Short answer
Check the panel first, because the two faults look identical at the outlet. If a breaker or a GFCI has tripped, the circuit is overloaded or faulted and resetting it only buys time until an electrician finds why. If every breaker is fully on and one outlet is still dead, that receptacle or its wiring is damaged and it needs replacing. A cut cord, a pop, a spark or a burning smell all point at a short, so leave that outlet alone until an electrician opens it.
Tell a tripped circuit from a damaged outlet in five minutes
- Unplug everything on the dead outlet, including the appliance that was running when it quit.
- Look at the outlet face. If it has TEST and RESET buttons, press RESET firmly until it clicks.
- Check every other outlet nearby, upstream and down the same wall. A GFCI outlet elsewhere on the circuit protects them and may be the one that tripped.
- Open the panel door and read every breaker. A tripped breaker sits in the middle, not fully ON. Push it hard to OFF, then back to ON.
- Plug a lamp into the outlet. If it lights, the circuit tripped and you have the cause: whatever was running when it failed.
- Note whether anything else died at the same moment. One dead outlet with everything else working points at that receptacle.
- Stop here if you saw a pop or a spark, smell burning, or see scorch marks. Hire an electrician for this and leave the breaker off.
If the lamp lights and stays lit under normal use, you are done. If the outlet stays dead with every breaker on, or the breaker trips again within minutes, the fault is in the receptacle or the circuit and an electrician takes it from here.
Repair or replace
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| Breaker trips only when one appliance runs | Move that appliance to another circuit. A space heater, freezer or shop tool on a shared circuit overloads it. |
| Breaker trips with several appliances on one circuit | Hire an electrician for a dedicated circuit. Repeated trips wear the breaker out. |
| Breaker trips instantly with nothing plugged in | Hire for this. That is a short in the wiring, not a load problem. |
| One outlet dead, all breakers fully on | Replace the receptacle. The device or its connections have failed. |
| Outlet died when a plugged-in cord was cut or damaged | Replace the receptacle. A short at the cord burns the contacts inside the outlet. |
| Pop, spark, scorch marks or a burning smell | Hire for this. Turn that breaker off and keep it off until an electrician opens the box. |
| Dead outlet in a garage, basement, kitchen or outdoors | Replace it with a GFCI. Code requires GFCI protection in those spots. |
| Outlet warm, buzzing or loose in the wall | Replace the receptacle. Loose contacts heat up and are a fire risk. |
What it costs
Runhome contractor estimates for this job, including the trip and assessment.
| Option | Range |
|---|---|
| Repair, diagnose and replace the outlet, GFCI upgrade included | $245 to $520 |
| New circuit run to that outlet, wiring, box and disposal | $313 to $850 |
Can I do it myself?
Resetting a breaker or a GFCI is yours. Swapping the receptacle is not, unless you work on mains wiring already and can confirm the circuit is dead with a tester. The wires behind a failed outlet are often the problem, not the outlet, and backstab connections and shared neutrals both hide damage you cannot see from the front.
Hire an electrician when the outlet shorted, when a breaker trips again after a reset, or when the outlet is in a garage, kitchen, basement or outdoors where a GFCI and a proper ground are required.
What a contractor will ask you
Have these ready and you skip the back-and-forth.
- Whether the outlet has TEST and RESET buttons or is a plain outlet with two plug spots.
- Whether anything else on that wall or in that room lost power at the same time.
- Whether any breaker is sitting in the middle position instead of fully ON.
- What was plugged in at the moment it failed, and whether that cord was damaged.
- Whether you heard a pop, saw a spark, or smelled burning.
- Which appliances are running when the breaker trips.
- Whether another outlet on a different circuit runs the same device fine.
- A photo of the outlet and a photo of the open panel with the breaker labels readable.
Last reviewed .