Short answer
First check whether it really is one socket or several on the same circuit. If only that one does not work, the cause is almost always a loose core in the loop-through, a burnt-out terminal or a damaged contact. That is work for an installer, because the box is live even though the socket does not work.
Who this article is for Anyone with a socket that does nothing. You can work it out yourself up to a point, but not open up a box.
First rule out what it is not
Test with something you know for sure works. A lamp or a phone charger that works elsewhere. A faulty plug or an appliance that has quietly died looks exactly like a dead socket.
Check whether the circuit has tripped. Go to the meter cupboard and see whether a breaker or an RCD is down. If so, this is a different story: see RCD keeps tripping.
See how much is not working. Go round the room and test all the sockets. A whole circuit without power is something different from one point.
If it really is just that one socket
Then the break is in the socket itself or in the loop-through leading to it. In a home, sockets are usually looped: the same cable runs on from point to point. If one core comes loose, everything after that point goes off.
Looping means that one loose core takes everything after that point with it.
Most common causes:
- a core that has crept out of the terminal, often after something was pushed against it
- a push-in terminal that has burnt out, recognisable by brown discolouration
- a core that has been screwed through and is broken inside
- a contact in the socket itself that has burnt out, usually with a heavy load
Why this is still work for an installer
The socket does not work, but that does not mean there is no voltage. The same box almost always has cores that are live, and the fault may be a little further along. Besides, you want to know whether more terminals are in the same state.
A fault in a loop-through is also a warning: the same wiring and the same terminals are throughout the home.
What I do when I come
I first measure where the voltage stops, often with a voltage tester and a continuity tester. Then I open the box or the socket where the break is. If it is a push-in terminal from an old installation, I replace the terminals in the same box straight away: they are just as old and have been just as hot.
With older installations I also look at the earthing and the RCD, because a home where this happens is usually a home that needs more attention. What you can tell from it is in recognising an old installation.
Fault finding at a scheduled appointment costs € 103 per hour including VAT; for an emergency the fault service rate applies.
From my own work
In a home in Geleen the socket behind the sofa stopped working. The rest of the room was fine. In the box behind it there was a core looped with a push-in terminal that had half crept out, probably when a cupboard was once pushed against it. The terminal was brown from the heat. Replaced, tested, done. Two weeks later it could have been smouldering.
When to call an electrician
- There is a scorching smell or discolouration at the socket
- Several sockets in a row are not working
- The socket works sometimes and sometimes not
A contact that works intermittently is a bad connection, and that gets hot. Call +31 43 204 18 26 or use the fault service if it is outside office hours.
Frequently asked questions
Can I open up a socket myself?
Better not. Even if the socket does nothing, other cores in the same box are almost always live, and the fault may be a little further along.
Why is only that one socket not working?
Sockets are looped: the same cable runs on from point to point. If a core comes loose, everything after that point goes off and the rest keeps working.
What does it cost to have this fixed?
Usually it is found and fixed within an hour. At a scheduled appointment the normal hourly rate applies, for an emergency the fault service rate.
Further reading
RCD keeps tripping: how to find the cause yourself
Usually it is one appliance and not your installation. In four steps you find out yourself which one, and you read exactly where it stops and you need to call.
Lights flickering or dimming: what it tells you
Flickering in one light is usually the bulb or the dimmer. Flickering throughout the house is a reason to measure.
The circuit breaker trips: overload or short circuit
A breaker that only trips after a while points to overload. If it trips straight away, it is a short circuit.
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