How to Reset a GFCI Outlet
- Published:
- Filed Under: Electrical, Fixit Academy
Have your Christmas lights or your toaster stopped working and you can’t figure out why? As part of your troubleshooting, you should check your GFCI outlets. A tripped Ground Fault Circuit Interruptor, better known as a GFCI, is often the cause of lighting issues and it is a simple fix.
At Christmas time, we often receive calls regarding holiday lights not coming on. Inevitably its right after a wet SoCal winter storm. The most common cause of this is a GFCI that has tripped somewhere in your home. It could be a circuit breaker, but that seems to rarely happen unless you have as many lights on your house as Clark Griswold.
All exterior outlets on modern homes are either GFCI outlets or tied to a GFCI outlet. This means that the outlet the holiday lights are plugged into may not actually be the offending GFCI outlet. Instead there is one somewhere else in the house that is associated with this exterior outlet.
Here is the tricky part of the troubleshooting…you should check ALL of your GFCI outlets in your home. Just because the outlet your lights are plugged into isn’t a GFCI outlet, doesn’t mean it is NOT being protected by another outlet in the house. Occasionally, a good electrician will put sticker like this one on an regular outlet that is controlled by a GFCI but in many homes we’ve visited, this is not the case!
Now comes the Easter egg hunt in the middle of the Christmas Holidays. They are most often located in rooms associated with water. For example they will be in Garages, Kitchens, Bathrooms, Wet bars, Laundry Rooms, and of course outside. Now you have to go looking for the one random GFCI that is tripped. Hopefully its not the one associated with the garage refrigerator with your Christmas turkey!! Of course, we have found them in the craziest places. I’ve found one in a safe room behind some moving bookshelves. I have found them under a cabinet in the master bathroom. And recently I found one in a dark back corner of the attic behind a bunch of boxes.
One device will usually be protecting several normal-looking outlets downstream from it. So if outlets have gone dead outdoors, there is a very good chance that a GFCI somewhere else has tripped off.
The search to find all possible GFCIs can be frustrating as the outlet may not be in a logical place or one you use often. It maybe that the outdoor outlets are dead from the GCFI in your bathroom or an outlet never used behind a pile of boxes in the garage.
Now once you find the GFCI that is tripped it is best to carry a ridged object like a wooden spoon handle and press firmly down on the test button, then press firmly on the red reset button on your outlet. Ou could use you finger, but the buttons can be a little tricky if you have big fingers.
If the GFCI does not reset there are only two reasons.
One there is no power, the other is that the GFCI is bad. There are a couple of options to determine if there is no power. The first is to check to see if the breaker is tripped, the second is to consider if the GFCI outlet is tied to a switch or a timer. If the switch or timer is not in the on position then there will not be power to the outlet. This eliminates the ability for the GFCI to reset. Turn the power on and try again.
If, however, you press the reset and it the GFCI outlet trips immediately then you will need to wait until the holiday lighting display dries out. This likely will occur 10 minutes before you are hosting a holiday party and now your holiday lighting is not working!! If it is still raining, just chock it up that there is not really anything you can do about it. If it is sunny and dry outside then there might be a couple of quick trouble shooting things that could be done.
First, unplug the outdoor lighting or any device that doesn’t appear to be working.
If, however, you press the reset and it the GFCI outlet trips immediately then you will need to wait until the holiday lighting display dries out. This likely will occur 10 minutes before you are hosting a holiday party and now your holiday lighting is not working!! If it is still raining, just chock it up that there is not really anything you can do about it. If it is sunny and dry outside then there might be a couple of quick trouble shooting things that could be done.
First, unplug the outdoor lighting or any device that doesn’t appear to be working.
Second check all the GFCI outlets by pushing the test and then the reset button. If this resolves the GFCI tripping then you know there is water in the extension cord connections associated with the holiday lighting.
If those steps don’t bring you joy, call us and we will walk you through some quick fixes, or we can schedule a visit. If you have checked all your outlets and/or you have found one but it won’t reset, it may be time to call in a professional to take a look. OMG! Amazing does do service calls 24/7/365 – just give us a call at 818.381.7094 and we’ll get you back in the holiday spirit in no time.
From all of us at OMG! Amazing…Happy Holidays! May all your seasons have light!
Peter D. Sawyer
Founder & CEO
Born in New York and now living in California, Peter is a dedicated and proud father of Xander – a true miracle of life. After spending 26 years as manager of Operations and Engineering for the CBS Television network, he launched OMG! Amazing in 2019 because he wanted to help people enjoy life in a smarter home.
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