Electrics & lighting
Socket stopped working? Safe checks only
One dead socket rarely announces why. The good news: most of the causes can be checked safely from the outside, with a lamp, a look at the consumer unit and ten minutes of patience. Here is the order to work in, and the hard line you should not cross.
By the Tickover team · Published 17 June 2026 · 4 min read
How urgent is this?
This week, unless it smells hot
A dead socket on its own is an inconvenience. Scorch marks, warmth, buzzing or a hot-plastic smell move it to switch-off-and-call-today.
First, blame the right thing
When something plugged in stops working there are three suspects: the appliance, the socket, or the circuit feeding it. Moving the appliance to a socket you know works settles the first in seconds. If the toaster is dead everywhere, suspect the appliance or its plug fuse, not the wall.
Safe checks, in order
Try the appliance in a socket that works
If it is dead there too, the socket is innocent. Check the appliance’s plug fuse before condemning either.
Try a known-good lamp in the suspect socket
A working lamp staying dark confirms the socket or its circuit. Two dead sockets in one room usually means the circuit.
Check the consumer unit
A tripped MCB or RCD takes out a bank of sockets at once. Reset it properly and see what comes back.
Look and smell before you use it again
Scorch marks, browning, cracks, a warm face plate or a fishy smell end the DIY here. Switch the circuit off and call an electrician.
Test with a socket tester
A plug-in tester costs about £10 and its lights report dead, live or miswired in seconds. A good drawer tool for any home.
Book the fix
A socket that fails these checks needs an electrician. The face plate does not come off for homeowners, however confident.
What is actually wrong in there
Behind a dead socket the usual finds are a loose terminal, a failed connection in the back box or, on ring circuits, a break that leaves some sockets limping. These are quick, cheap fixes for an electrician (£60–£120 for a like-for-like swap, as a guide) and impossible to do safely from the outside. The face plate rule is absolute: unscrewing it exposes live terminals, and ‘it looked fine’ is not a test.
If several sockets are out, or the circuit trips again when you reset it, the fault sits upstream in the circuit and the same advice applies, with more urgency. The wider home electrics guide maps exactly who does what, and a light that stays dead after a new bulb follows the same three-suspect logic as a socket.
One healthy socket doing the work of six through a tower of adaptors is its own fault waiting to happen: the extension lead rules explain the 13-amp budget. If a room is short of sockets, adding a double socket is a small, quick electrician job, and cheaper than most people expect.
The socket rules
Do
- Unplug before you inspect any plug or socket
- Use a plug-in socket tester for a fast verdict
- Switch the circuit off if anything smells hot
- Batch small socket jobs into one electrician visit
Don’t
- Never unscrew a face plate, even with the power off
- Never use a socket with scorch marks or cracks
- Never touch plugs or sockets with wet hands
- Do not run heaters through tired extension leads
What the fix costs
Socket swap, like-for-like
Add a new double socket
Depends on the cable run
Electrician hourly rate
Typical UK ranges, mid-2026, as a guide only. Your home, your area and the job itself all move the number — always compare real quotes.
Not sure what you’re dealing with?
Answer a few questions about the dead socket and Self-Diagnose will point to appliance, socket or circuit, tell you how urgent it is, and give you exactly what an electrician needs to hear.
Quick answers
Why would one socket stop working when the others are fine?
Usually a loose connection at that socket’s terminals, a failed face plate, or a break in the ring circuit that feeds it. Occasionally it is the appliance’s plug fuse instead, which is why you test with a known-good lamp first. A single dead socket with no burning smell is not an emergency, but it is a fault, and faults drift worse rather than better.
Are socket testers worth buying?
For about £10, yes. A plug-in tester tells you in seconds whether a socket is dead, live or wired incorrectly, which is exactly the information an electrician wants when you call. It does not make socket repairs DIY, and a pass does not prove everything behind the plate is perfect, but it turns guesswork into a short, useful report.
Can I replace a socket myself if I turn the power off?
We advise not to. A like-for-like swap is not notifiable under Part P, but it still means working on fixed wiring, and a terminal that is not tightened correctly can quietly overheat for years. Electricians charge £60–£120 for the swap, less as part of a bigger visit. Given what sits behind that face plate, it is one of the cheapest professional jobs going.
What does it mean if a socket feels warm?
Warmth at the face plate or plug means resistance somewhere it should not be: a loose terminal, a tired plug, or an overloaded socket. Unplug, stop using it, and switch the circuit off if the warmth persists. Then book an electrician promptly. Heat is the early, polite version of the warning; scorch marks are the late one.
This guide is general information for UK homes, not advice about your specific property. Anything involving gas must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and notifiable electrical work by a qualified electrician. If you smell gas, call the National Gas Emergency line on 0800 111 999. If you’re ever unsure, stop and get a professional in — that’s exactly what Tickover is for.
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