Outdoor Outlet Not Working? (4 Working Ways to Fix it)

When all the power working electrical system is performing well there is no problem but there are many possibilities that the source is not working and many people do face this problem and don’t know what to do next get confused should they call an electrician, do it by themselves or sell their home, etc. this article will guide you about how to deal with the situation before calling an expensive professional to fix the problem. 

Reason for an outdoor outlet is not working:

For finding any solution you should know about the reason for the problem so the following are some reasons for an outdoor outlet not working:

Outdoor Outlet Not Working
Outdoor Outlet Not Working

Tripped GFCI outlet:

When a GFCI outlet gets tripped it means that there is a problem because of the ground fault. Any leakage of the current, a circuit overload, etc as the main purpose of this outlet is to block the electricity which does occur from the ground fault and it is used to protect the entire electrical fault.

Outdoor Outlet Not Working
Outdoor Outlet Not Working

Tripped circuit breaker:

The circuit breaker is used the same as the GFCI outlet to protect the outlet system from any damage to the circuit full stop the reason for tripping the circuit breaker is when there is any surge of power, short circuit electrical fault, etc then it will protect the entire electrical system of the house by tripping the circuit breaker. 

Outdoor Outlet Not Working
Outdoor Outlet Not Working

Moisture build-up inside the outlet:

It is common to have problems with moisture building inside the outlet. For example, if the outlet is not weatherproof then after rain the GFCI outlet will not even reset. After a few times, the moisture building will definitely create a big problem with the outlet connection.

Outdoor Outlet Not Working
Outdoor Outlet Not Working

After finding the reason you can solve the problem of the outdoor outlet when it is not working and the solution is explained next. 

Working ways to fix the problem:

The following are some ways to fix the problem when the outdoor outlet is not working:

See the GFCI outlet:

In the case of the ground fault circuit interrupter, if it is a new home you can easily find the GFCI outlet and trip the off switch to the on a switch but in the case of the older home it is not easy to find the GFCI outlet. The chances of finding the GFCI outlet in the older home may be in the basement, garage, behind the workbench, close to the water heater, kitchen or bathroom, etc. After finding the GFCI outlet now it is easy to fix the problem by pressing the reset button so that the power runs back from all the other outlets.

See the circuit breaker:

When you find that the outside outlet is not working you can then check the circuit breaker and find out whether it has tripped the switch off, find whether there is any fuse with a blown out or burn out. If you are not able to find it here you can just go to the electrical panel which you can easily find in your basement garage etc and if you in the electrical panel there is any breakup that is in of position then it is sure that the circuit breaker is being trapped. 

If you find that the circuit breaker is being tripped or there is a fuse that is burned out you should call A professional electrician to solve the problem because there will be a risk of solving the problem by yourself.

Check for any loose connection of the wire:

There may be sometimes problems because of the loose connection of the wire and for solving this problem you need to call a professional electrician because there is a need to remove the outlet from the box and check the loose connection due to which the flow of electricity is not working and checking for any loose connection of the wire is very dangerous as you need to have experience for this work.

Outdoor Outlet Not Working
Outdoor Outlet Not Working

Check the main breaker:

After finding no problem in the ground fault circuit interrupter outlets and there is no outside outlet which is tripped in the last episode check the main breaker box and find if there is any breaker that is tripped. If you find any breaker which is neither on fully nor of then you can slide the breaker from the off to the on position. After turning it on they will power all outdoor outlets. 

Conclusion:

In case of any problem in the outdoor outlet, it first needs to check what the problem is before calling the electrician and spending money on it. If there is any problem with the tripping of the GFCI outlet or circuit breaker you can easily solve the problem yourself by switching it on but the problem is due to the loose connection of the wire if the use is burnt out etc you need to call a professional electrician as it will be risky to solve the problem yourself. 

FAQ’s

Is it Important to have an outdoor GFCI outlet? 

According to the national electric code, the ground for the circuit interrupter gets tripped when there is any case of short circuit leakage of current and helps you by preventing shock or any other fire hazards. 

Rick Costa

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