Is there anything you can do about the electrical issues you are experiencing in your Fargo rental property? Common issues with your household electrical system are fairly easy to troubleshoot. However, it is still best to let professionals handle most major electrical problems. Using the following steps, you can start to figure out what the problem is and what you can do to manage or fix it.
Visual Inspection
If your appliances, lamps, or electrical devices stop working, you can check the outlet and electrical cords for signs of damage. Sometimes, a power outlet malfunctions and goes dead. Look for discoloration, a visible sign of damage. You can also look for breaks, fraying, and other damage on plugs and cords. Damaged outlets or cords need to be replaced.
Try a Different Outlet
If you don’t notice any problems with your outlet and power cord, you can plug your lamp or device into a different outlet. Determining whether the outlet or the electrical item is defective is an important step in troubleshooting. You can be certain that the outlet is the main issue if your device works when you plug it into a different outlet.
Reset the GFCI
One of the most common reasons an outlet will stop working is because it is connected to a GFCI outlet that has tripped a circuit. Look for your outlet’s reset button. If you cannot find it, the reset button will be on another outlet within that circuit. The reset button for the entire circuit is located on a GFCI outlet. If you can’t find it in your bathroom or kitchen, it could be in a more obscure location such as the garage or laundry room. Once you find the GFCI outlet, resetting it is an easy way to fix a dead outlet.
Check the Breaker Panel
Sometimes, the problem will not be the outlets themselves but the circuit breaker. You can usually identify which breaker has gone bad by examining your home’s breaker panel. A lot of breaker panels have clearly labeled circuits telling you which part of the house they are connected to. If this is the case, you can easily remedy it by flipping the breaker off and then on again. If that doesn’t work, the breaker itself may be bad or have a loose connection. If that is the case, then the breaker needs to be replaced.
Call Your Landlord
Be sure you let your landlord know about your electrical issue and the steps you have done to troubleshoot the problem.It may simply be a call to tell them you had an issue but you were able to troubleshoot it yourself. Observe if these things happen frequently because it could signal a bigger electrical problem. Ask your landlord to call in a professional electrician to evaluate the problem if you still have non-working outlets after some troubleshooting. Either way, good communication with your Fargo property manager is the best way to get electrical issues permanently resolved.
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