# What's wrong with this one outlet? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 15, 2010, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-one-outlet/529060 "2010-02-15T13:10:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-one-outlet/529060/21 "2010-02-16T05:34:51Z")
> [@HongKongFooey](#): > > Perhaps a loose wire on the receptacle, especially if the electrician used the stab terminals in the back. If he used these then the house will have other problems. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-one-outlet/529060/22 "2010-02-16T06:38:08Z")
Holmes on Homes - a Canadian program that deals with fixing shoddy contractor work - once featured a GFI in a box buried in a wall. (Covered over junction boxes seem to be a favorite trick of bad contractors). As others indicated - I would first double check that you have good connections on the box - take the outlet out of its box (POWER OFF) and see that all the connections are right, then see if the wires have power even if the outlet doesn’t. If the outlet has no power, then as indicated, next step is to test nearby outlet boxes (pull them out too) to see if the problem is the continuity from box to box. Maybe something is loose upstream in another outlet. ---
**Author:** ![Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/278dde/32.png) [@Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Runs_With_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-one-outlet/529060/23 "2010-02-17T04:22:42Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > This morning I turned every breaker in the house off and then back on. Nothing except a surprised fish in the aquarium. Zsofia, I have an outlet in my bedroom that went out. Every other outlet and light in the house is fine. Unfortunately, it’s behind my water bed, so I haven’t been able to get to it to replace it. I did post about it here, and many suggested that the outlets can just go bad, as was suggested here. If you change yours and it works…post an update, and I’ll start draining my water bed 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-one-outlet/529060/24 "2010-02-17T17:14:22Z")
Another hint I heard once - hold an old transistor AM radio near your outlet. If you hear a lot of static near the outlet, it could be an indication that your connection in that outlet is poor. (Obviously, once the power goes off, it’s too late…usually). Loose connections in a heavily used outlet are a warning that you could eventually get enough heat buildup to start an electrical fire. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-one-outlet/529060/25 "2010-02-21T19:01:15Z")
ARRRRGH. There was a GFI outlet… BEHIND THE STOVE. My dad came over to take a look and he found it. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-one-outlet/529060/26 "2010-02-21T19:19:28Z")
Behind the stove? Sheesh. The good news is that you didn’t have to hire an electrician. And at least you know where they hid the stupid thing for the next time when it goes. Glad you got it fixed. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-one-outlet/529060/27 "2010-02-21T20:09:43Z")
We had to reset it with a ruler! Dad said he’ll move it for me. I’d like to learn how to do it myself, though. ---
**Author:** ![Gbro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Gbro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gbro)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-one-outlet/529060/28 "2010-02-21T20:13:58Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > ARRRRGH. There was a GFI outlet… BEHIND THE STOVE. > > My dad came over to take a look and he found it. We dads save the day on a regular basis. My daughter was headed out of town last Monday and checked the fluids under the hood. The hood would not latch then and of course she figured the day trip was off. She called and I told her 1st to check the release handle inside the van, well she said a couple guys at the station looked at it and think the spring in the latch is BO. She drove over and it was the release handle out of position:smack:, and she thinks what i did was next to miraculous:smack::smack: Glad your problem is solved also! ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2010, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-one-outlet/529060/29 "2010-02-21T21:21:16Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > ARRRRGH. There was a GFI outlet… BEHIND THE STOVE. > > My dad came over to take a look and he found it. What??? Whose idea was that and what were they thinking. Glad you dad can move it. ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-one-outlet/529060/30 "2010-02-22T13:29:49Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > We had to reset it with a ruler! Dad said he’ll move it for me. I’d like to learn how to do it myself, though. Have him teach you! Dads like to bond with their kids like that. My dad just loved teaching me how to change my own oil. It was a great day for him. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-one-outlet/529060/31 "2010-02-22T15:19:36Z")
> [@Snnipe\_70E](#): > > What??? Whose idea was that and what were they thinking. Glad you dad can move it. Whomever installed it probably figured out which box in the kitchen was the home-run for that circuit and simply placed the GFCI there. AND, didn’t realise that you could have just put a regular outlet behind the stove and the GFCI on the counter top. You don’t need both, the GFCIs only need to protect counter top oultlets and non-fixed appliances. It’s a little more complicated than that, but that’s the general rule of thumb. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-this-one-outlet/529060.md?page=1)