Home electrical outlets
#1
Home electrical outlets
I had a vacuum cleaning short out an outlet, which also killed power to several other outlets and light fixtures. I went to the breaker box and didn't find any that were tripped, I flipped them all, and nothing restored. Maybe I need to replaced that outlet?
#2
The problem could actually be at any outlet between this one and the panel.
I suggest you spend $8 for a receptacle tester at Home Depot. Plug it into the dead receptacle. If it says "open hot" (nothing lights up), I would consider that you might have a tripped GFCI. GFCI is most likely if this receptacle is in a garage, basement, kitchen, bathroom, or outside. The GFCI can then be in any of those places, wherever the dead receptacle is.
If the tester says "open neutral" or "hot/ground reverse", then shut off the breaker. Then look for a loose white wire, either at the dead receptacle or the first working receptacle upstream on the same circuit. Any backstabbed connections should be your first suspicion -- these things are famous for opening up after a large load. This can be a time-consuming activity, and you may need to look in a lot of boxes.
If the indication is "open hot" but you are able to rule out GFCI, then you should look for a loose black wire, using the same techniques I suggested for the white wire.
Good luck. We can offer other ideas after you try these.
I suggest you spend $8 for a receptacle tester at Home Depot. Plug it into the dead receptacle. If it says "open hot" (nothing lights up), I would consider that you might have a tripped GFCI. GFCI is most likely if this receptacle is in a garage, basement, kitchen, bathroom, or outside. The GFCI can then be in any of those places, wherever the dead receptacle is.
If the tester says "open neutral" or "hot/ground reverse", then shut off the breaker. Then look for a loose white wire, either at the dead receptacle or the first working receptacle upstream on the same circuit. Any backstabbed connections should be your first suspicion -- these things are famous for opening up after a large load. This can be a time-consuming activity, and you may need to look in a lot of boxes.
If the indication is "open hot" but you are able to rule out GFCI, then you should look for a loose black wire, using the same techniques I suggested for the white wire.
Good luck. We can offer other ideas after you try these.