What to Do If Only Part of Your Home Loses Power

Half the house is dark but the street has light. Check breakers, GFCI outlets and the main, and learn when to call the utility or an electrician.

Sometimes the whole neighbourhood is fine, but a few rooms in your home are dead. It can be a tripped breaker, a GFCI outlet, a loose connection, or a problem further back in the supply. Most of the time a few calm checks will sort it out. Occasionally it points to something that needs a professional right away.

First, rule out an area-wide outage. See how to tell if an outage is just your home. If the problem really is limited to part of your home, work through the steps below.

Safety first

• If you smell burning, see smoke or scorch marks, hear buzzing or sizzling, or see sparks, leave the area, call your emergency number and do not touch the panel.
• If the floor is wet or there is water near outlets or the electrical panel, do not go near them. Stay out and call an electrician or emergency services.
• If a power line is down outside, stay far away, keep others away, and call the utility and emergency services. Assume any downed line is live.
• Do not open the panel cover or work on wiring yourself.

Step 1: check the obvious

1. Is something plugged into the dead outlets that caused the trip? Unplug devices on the affected circuit, especially heaters, kettles and other high-draw items.
2. Is it one room, one floor, or one side of the house? Note the pattern, since it helps an electrician later.
3. Test the outlet with a lamp you know works, or a phone charger.

Step 2: look for a tripped GFCI

A GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) is an outlet with Test and Reset buttons, common in bathrooms, kitchens, garages and outdoors. One tripped GFCI can cut power to several outlets on the same circuit, even in other rooms.

• Press the Reset button firmly on any GFCI outlets you find.
• If it trips again right away, something on that circuit may be faulty or wet. Unplug everything on it and try again.
• If it still will not reset, leave it off and call an electrician.

Step 3: check the breaker panel

Only do this if the panel area is dry, the cover is on, and you feel comfortable. Stand to the side, use dry hands, and flip switches with one hand.

1. Look for a breaker that is in the middle position or clearly different from the others. That is a tripped breaker.
2. Push it fully to Off, then firmly to On.
3. If it trips straight away, do not keep trying. Leave it off.
4. Note which breaker it was, and which devices were on it.

A breaker that trips again and again protects the home from overload or a fault. Do not tape it, hold it or replace it with a larger one.

Step 4: could it be the main breaker or a phase problem?

Many North American homes get power from two live lines (phases). If one of them fails, part of the house can go dark while some lights and outlets still work, and some appliances may behave strangely, with lights too dim or too bright. That points to a problem in the supply, not in your circuits.

• If many outlets and lights are out together, or lights are flickering or unusually dim or bright, switch off sensitive appliances and call your utility.
• If the utility says the issue is on their side, they will fix it. If it is on your side of the meter, such as the service entrance or panel, you will need a licensed electrician.

In a flicker or brownout, unplug sensitive electronics until power is stable. See should you unplug things during a power outage and how to protect appliances.

Step 5: apartments, condos and shared buildings

In multi-unit buildings, the issue could be your unit's panel, a building panel, or a shared service. Check your unit's panel, ask neighbours, and call the building manager or landlord. See apartment and condo outage prep and the renters checklist.

When to call whom

• Utility: flickering lights, partial power across the whole house, a problem with the meter or service line, or a downed wire.
• Electrician: a breaker that keeps tripping, a GFCI that will not reset, outlets that stay dead after checks, burning smells or warm outlets.
• Emergency services: fire, sparks, smoke, a downed power line or anyone hurt.

Meanwhile, keep the fridge and freezer powered if you can. If they are on the dead circuit, run an extension cord from a working outlet, sized for the load, or move food to a cooler. See food safety.

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