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- 1). Shut off the power to the electrical receptacle at your main breaker box inside your home. Remove the screws holding your receptacle in place with your screwdriver. Set aside the screws for later use.
- 2). Pull the receptacle outlet cover away from the wall with your hands, and expose the electrical receptacle.
- 3). Pull the receptacle from your wall gently. Disconnect the electrical wires on the back of your receptacle by loosening the brass screw attached to the black wire and the silver screw attached to the white wire.
- 4). Turn your power back on at the main circuit breaker in your home.
- 5). Test the wire ends carefully with your voltage tester. Place the end prong of your voltage tester to the end of a wire, and watch the tester for activity. Repeat for each wire. If the tester does not read activity on any of the wires you tested, commonly the problem is either a loose connection or a defective receptacle.
- 6). Turn off your power and reinstall your receptacle. Attach the wires on the back of the receptacle to your home's wires and secure by attaching the black (hot) wire to the brass screw and the white (neutral) wire to the silver screw.
- 7). Test the receptacle with a lamp or another portable device. If the receptacle does not work, continue to the next step.
- 8). Verify that all nearby receptacles work properly by testing them with your portable lamp. Plug the lamp into each receptacle and verify it has power. If you notice that another receptacle does not contain power, repeat the test with your voltage meter, per Step 5.
- 9). Replace your nonworking electrical receptacles by installing new ones. Attach the black and white wires from your wall to the color coordinated screws on the back or side of the new receptacle, per Step 6.
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