When a particular circuit in the house is not working, customers commonly call and say something to the effect of, “I checked the electrical panel and there are no tripped circuit breakers,” or “I have reset all the circuit breakers and the circuit is still not working.”   After asking them a few questions, I commonly find that the problem can be resolved fairly simply over the phone.

In the first instance, what often happens is that although the circuit breaker has indeed “tripped”, it still appears to be in the “on” position and there is no visible indicator that anything is wrong in the electrical panel.  The easiest way to avoid an unnecessary service charge is to methodically go through and properly reset  (as described below) all of the breakers in your electrical panel.  This may create the inconvenience of having to reset all your digital clocks, but it can be well worth the time spent.

In the second instance, a common occurrence is that although the customer believes he or she has gone through and “reset” all the breakers in their electrical panel, they have not actually “reset” the breakers, but have simply “flipped” them off and back on.

If the circuit breaker is truly “tripped” it takes a little more than to simply “flip” it off and back on.  To properly reset a “tripped” circuit breaker, one has to firmly push the breaker to the “off position” and then turn the breaker back to the “on” position.  A properly reset breaker will typically “snap” into place when returned to the “on” position.  If, after being reset, the breaker still continues to trip, it’s time to call an electrician.

If the above procedure still doesn’t resolve your problem, you may have a tripped GFCI receptacle.  Please see our article entitled “Bathroom, Kitchen, Garage, Basement or Outside Plugs not Working?”

One of the most common service calls we receive is a problem that can often be resolved by the simple push of a button.  If you’re experiencing one of the above problems, you may have what is known as a “tripped” GFCI receptacle.

Since the 1970′s, the National Electrical Code has required that any receptacle (a.k.a. “plug” or “outlet”) with the potential to be near water must be GFCI protected.  A GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) is particularly sensitive to the slightest fault (or short) to ground and will open (or break) the circuit before a standard circuit breaker will.  It was designed as a safety precaution that instantly opens the circuit to prevent a person from being electrocuted while in contact with water.  As a result of the increased sensitivity of these devices, they occasionally open the circuit (or “trip”) at other times.  This commonly happens when they are exposed to unusual amounts of moisture, or during electrical storms or severe power surges.

Many people are not aware that some normal receptacles may be protected by a GFCI receptacle somewhere farther “upstream” in the circuit.  If you are experiencing one of the above mentioned problems, before you pay an electrician for a service call, you may want to try the following solutions.

If some of your kitchen plugs are not working, look all around the counter top and along the kitchen and dining room walls for a GFCI receptacle (see image above).  Be sure you look behind all the small appliances. If you find one, make sure the “reset” (top) button is pressed in.  If the GFCI receptacle is working properly, pushing the “test” (bottom) button will cause the top button to pop out.  You should hear a sharp “click” upon pressing the test button.  After you have pressed the reset button, check to see if all your kitchen plugs are now working.  Be aware, most kitchens have two separate GFCI receptacles that protect a number of other plugs in the kitchen.

If some of your bathroom plugs or lights are not working, look through each bathroom in the house for GFCI receptacles.  Follow the directions in the paragraph above for testing and resetting a GFCI.  Realize, each bathroom may have its own GFCI receptacle, or multiple bathrooms may be protected by just one GFCI receptacle.

If your outside plugs aren’t working, check each outside plug, garage plug or basement plug for a “tripped” GFCI receptacle. If you have a house built before 1980, you may even want to check your bathroom receptacles.

If your garage plugs are not working, look all around the interior of the garage for a “tripped” GFCI receptacle.

If your basement plugs or lights are not working look all around e basement for a “tripped” GFCI receptacle.

If your GFCI receptacle will not reset, or you’ve tried everything mentioned above and your plugs still don’t work, unplug any appliance or device that is plugged into the non-working receptacles and try resetting the GFCI again.  If it resets, you may have a problem with whatever appliance was plugged in.  If it still doesn’t reset, you may have a tripped circuit breaker.  See our article on how to properly reset a “tripped” circuit breaker. If this still doesn’t resolve the problem, it’s time to call an electrician.

• 15 ampere branch circuit can carry 1500 watts.
• 20 ampere branch circuit can carry 2000 watts.

Find the nameplate on each appliance indicating its power (watts) rating. Add up the total watts for appliances that you may use at the same time on the same branch circuit. Examples:

Hair Dryer  -  1400 watts
Iron – 1000 watts
Portable Heater – 1200 watts
Vacuum Cleaner – 600 watts
Deep Fat Fryer – 1300 watts
Portable Fan – 150 watts

Most home lighting and wall outlet branch circuits may carry as much as 1500 watts (15 ampere branch); Some kitchen circuits, as much as 2000 watts (20 ampere).

Circuit Breaker Panel Potential Electrical Hazards and Their Symptoms

• Power Outages fuses need replacement or circuit breakers need resetting frequently
• Overrated Panel electrical panel contains fuses or circuit breakers rated at higher currents than the ampacity (current capacity) of their branch circuits, some times called “overamped” or “overfused”
• Dim/Flickering lights dim or the size of your television picture LIGHTS shrinks often
• Arcs or Sparks bright light flashes or showers of sparks anywhere in your electrical system
• Sizzles/Buzzes unusual sounds from the electrical system
• Overheating parts of your electrical system, such as switch plates, wall outlet covers, cords and plugs may be warm. These should never be hot-painful to touch, or discolored from heat
• Permanently using rctensions to extend the home wiring system for a long period,
• Installed instead of being used temporarily to connect some item
• Appliances with a cord too short to reach the wall outlet
• Loose Plugs attachment plugs that wobble or pull out of a wall outlet easily
• Damaged cut, broken, or cracked insulation

Unusually warm or hot outlets or switches may indicate that an unsafe wiring condition exists. Unplug cords from these outlets and do not use the switches. Have a qualified electrician check the wiring as soon as possible.