Do you really need an electrician to replace dead outlets?

[Anonymous]

It seems pretty easy. We have a couple inside and out that need replacing. Seems really easy - turn of power, unscrew, match up the wires, rescrew, turn on power. I feel like I can do this myself even if not that handy. What say you, random homeowners?

[Anonymous]

If matters, these are GFCI outlets.

[Anonymous]

How are they dead? Don’t you just push the button?

[Anonymous]

I was able to watch a video and replace a broken outlet. Without the video, I would have done it incorrectly.
There are risks to DIY. You might have the wrong replacement part. There are dozens of outlet types depending on electrical load and use. I had to google around to make sure I bought the right part (which was a whopping 67 cents at Home Depot). The problem may also be in the wiring and not the outlet. If you have a house built before the 1980s, you might have aluminum wiring which requires a specific type of outlet as well as a particular technique for reconnecting the wires.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How are they dead? Don’t you just push the button?

Nope, the outlet doesn't work at all. Test/reset do nothing.

[Anonymous]

For me, some outlets were straightforward. One GFI outlet was not because when I opened it up, it looked like spaghetti. So many wires. I had electrician come out for that one.

[Anonymous]

Replacing a receptacle is easy. You can totally do it. That won’t necessarily fix your outlet though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How are they dead? Don’t you just push the button?

Nope, the outlet doesn't work at all. Test/reset do nothing.

NP here. If the outlet doesn't work, and is one of those ground fault abominations, then yes, replacing them is easy as turning screws in the correct direction. Remember to wrap the wires in a clockwise direction to the screw, so it continues to tighten the wire as you tighten the screw, rather than loosen it.

Always check with a tester for hot wires. You may still find hot wires even if you throw a breaker, due to someone doing some goofy wiring off another circuit.

If it still doesn't work after replacing the outlets, then you get to have some real fun running down the break in the circuit.

[Anonymous]

Replacing outlets is easy. This might not fix your issue. You only need an electrician for permitted things.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn’t hesitate replace outlets but if one isn’t working I would call an electrician. But that’s cautious.

Mainly though see if you can figure out if there’s another one connected somewhere that is tripped, like in a garage or anywhere nearby.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How are they dead? Don’t you just push the button?

Nope, the outlet doesn't work at all. Test/reset do nothing.

NP here. If the outlet doesn't work, and is one of those ground fault abominations, then yes, replacing them is easy as turning screws in the correct direction. Remember to wrap the wires in a clockwise direction to the screw, so it continues to tighten the wire as you tighten the screw, rather than loosen it.

Always check with a tester for hot wires. You may still find hot wires even if you throw a breaker, due to someone doing some goofy wiring off another circuit.

If it still doesn't work after replacing the outlets, then you get to have some real fun running down the break in the circuit.

Most outlets now have quick connectors instead of screws where you just push the wire into a slot and a spring automatically grabs it. The problem I have had is disconnecting the wires from the slots in the old outlet or light switch. You're supposed to stick a screwdriver into the slot to release the wire but it only works about 10% of the time and I wind up having to cut the wire.

[Anonymous]

I don’t mess with electricity so I call electrician.