Troubleshooting a Dead Outlet: It Doesn’t Always Require an Electrician

Many times, when you’re dealing with a dead outlet, the fix is something you can do on your own and without having to make an expensive call to your electrician. You can save yourself considerable money by following this simple advice:

1. If you’re using a GFCI outlet, try resetting it. GFCI outlets, or “ground-fault circuit interpreter” outlets, monitor the amount of power that goes to your device. If it detects an interruption, it cuts the power and potentially saves your life. In many cases, you can restore power to the device by pushing the button on the outlet itself.

2. Check other power sources. If the trip extends beyond the device you’re using, you have shorted a circuit. Go to your breaker box and try resetting the fuse by moving the switch to the off position and then back on.

3. If steps one and two fail to restore power, there may be a bad connection, in which case, you may want to call in an electrician.

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