I'm having some trouble with an older electrical outlet. There's a small orange light above the 'test' button that clicks on whenever I plug something in, but it seems like the outlet isn't providing any power. I've checked the breaker, and it looks fine. When I unplug the device and press the test button, the orange light goes off, but it comes back on when I plug something in. What could be causing this? Any suggestions?
3 Answers
Just to double check, are you using different devices to plug into that outlet? If the GFCI trips with multiple appliances, it could mean one of them has a fault. If it consistently trips with one device, that appliance might be the issue.
It sounds like your GFCI outlet might be faulty. Replacing it could solve your problem. They're not too difficult to swap out if you're comfortable with doing some basic wiring! Just make sure to turn off the power before you start working on it.
Have you considered that the appliance you're trying to use may have a ground fault? If that’s the case, the GFCI is doing its job by interrupting the circuit to protect you. It's worth testing with another device to rule that out.