Troubleshooting for Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters

A pile of black power cables with a mix of electrical plug types, including two and three-prong connectors, against a light background.

Many of us have what is known as Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs) outlets installed in our homes. These are often placed in areas where electrical outlets may come into contact with water – places like kitchens, bathrooms, garages, utility rooms, or outdoors. GFCIs are a specific type of outlet that are designed to automatically trip in the event they come into contact with water or are overloaded. The outlet trips and power is automatically shut off, reducing the risk of electrical complication or shock.

Should your GFCI outlet trip, here are a few tips on how to troubleshoot the issue and get your outlet back up and running.

1 – GFCI was tripped and needs to be rest

You can tell if a GFCI has been tripped by looking at the red “reset” button. If its popped out further than normal, simply push in the red button back in to reset the circuit. To confirm your GFCI outlet is working push the black test button. The red reset button should pop forward and you should hear an audible click noise. If it does make a click sound and the reset button pops forward, then the power is now off to the outlet. To turn the power back on, simply hitting the red reset button again.

If the rest button does not click and pop forward the GFCI might not be working and you’ll want to give us a call at 519-766-2940.

This is an image of a white electrical outlet with a built-in safety reset and test buttons, indicative of a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI).

2 – Circuit is overloaded and GFCI keeps tripping.

If you push in the red reset button but it immediately pops back out again there is likely something on that circuit causing the breaker to trip. The way you can troubleshoot this is by unplugging everything on that circuit. (IE: if you are in the kitchen, try unplug your appliances and any other items in the area.) Try pushing the red reset button again- If it continues to pop out, something else is overloading your circuit. At this point give us a call at 519-766-2940.
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3 – GFCI Red Reset Button Won’t Push In.

This means there is either no power to the outlet or the outlet itself is not working. Before you call an electrician, you can check if there has been a breaker tripped in the main electrical panel (see our blog post on how to do this here.) Otherwise, give us a call and we will come have a look. 519-766-2940

Blais Electric – Guelph, Ontario | 519-766-2940

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