How-to guide
How to Test a GFCI Outlet
A one-minute monthly test that confirms a GFCI outlet will still protect you from electric shock.
YOU NEED: a lamp or a phone charger. Nothing else.
- Plug in a lamp and switch it on, so you can see the power state at a glance.
- Press TEST. The RESET button should pop out with a click, and the lamp should go dark.
- Press RESET firmly. The lamp should come back on.
- Read the result. If nothing happened when you pressed TEST, or the lamp stayed lit, the device has failed.
A GFCI compares the current going out against the current coming back. When it sees a difference of a few thousandths of an amp — current leaking through a person, for instance — it opens in a fraction of a second. They are required in kitchens, bathrooms, garages, basements, outdoors and near any water. They also wear out, which is why the test matters.
Stop and call if: the GFCI will not reset, trips again on its own within minutes, or protects outlets you cannot account for. A GFCI that keeps tripping has usually found a real ground fault somewhere downstream.