It was the appliance
It failed in a second power point too. That is a repairer, the shop or the maker's warranty, not an electrician.
Power Point Not Working? Here's What to Check
Four safe checks, in order. Most dead power points come down to one of them.
One power point dead, or half the house gone quiet? Here are the checks you can safely do yourself, the warning signs that mean stop, and when to call an electrician in Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland or Port Stephens.
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Stop and switch it off if
Do not keep using it
- There is a brown or black mark on the faceplate, or around the pin holes
- The faceplate is warm, hot, or has gone soft or misshapen
- You can smell burning, or a smell like hot plastic or fish
- It buzzes, crackles, hisses or you see a spark as you plug in
- The plug or the lead gets hot in that point
- Anyone has felt a shock or a tingle from anything plugged into it
- Water has got into it, or it is an outdoor point that has been wet
All of those mean a loose connection, and a loose connection makes heat. It is one of the more common ways a house fire starts. Stop using that point, switch that circuit off at the switchboard if you can do it safely, and ring us. Someone hurt or you can see smoke: call 000.
Never take the faceplate off. In NSW, removing a power point or touching the wiring behind it is licensed electrical work. It is also where the live parts are. Changing a plug top or a globe is fine. Anything behind the wall is not.
Why a power point stops working
Power points are not wired one by one back to the switchboard. They run in a chain, one to the next, all the way around a circuit. That single fact explains most of what you are seeing.
If the connection inside one power point works loose, everything after it in the chain goes dead too. So one bad point can kill four rooms, and the dead ones are often nowhere near the faulty one. It also means the point that is still working can be the one at fault.
The usual causes, in the order we find them:
- A tripped breakerA switch at the board is down and the whole circuit is off
- A loose connectionAge, heat or a knock. The commonest real fault
- A worn socketThe grip has gone, the plug sits loose and arcs
- WaterOutdoor points, or a leak above an indoor one
- The appliance, not the pointMore often than people expect
- A wall switchSome points are controlled by a switch by the door
How to check a power point that is not working
Four checks, in this order. None of them needs a tool and none needs the faceplate off.
Try a different appliance in that point
Use something you know works, like a phone charger or a lamp. If that works, the power point is fine and the first appliance is the problem.
Then do the reverse: plug the original appliance into a point you know is live. If it fails there too, it is the appliance, and that is a repairer or a warranty claim rather than an electrician.
Find out how much is dead
Walk the house and try a few points in each room. You are working out whether it is one point, one room, or a whole run of the house. Take note as you go, because it is the single most useful thing you can tell us on the phone.
Just the one pointMost likely that point itself, or the one before it in the chain.Several roomsAlmost certainly one circuit. Go to the switchboard next.Check the switchboard
Open the switchboard door only. Never unscrew a panel, and leave anything labelled Solar or Battery alone. A switch is ON when the lever points up.
Look for one lever sitting down while the rest point up. If you find one, push it firmly up. If it stays up, you are done. If it snaps straight back down, the fault is still connected and it needs testing, so leave it off and ring us.
If the switch that went off has a Test button on it, that is a safety switch rather than a plain breaker, and the safety switch guide walks through finding what tripped it. Safety switch keeps tripping >
Look for a wall switch you have forgotten
Some power points are switched from the wall, especially in bedrooms and lounges, and the switch is often by the door in a bank with the light switches. If one has been flicked off, the point is dead and there is nothing wrong with it.
The same goes for the points people forget are switched at all. Worth a look before you book anyone:
- Behind the fridgeOften switched from a point above the bench
- DishwasherSwitched from inside the cupboard beside it
- Rangehood and microwaveSwitch is usually in the cupboard above
- Hot water and pumpsAn isolating switch beside the unit outside
- Bedside pointsSometimes on the light switch bank by the door
- Outdoor and shed pointsAn indoor switch controlling the whole run
What your result means
It was the breaker
The switch stayed up and everything came back. Worth knowing why it went off, especially if it happens again.
Why it trips >
It is the wiring
Dead with the breaker on, or a whole run gone quiet. We find the loose connection and repair it.
Fault finding >Run out of power points?
Tell us what is going on. We ring you back, usually the same day.
When to call an electrician about a dead power point
A brown mark, heat or a buzz
That is a loose connection arcing behind the faceplate. Stop using it and ring us the same day, because this is the one that starts fires.
A whole run of points is dead
One loose connection takes out everything after it in the chain. We test the circuit and find it rather than replacing points one at a time and hoping.
It works on and off
Intermittent is worse than dead, not better. It means loose rather than broken, which is the stage before it starts arcing. Get it looked at.
Plugs fall out, or it is the old style
Worn contacts lose their grip, and a loose grip makes heat. Replacing a tired point is quick and it is the cheap end of this problem.
Power point installation >Renting, or managing rentals?
Renting? Tell your property manager before anyone is booked, because they organise repairs at the property. If you can smell burning or see a scorch mark, say that first. It changes how quickly it gets treated.
Property managers: tell us which points are dead and whether there is any mark or smell, and we will bring the right parts the first time. We work for several Hunter agencies and invoice the same day with before and after photos. Property maintenance >
Related home services
Fault finding and repairs
Dead power points, tripping circuits, flickering lights.
Read more >Power point installation
Replace a worn point, or add one where you actually need it.
Read more >Safety switch keeps tripping
The switch with a Test button will not stay on.
Read more >Emergency and after-hours
Burning smell, sparks or heat. Ring now, any hour.
Read more >Power point questions
Why has one power point stopped working?
Usually a tripped breaker, a worn or loose connection inside the point, or a fault further back on the same circuit. Power points are wired in a chain, so a fault in one can kill the ones after it.
Why have several power points stopped working at once?
They are almost certainly on the same circuit. Check your switchboard for a switch that is down. If nothing is down, or it will not stay up, the circuit needs testing.
Is a power point that is warm or buzzing dangerous?
Yes. Heat, buzzing, crackling or a brown mark means a loose connection, which is a common cause of house fires. Stop using it, switch that circuit off at the board and ring an electrician.
Can I replace a power point myself?
No. In NSW only a licensed electrician may remove a power point or work on the wiring behind it. Changing a plug top or a globe is fine, anything behind the wall is not.
Why does my plug keep falling out of the power point?
The metal contacts inside have lost their grip, usually through age or heat. A loose grip makes heat, and heat makes it worse, so it is worth replacing rather than living with.
The power point works sometimes and not others. What is that?
An intermittent fault, and it is the one worth acting on quickly. It nearly always means a connection that is loose rather than broken, which is the stage before it starts arcing.