The wall outlet that serves your home office desk is dead. There goes your productive morning. Now what?
As annoying as the above scenario is, diagnosing and repairing a non-functioning outlet is fairly simple.
We run through some simple diagnostics below along with listing some products that can help you get back to a productive day as soon as possible.
Where to Begin
In the scenario above, it appears that the outlet that serves your home office desk is dead. The crucial word here is “appears.” As you know, things aren’t always as they seem.
Take a deep breath, and start with the most basic facts.
Let's say your laptop and a desk lamp are plugged into the outlet. The desk lamp doesn’t work and the laptop battery icon is illuminated, suggesting that the computer is not getting 120-volt power. That’s a pretty clear indicator that the outlet receptacle is not providing power. But you want to be sure. The laptop obviously works because it’s functioning. You unplug the laptop and move it to what you are pretty sure is a working outlet and you plug it in. Bingo. The laptop's indicator shows its getting 120 volt power. So you know it's not a problem with the computer's cord and its adapter. Out of curiosity, you try the lamp. Same results. It works.
At this point we know that the outlet is dead. But is it the device itself or some larger problem interupting the voltage to it.
The Outlet is Dead. But Why?
An outlet can lose power for any number of reasons:
A. The house wiring that serves the outlet has lost its continuity.
That is, it's no longer providing a continuous electrical path. In old houses a mouse or a rat can chew through a wire, or a buried splice hidden in a wall cavity could come loose. It’s possible. When stuff like that happens, normally the loss of electricity is greater than just to a single outlet.
Solution: Call an electrician.
B. A splice inside the electrical box that serves the outlet has come loose.
I just saw this one. Some quick detective work and everything appeared to be in order. That left the outlet itself or the wires serving it. With power cut at the service panel, I removed the outlet and pulled the spliced wires forward from the electrical box. The spliced connection serving the outlet was neat and professionally done, yet the so-called hot wire that provided power to the splice (and the outlet) had slipped out of the bundle. I redid the splice with a fresh, new wire connector and everything worked fine after that. An electrician will make untold thousands of splices in his or her lifetime; odds are that a least a small number of them will fail prematurely.
Solution: Redo the splice.
C. The wire that provides power to the outlet has come off the receptacle.
I’ve seen any number of single-pole light switches and outlet receptacles that are wired using the push-in terminal on the back of the device (note: many switches and outlets can be wired both ways, using the push-in terminal on the back of the device or by terminating the wire under the screws on the side of the device). I’ve seen electrical devices fail both ways, but have seen more failures of the wire coming loose from the push-in connector on the back of the device.
Solution: Even if no damage is visible, such as an overheated wire, assume the worst and replace the outlet. Also, cut and strip each wire and bend it into a clockwise-facing hook. Then tighten the hook under the terminal screw on the side of the outlet. If you've never done this before, see this helpful instruction video from Leviton.
D. The outlet receptacle is just worn out.
I’ve seen outlet receptacles in old buildings just wear out. I’ve never tried to take the device apart to find out what the problem is, but an outlet that has seen countless plug-and-unplug cycles and that has experienced untold number of amperes passing through it can wear out.
Solution: Replace the outlet.
E. Sometimes the problem isn't with the outlet, but a nearby wall switch.
Some outlets are powered through a wall switch. Known as a switched outlet circuit, these are wired into rooms that lack an overhead light. Instead, the switch sends power to an outlet which powers a floor lamp. When you throw the wall switch, the lamp comes on.
Solution: Check the switch for electrical continuity through it (a continuous electrical path), and replace the wall switch if it lacks continuity.
F. The circuit breaker tripped because something overloaded the circuit or a wiring deficiency has resulted in a short. Thus the entire circuit dead.
Solution: If the circuit breaker tripped because the electrical load on the circuit was too high, you may be able to correct this simply by removing electrical appliances or devices that caused the circuit to be overloaded. Also, sometimes simple investigation may reveal the cause as some wires that slipped out of a spliced bundle and shorted against the wall of a metal box. Cutting back damaged wire and neatening up the splice will solve the problem. However, in most cases, where heat damage is apparent or you see evidence that there is a possibility of a larger electrical problems (such as finding gray-colored aluminum wiring, not copper, serving the outlet) your safest bet is to call a licensed electrician—not a handyman.
When To Call an Electrician
If there's one thing that should give any DIYer pause it's starting out on a seemingly simple repair and finding widespread damage. In the case of electrical, if you open the box, remove the outlet and find heat-damaged electrical wire, that's a red flag. If you find that the wire has discolored from excess heat and that its insulation is partially melted, or that the outlet itself exhibits heat damage, call an electrician for the repair itself and to make a wider evaluation of what might have caused it.
Tools for Fast and Safe Repair
The slogan “safety first” grew out of the Safety First movement in the early 20th century–an effort to stem the rising tide of horrible industrial accidents. It’s an old slogan, but a good one.
To do any electrical repair safely you need two types of tools: 1) Diagnostic 2) Tools to help you neatly cut, strip, bend, and twist wire without damaging it.
Diagnostic tools help you assess the electrical condition of the circuit and also help ensure that the circuit is not energized when you go to work on it. Under no circumstances should you work on wiring that is energized. Even after deactivating the circuit by turning off the circuit breaker, make every effort to ensure that the circuit is dead by checking the wires in the box and on the device.
Gardner Bender’s voltage detector is the size of a felt tip marker. When you wave its tip near a wire or electrical device, the tool will blink and beep to alert you that the wire is energized. Even after throwing the circuit breaker, use it to check for live wires inside the box. You may have thrown the wrong circuit breaker or a careless person may have used the box to route wires connected to a circuit breaker other than the one you turned off. The Gardner Bender voltage pen will quickly detect energized conductors, keeping you safe.
Klein Tools 80020 Tool Set with Lineman's Pliers, Diagonal Cutters, and Long Nose Pliers
An0ther often overlooked aspect of basic wiring repair is owning a good set of pliers that can cut, bend and twist any copper wire you’re likely to run across–without damage to the conductor or to their insulation. The set of three US-made pliers from Klein tools are beautifully crafted and extremely durable. We have these in the Popular Mechanics shop and can vouch for their sharpness and toughness.
Klein Tool’s newest multi-tester has a detachable cord with a 3-prong plug. Insert the plug into an outlet to tell whether the outlet is powered, the voltage being supplied through it, and whether it’s correctly wired. If the outlet is not correctly wired, the tester will even tell you the nature of its wiring deficiency. Set the tester to the Find mode and it will help you find the circuit breaker that serves the outlet. Detach the test cord and insert standard test leads, and the meter can help you test battery voltage, direct current voltage, continuity, and resistance.
One of the most important aspects of doing safe electrical work is to strip wires without damaging them. It takes a high-quality tool to do that, and Channellock’s 959 is perfect for the job. The US-made tool is built out of alloy steel, a group of tool-making steels formulated to stay sharp and withstand fracture. That’s important in this case, because aside from stripping and cutting copper wire (stranded and solid), the 959 will also cut five different sizes of steel machine screws commonly used in electrical work: 10-24, 6-32, 8-32, 4-40, and 10-32 sizes. Two crimping dies are located at the tool's nose .
One of the best ways to ensure a neat and long-lasting electrical splice is to use a high-quality wire connector. The Performance Plus Wire Connectors by 3M are the gold standard of this product. Each bi-color connector will hold down a surprising number of wires. The most versatile version for residential and commercial purposes is the tan-red variety shown here. It can splice a pair of wires as small as two No. 18 or a bundle as large as five No. 12–and a lot of wires in between those two sizes. The connector’s flexible red skirt and its powerful spring both contribute to the splice’s neatness and its electrical security.
Roy Berendsohn has worked for more than 25 years at Popular Mechanics, where he has written on carpentry, masonry, painting, plumbing, electrical, woodworking, blacksmithing, welding, lawn care, chainsaw use, and outdoor power equipment. When he’s not working on his own house, he volunteers with Sovereign Grace Church doing home repair for families in rural, suburban and urban locations throughout central and southern New Jersey.
