GFI socket?
Question:My GFI socket is not working and I tried to reset it. I check my fuse box and no fuses are blown. The socket inside and outside on the same part of the wall and not working. But a socket just 5 feet away works. What can I do?
Answers:
If you've found the gfci outlet that's not working, and you've been unable to reset it, there are two possibilities.
- You have a bad gfci oulet that needs to be replaced.
- You aren't getting 115vac to the gfci outlet. If a gfci doesn't have electricity, it will not reset. This could be due to a faulty breaker, a broken outlet somewhere in the circuit feeding the gfci, or possibly a bad connection somewhere in the circuit.
In any case, the ideal thing to do is to check with a VOM meter. Radio Crap sells some cheapo volt meters that'll get the job done. Use it to find out where you have voltage and not. Good luck again.
The most likely explanation is that the "receptacle" five feet away is on either a different circuit, or on the line side of the gfi meaning that it is before the gfi or on the side of the gfi that is not gfi protected. The practical reason that the gfi itself and the receptacle adjacent to it are not working is that it has just gone bad over time. I have had them go bad right out of a brand new box. Just replace it and it should be fine. You say none of the fuses are blown? Are they fuses or breakers? Sometimes you can't tell that a breaker is tripped. Turn them all off and then back on unless you know which one controlls that circuit in which you could just reset that one. Make sure that your computers are off or at least no work is in process that needs to be saved. Are they kitchen, bath or garage receptacles...? There are different codes as to which recepts must be gfi protected. If all else fails..call the sparky!!
Unplug everything on that GFCI ckt and try to reset the gfci if it keeps triping than more than likely the GFCI is bad replace it
If the socket outside is protected by the GFCI inside they bot would not work if the GFCI was tripped or has broken.
You may need to replace the GFCI
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