electric shock protection and is installed to help preserve life and prevent injury. They are also an absolute nuisance sometimes if other electrical faults develop and some investigation is often necessary to find the cause of any tripping.

If the GFCI outlet has tripped you may not know at first. If you have a GFCI outlet, try pressing the reset button and re-check the outlet to see if the power has been restored. It may be for instance that there has been an appliance plugged into that outlet that has gone faulty, has had water ingress, or is starting to break down. If you find that the socket outlet does reset and work again, try plugging the appliance into another outlet to establish if the appliance is faulty or the outlet is faulty.

If a different outlet trips with the appliance plugged in then it may be that the appliance is on its way out and requires replacing or repairing.

5) The RCD / RCB device has tripped

Certainly, in Europe and the UK there are commonly installed devices in the electrical panel/consumer unit that will be labelled RCD/RCB/RCCB. These devices all work in the same way and are in place to prevent electric shock. The North American equivalent is the GFCI.

These devices detect missing electrical current from the circuits which they protect and will shut off the supply if any current leakage is detected. The assumption is that the missing electrical current MUST be leaking through a human body delivering an electric shock. These devices will shut off the power when this happens.

If you find that the device has tripped at the consumer unit/electrical panel then try and reset it. If the device will not reset then you can try our free help sheet on our website.

6) The outlet may not have been installed correctly

We know that many of you undertake some DIY which isn’t the best idea when it comes to home electrics! Poor DIY is one of the leading causes of emergency electrical call out situations.

If an outlet has been wired incorrectly, it is dangerous. It may not always be obvious at first and symptoms may take a while to develop. One of the symptoms of an incorrectly wired outlet is that it will either NOT WORK or will stop working.

There are also other issues that can occur if the outlet has been installed incorrectly including introducing the risk of fire and electric shock.

7) The outlet is actually controlled by a switch

If there is ONE SOCKET OUTLET STOPPED WORKING then there could be a switch somewhere that has been knocked.

This is common in the UK with conservatory electricity supplies. As many conservatories are added AFTER the main home has been built, it was often impracticable for the electricians to get electrical cables to the conservatory directly from the consumer unit / fuse box in the house. Fuse boxes are often installed in difficult to access areas and running new cables can mean all sorts of disruption.

The easiest method was generally to take power from an indoor socket very near to the conservatory and install a fused switch before running the cable to the additional sockets. It is very common for a switch to get knocked by feet, furniture, the hoover or other devices and knock off the power to the socket outlet in the process.

There are other outlets that may also be controlled by a switch such as a fridge socket etc. When this is the case then you should check that there are not switches that are local to the apparent faulty socket outlet. Try operating any local switches to see if they actually control the power supply to the affected socket.

8) The slots or pin entry holes are worn out

When excessive wear and tear has taken place over time, the socket outlets can suffer. Pin entry holes and internal metal connections can wear down and result in a plug socket that may not hold on to a power cord any more, may not make good internal contact and may simply not work due to failure.

If you have found that your plug socket has become loose with plugs over time, has any funny smells coming from it, has any signs of thermal damage or cracking on the front of it then it’s possible that worn pin entry holes has cause the failure and resulted in a socket outlet that is now in need of replacement. These electrical issues are common and a licensed electrician can easily resolve them.

9) The outlet could be faulty

When an outlet goes faulty there can be a whole host of issues that have caused this. Many outlets have internal moving parts that can wear out with time and use. Switches on outlets have mechanisms that can wear, contacts that rub against each other and wear out, moving parts that are likely to break or become loose.

A professional electrician is often the best person equipped to investigate this for you as they will come across faulty outlets on a regular basis, will ensure that the supply is safely isolated and that any repairs are carried out in accordance with wiring regulations and building regulations.

10) There are loose connections behind the outlet

When electrical cables are fitted into an outlet, they are normally screwed in to the outlet’s electrical terminals behind the face of the outlet. The assembly is then screwed back into a box and secured before any further faceplates are added.

During this process it is easy for cables to become loose, perhaps they never caught properly in the electrical terminals in the first place or the pressure of being forced into a small box has made them shift. There are also heating, cooling and vibrations to consider when considering how wires may have become loose.

Loose wires will lead to electrical fires if not tackled promptly so the issue of ONE SOCKET OUTLET STOPPED WORKING  

​If you find that there are several dead electrical outlets in your home, this is one of those red flags that can signal a larger issue. One defective outlet can cause total outlet failure in your home until any faulty wiring is found and repaired. Electrical problems involving a dead outlet, loose wiring, wall switch or wall socket problems is best left to a professional electrician. Whilst I appreciate that many people think it’s a good idea to go online to check 'how to' videos and attempt repairs themselves, there is a real risk of electrical shock when working on the circuit breaker panel, electrical wiring or anywhere in the home's electrical system and only electrical experts with years of experience should work on electrical systems.

Always use a qualified electrician for electrical work, this is the best way to ensure that an electrical repair is done correctly and to give you peace of mind.