Electrical Troubleshooting Guide

Use this guide to troubleshoot basic electrical problems in your office. This guide is intended to be used if you are experiencing problems and you are sure the problem isn’t with the utility power (Power Company).

Check the Breakers
Each office has a breaker panel. This panel should be located in a closet in your office. Open the cover to the panel and look for any breakers that are flipped over to the off position. If you find a breaker flipped to the off position press it firmly back to the on position. If you do not see any breakers that are clearly flipped to the off position go down the rows and press each one toward the on position. When tripped, some breakers will fall half way between on and off. If this is the case or if a breaker will not flip to the on position it may need to be reset. To reset a breaker, flip it all the way over to the off position and then back to the on position. Each breaker panel should be equipped with a list telling you what breakers control what parts of the building. Note: These lists are not always accurate.

Check GFI Outlets
In some areas of your office (usually located around sinks and in bathrooms) you may have outlets knows as GFI’s (ground fault interrupt). These are the outlets that have test and reset buttons located in the middle of the outlet. They basically have breakers built into them. If you are having issues with some outlets or lights not working check your GFI outlets to see if one of them have the reset button popped out. If it does, anything wired in that circuit past the outlet would not have power. Firmly press the reset button until it clicks to restore power. Note that because the GFI is in one room does not mean it doesn’t control power to another. Often time’s circuits will extend into multiple rooms and if a GFI is tripped it will kill the entire circuit.

Check Power Strips
Power strips have reset buttons and fuses built into them to protect equipment from power surges. Most power strips have a light showing you that it has power. If the equipment plugged into the strip does not have power check for a reset button and reset if needed. If you have pressed the reset button and the equipment will not power on, or if there isn’t a reset button on the strip try plugging something else like a fan into the wall outlet. If the fan does not turn on check your breakers and GFI’s. If the fan does turn on, try plugging the equipment directly into the wall. If the equipment turns on you have a bad power strip. The fuses inside a power strip are designed to burn out if a power surge is to strong in order to protect the equipment plugged into it. These fuses are not replaceable and the strip must be replaced.

These are the most basic electrical troubleshooting steps you should try if you are having an issue in your office. If you have tried these steps and the issue remains or if you have a breaker/GFI that will not reset submit a maintenance helpdesk ticket.
As always use safety and common sense when troubleshooting electricity. If you feel that the issue is an electrical emergency contact Connie Peters/maintenance directly by phone.