#REPLACING GFCI OUTLET PROFESSIONAL#

On top of that, GFCI outlets must be wired perfectly to work. For starters, safety risks come with any do-it-yourself job related to electricity. It’s usually not a good idea to try to replace a GFCI outlet on your own. Cut wires interfere with the electrical connection and can lead to serious hazards like electrocution and fires. While this issue is rare, cut wires can keep a GFCI outlet from working properly.

#REPLACING GFCI OUTLET PROFESSIONAL#

A professional can take a look and advise you on what to do next.Īnother reason that the outlet might stop working is a poor electrical connection. In this case, you’ll need to have the outlet replaced. However, you might be experiencing nuisance tripping if you have a weak, defective or poorly wired GFCI. For example, if you have too many appliances plugged into the outlet or if you’re using a long extension cord, then your outlet may keep tripping. This can happen in a few different situations. Outlets often continue to trip when they sense a leakage of current. That’s why electricians call this “nuisance tripping”. This could have resulted in death or severe injuries like shock, burns or electrocution.Ī GFCI that resets and then trips again can become quite annoying. In this case, if the outlet had stayed on when you touched it, then your body could have provided an electrical path from the power source to the ground. This means that the device is defective or has some sort of damage like moisture inside of it or bad wiring. A GFCI outlet that won’t reset could be a sign that there is a ground fault somewhere. However, if pressing reset doesn’t seem to do anything, then it’s time to contact an electrician. If the issue is a tripped outlet, then this should fix the problem and the outlet should start working again. You can also try pressing the test button first and then the reset button. If the reset button has popped out, press the button back in.

Each GFCI outlet has a reset and a test button on it. “Tripping” is a built-in safety feature to protect homeowners from electrocution. The first step you can take is to check to see if the outlet has tripped. That said, there are some basic steps you might take to try to find out why your outlet isn’t working. It’s typically best to contact a licensed electrician to troubleshoot these types of problems. The outlet might have tripped, there may be a poor electrical connection, the outlet may be defective or the outlet has failed. There are a few reasons why GFCI outlets stop working. In other cases, it could also mean you have a bigger problem. Sometimes it’s a small issue that homeowners can easily fix. It’s frustrating when you plug something into an outlet and it doesn’t work.

Replacing gfci outlet