Having a faulty outlet can be hazardous. The start of a house fire can be a faulty outlet. And as an electrical problem it’s not one that you can simply DIY and call it a day.

When noticed, the best reaction would be to call a professional immediately to troubleshoot it and fixed properly. However, before you proceed to call an electrician, here are a few things you could do when your outlets aren’t working properly.

Safety First: Be sure to turn off all the lights in the area and unplug any appliances there as well. Make sure you check out the state of each of the appliances. The fault may not lie with the outlet if your appliances are also faulty. Plus, you’d need to check to make sure that the outlet hasn’t ruined the appliances in the house.
Test Other Outlets: Is the fault in just a specific spot or a general area? You’d need to do a thorough check to ensure that it’s just a specific spot. You can test out other appliances on the outlet to pinpoint where the exact fault is from. If the fault is from just one outlet, then it’s most likely an isolated problem. If it’s in a more generalized area, then that’s more complicated. Either way, you need to call a professional to have it properly checked and fixed.
Check Your Circuit Breaker: One of the most common reasons why your outlet may not be working is a tripped circuit breaker. Your circuit breaker is like the motherboard of all the electricity flowing in your house. When the current becomes too much, the circuit breaker protects the circuits by tripping it or cutting it off to avoid overheating. So check out your circuit breaker and try resetting it.
Loose or Burned out Outlets: Outlets, like all other things, tend to go bad after a certain period. A loose outlet wouldn’t work as effectively as it should and can also start house fires. A burned-out outlet would seem quite warm or look like it’s burned. Don’t forget to check out your fuse box as well. These can cause serious fire hazards and should be fixed as soon as possible by a professional.
See a Professional: Electrical problems are dangerous and should not be taken likely. Irrespective of how little or big the problem may seem, you should leave it to experienced hands or experts to avoid further complications. Although some problems can be handled with a quick fix, they may not be as simple as it looks. If you do need a professional and you are in the Los Angeles area, give The Electric Connection a call.

It’s easy to overlook a faulty outlet or a blown fuse or to postpone fixing a loose outlet because it works, in a way. However, those aren’t solutions to the problem and can only make it worse. Make sure you check all your appliances, replace any faulty ones and get a faulty outlet properly checked and fixed.