No Power to Sockets: Fault-Finding Guide
Dead sockets range from a single tripped device to a broken conductor in a ring. Work methodically from the consumer unit outward and the fault reveals itself.
"No power to the sockets" covers everything from one dead outlet to a whole circuit down. The key to finding it quickly is a methodical approach: establish how much is affected, work from the consumer unit outward, and test rather than guess.
This guide sets out a logical sequence — how much is dead, what the protective device is doing, testing at the outlet, and tracing a break in a ring final circuit. It assumes safe isolation before any dead testing and appropriate care when taking live readings.
Key takeaways
- Establish the extent first: one socket, a group, or the whole circuit.
- Check the protective device at the board — tripped, off, or a loose connection.
- A single dead socket often means a local loose connection or a broken spur.
- A whole dead ring points to a break in a conductor or a failed device.
- Safely isolate before dead testing, and re-test before returning to service.
How much is dead?
Start by mapping the problem. Is it one socket, several in one area, or every socket on the circuit? Plug a known-good tester or lamp into several outlets. One dead socket among live ones is a local fault; a whole circuit dead points at the board or a break early in the circuit.
Knowing the extent immediately narrows where to look and stops you chasing the wrong end of the circuit.
Isolate before you open up
Once you've identified the affected circuit, prove it dead with safe isolation and an approved voltage indicator before removing any accessory or testing conductors.
Check the board
At the consumer unit, check the circuit's protective device: is it tripped, switched off, or has it operated? Reset it once — if it holds, you may have had a transient trip; if it trips straight back, you have a fault to find, not a switch to flick. A device that won't reset with the circuit disconnected may itself be faulty.
Also check the obvious: is it actually the right way for that circuit, and are the connections at the device tight? A loose line or neutral at the board is a classic cause of a whole dead circuit.
Doing this on a job? Minor Works Certificate — part of TradePlanr. Free to start, no card needed.
Testing at the outlet
For a single dead socket, isolate and open it up. Look for loose terminals, a disconnected conductor, or signs of overheating. On a spur, a loose connection at the parent socket kills everything downstream. Many "dead socket" calls are simply a terminal that has worked loose and needs re-making.
Take care with back boxes and cables when re-terminating, and check the conductor ends are sound rather than nicked or broken where they've been over-flexed.
Tracing a break in a ring
If a whole ring is dead but the device is sound, you likely have a break in a conductor. A ring continuity test from the board identifies whether the line, neutral or CPC is broken, and comparing readings around the ring points you towards the section where the break lies.
Split the ring, test each leg, and narrow down to the accessory or cable run where continuity is lost — often a loose terminal at one socket that has opened the ring.
Certify the repair
After re-making the ring and confirming continuity, issue a Minor Works Certificate from TradePlanr with the readings so the customer has documented proof the circuit is sound.
From guidance to action
Frequently asked questions
Why is only one socket dead?
A single dead socket among live ones usually means a local fault: a loose terminal, a disconnected conductor at that outlet, or a broken spur feeding it. Isolate, open it up, and check the connections.
Why is a whole ring of sockets dead?
A whole dead ring points to the protective device (tripped, off or faulty), a loose connection at the board, or a break in one of the ring conductors. A ring continuity test locates a broken conductor.
The breaker resets but trips again — what now?
If it trips straight back, there is a fault to find, not a switch to flick. Safely isolate and investigate for a short-circuit or earth-leakage fault before repeatedly resetting the device.
Related guides
Why Your RCBO Keeps Tripping
Work out whether it's overcurrent or earth leakage, then trace the fault by splitting the circuit.
Why a Fuse Keeps Blowing
The fuse is the symptom, not the fault — how overload differs from a short-circuit and how to trace each.
Safe Isolation Procedure
The step-by-step safe isolation procedure, proving dead with a GS38 tester, and locking off.
