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Outlet not working: what to check
A dead outlet: what you can check yourself, at the panel and on the GFCI side, the danger signs, and when to call an electrician.
In short
This guide covers an outlet that no longer gives power: what you can check yourself, in order, and when to call.
- Look at the panel first: a tripped breaker is reset by pushing the handle fully to OFF, then back to ON.
- A GFCI outlet often protects the outlets downstream on the same circuit: if it has tripped, they have no power.
- An outlet that is blackened, melted or smells of burning is a sign of overheating: cut the circuit.
- In Québec, replacing an outlet is an electrician’s job, even in your own home.
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First, the panel
Look at the panel first: a breaker may have tripped. Unplug the appliances on the circuit, then reset it, handle fully to OFF, then back to ON.
If it trips again as soon as you reset it, even with everything unplugged, don’t keep at it: call an electrician. The steps in detail, and the causes, are in our guide Breaker keeps tripping: causes and what to do.
A GFCI tripped somewhere else
If no breaker has tripped, look for a GFCI outlet: it protects the outlet, and often the ones downstream on the same circuit.
So a dead outlet can depend on a GFCI outlet further up the same circuit. They are found where the Code requires them: bathrooms, kitchen counters, outdoors, garage, unfinished basement, around a pool or a hot tub.
A tripped GFCI outlet is restored with its RESET button.
During the monthly test of a GFCI outlet that has power, if nothing happens when you press TEST, the device is dead: the outlet still supplies power, but it no longer offers any protection. That’s a replacement, not a repair.
What a GFCI does, and why it trips, is in our guide GFCI: what it protects, and where you need one.
Outlet still dead?
We find the cause before replacing anything. The price of the diagnostic is in the written quote, at no charge.
Send my quote requestDanger signs
The Corporation des maîtres électriciens du Québec names the signs of overheating on an outlet: blackened, melted, yellowed, warped, a plastic bubble, a burning smell.
A cracked or split outlet, or breakers that trip often, are also reasons to have the installation checked by a master electrician.
A persistent burning smell coming from an appliance can mean that the appliance, its cord or the circuit is overheating: unplug the appliance or switch off the breaker.
Electric shocks when you touch an appliance: unplug it and call a master electrician right away. It’s an emergency.
A burning smell, a hot outlet or a breaker that won’t reset? Cut the circuit and see our emergency electrician page, or call us directly at 438-542-7304.
What a short circuit is, and how to recognize one, is in our guide What is a short circuit, and what are the signs?.
What you can do yourself
Resetting a breaker, pressing RESET or TEST: that part is up to you. The outlet itself, its box and its wires are an electrician’s job.
According to the Corporation des maîtres électriciens du Québec, no one may perform electrical work of any kind, in their own home or elsewhere for others, unless they are an electrical contractor.
What we do
Breaker that trips, dead outlet, flickering light: we find the cause before replacing anything.
Our master electricians add, move or replace outlets.
Frequently asked questions
Why has a single outlet stopped working?
If no breaker has tripped, look for a tripped GFCI outlet: it often protects the outlets downstream on the same circuit. It is restored with its RESET button.
Several outlets have no power: what should I do?
Start at the panel: a breaker may have tripped. Reset it once, with appliances unplugged; if it trips again, call an electrician.
The outlet is hot or blackened: what should I do?
According to the CMEQ, a blackened or melted outlet shows signs of overheating. Hot or blackened outlet: cut the circuit and call us at 438-542-7304.
The TEST button on my GFCI outlet does nothing?
If the outlet has power and TEST does nothing, the device is dead: it no longer protects. That’s a replacement, not a repair.
Can I replace the outlet myself?
No: even in your own home, it’s an electrician’s job.
An outlet that still doesn’t work?
The price is in the written quote, at no charge.
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Sources
Consulted on October 30, 2026.