One dead plug socket seems trivial — but depending on why it's dead, it ranges from a five-second reset to a hidden fire risk. Here's how to read it.
The usual causes
- A tripped circuit — the breaker or earth leakage for that circuit has tripped (check the DB board first).
- A loose or burnt connection behind the socket — common, and potentially dangerous.
- A faulty socket itself.
- A fault elsewhere on the circuit affecting downstream sockets.
One socket or several?
If several sockets are dead together, it's the shared circuit — check the DB board for a trip. If only one is dead, suspect that socket or its connection.
When a dead socket is dangerous
A loose connection behind a socket arcs and overheats — a genuine fire risk, and often the reason the socket failed. If a socket is warm, discoloured or smells of burning, stop using it and call an electrician. A simply dead socket with no warning signs is less urgent but still needs proper diagnosis.
Get it traced safely
Checking the DB board is fine; opening a socket is not — that's electrician territory, especially with a possible loose-connection fire risk. We trace and repair dead sockets with fault finding. Book a callout.