I have a dead kitchen outlet. Switching the circuit breaker won't bring it back. I looked at the GFCI and it looks like the RESET button might be stuck. This seems like my issue. Is there any way to repair this myself?
Thanks
Home Improvement Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for contractors and serious DIYers. It only takes a minute to sign up.
Sign up to join this communityI have a dead kitchen outlet. Switching the circuit breaker won't bring it back. I looked at the GFCI and it looks like the RESET button might be stuck. This seems like my issue. Is there any way to repair this myself?
Thanks
A GFCI is a safety alarm, which detects problems in other devices. Its one job is to trip when another appliance has a problem. It is testing all the appliances all the time. If an appliance has a problem, it will not reset. That is its job.
I imagine with this GFCI tripped, a bunch of sockets are dead. Unplug everything in those sockets.
Now go back and see if it will reset.
If it does, then the GFCI did exactly what it's supposed to. Now start plugging things back in. One of them will trip it. That appliance is dead. Unplug it and take it to the repair shop. Did that fix it? Done.
OK next. Everything's unplugged? OK.
After you do what ThreePhaseEel suggests, remove the two wires from the LOAD terminals.
Now power the circuit back up and see if the GFCI will behave normally. If it does, the problem is in the downline wiring. Or an appliance you haven't found yet!
If it still won't reset, then yeah, it's the GFCI.
Considering the low cost of a new one, your obvious inexperience (or why would you be asking), almost certainly a lack of available spare parts, and the possibility of physical or property damage if you make a mistake, I recommend replacing the GCFI.