So you think your house is going to burn down because one receptacle doesn’t work? I know… I know electricity can be a very scary thing to deal with. Because a lot of people don’t understand how it works or what to look for when things stop working.
I want to be clear here… yes, there could be a chance of a fire if an outlet or parts of the electrical system stop working. The chance of it happening is slim, but it is real. You will see that an electrical fire is usually started by a loose connection. Basically what happens is that a connection joining 2 or more wires will separate slightly. When this happens, the result can be arcs and sparks. If there is something that is close enough to catch fire from the heat that is produced, you may have problems.
Now, again, the chance of something like this happening is small… but it does happen. Well, what should you do first if you notice that something has stopped working in your home?
1) Take note of what is being used when you notice the problem… do you have any high energy extraction devices plugged in that are no longer working? Some examples of these are space heaters (probably the biggest cause of many problems), hair dryers, toasters, basically anything that has a heating element.
2) You’ll want to make sure you don’t blow a fuse or break a switch. To verify this, you’ll want to find where your circuit breaker or fuse box is located. Usually this is in the basement or storage area. Open the door, if you have round glass fuses check that there is not a black dot in the center of any of them. If there is, then you have a blown fuse, unscrew it and replace it WITH THE SAME SIZE FUSE. If you have switches, check that all handles are tight. When I say tight I mean the era is no game at all on the switches. If you have a busted switch, then that handle is likely to be much looser than the rest. Turn the switch completely off and then back on again. It should click and stay in place. If not, you probably have another underlying issue and it’s probably best to call a professional. When you screw in the glass fuse, same thing if you screw it in and it flickers or you see it turn black inside then you know there is another hidden problem.
3) If you have done the other two things and everything is fine so far, you may have a GFI triggered. The receptacles that do not work, where are they located? Are they in the bathroom, kitchen and basement or outside? If so, you probably have a triggered GFI. Take a look around your house, a GFI can power other downstream receptacles and make them inoperable. A GFI is a socket that has 2 buttons. A test and reset button. If you find a GFI, press the test button. If it shows up, you know one was set up before. Press the reset button again and you should click and hold that button again. If not, one of two things could be wrong. The GFI may have gone bad or there may be no power to that outlet. In any case, if you’re unfamiliar with electrical troubleshooting, you’ll want to call in a professional right now.
What you have done up to this point will be invaluable information for your service technician. This will save you time and save you money.