Why are some of my receptacle outlets not working?

Certain locations in your home home require ground fault circuit interrupter’s (GFCI). They are safety devices made to limit current leakage. Receptacle outlets in kitchens, bathrooms, basements, garages, laundry areas and outdoors are required to be protected by them. Check your GFCI wall device and push the reset button or circuit breaker by turning off and turning back on.

Where are my GFCI’s located?

Not all homes are the same but the below list is good place to look

• Bathroom Receptacles - Primary/Owners bathroom countertop

• Kitchen Receptacles - (2) on the kitchen countertop

• Garage Receptacles - (1) Located on a wall within the garage, any additional dedicated circuits will have there own at that location.

• Laundry Receptacles - Circuit breaker within the electrical panel

• Basement Storage Areas & Outdoors - Typically located within mechanical rooms or exterior wall receptacles

Why does my circuit breaker trip when …?

Some of the most common questions we get are when customers ask why does my circuit breaker trip? It can happen for a multitude of reason but typically we overloading a circuit happens to be at the top. Sometimes just using your coffee maker and toaster on the same circuit will do it. Try using the receptacle next to the one you are using to see if that eliminates your problem.

What household appliances or equipment use the most electricity and might cause an overload?

In reality the combination of enough power consuming appliances or equipment can cause an overload, however use this list as a privative guide

• Hair dryers and straighteners

• Electric space heaters and fireplaces

• Vacuum cleaners

• Kitchen small appliances (coffee maker, toaster, blender, crockpots, etc)

Only half of my receptacle outlet is working, what’s going on?

In your home you may come across a receptacle outlet that one half is constantly working and one half that isn’t. The half that isn’t working is controlled by a wall switch. It is meant for controlling lamps and other lighting devices.

I have switches that aren’t doing anything.

It may seem like you have switches in your home that aren’t doing anything. Typically those switches are for a ceiling fan pre-wire, one switch controls the fan and one switch would control the fan lights. Sometimes it could even be for a switched receptacle or other pre-wire junction box.

If my home loses power will my smoke detectors still work?

Yes. In addition to being supplied from the buildings wiring, they have battery backup just for that reason. Please remember to change out the batteries yearly and test monthly to assure they are in working order.