I plugged my vacuum cleaner into a bedroom outlet and when I turned it on, I heard a slight sizzle sound. There was no smell or scorch marks visible after I took off the outlet plate. Now, the GFCI breaker in the breaker box has tripped and it won't reset. Could this mean that the outlet is bad and needs replacement, or does it indicate a malfunctioning breaker? Can a faulty outlet keep the GFCI breaker tripped?
2 Answers
It sounds like your outlet might be fried if you heard that noise and now the GFCI won't reset. A good first step is to disconnect the outlet and check if the GFCI resets without it. If it does, then you'll need to replace the outlet. Just be safe and take a photo of the wiring before you disconnect anything!
You may have multiple GFCI outlets in your home that are daisy-chained together. It's worth checking other areas like kitchens or bathrooms to see if any of those need resetting too. Just a heads up, it's a bit strange to have a GFCI in a bedroom—might want to check if it's actually an arc fault breaker instead!