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Repairing an electrical outlet that has stopped working is rarely very difficult.

Finding out why the outlet is not working can be a little more tricky.

That’s why it’s difficult to answer a customer who calls us and says, “Two of my electrical outlets aren’t working — how much would your company charge to fix them?”

Many factors go into the total cost of an electrician’s visit, and fixing an outlet is no different. This post will give you an idea of what those factors are and how they can affect your bill.

First, here are a couple quick do-it-yourself tips to try when an outlet isn’t working, courtesy of Hawkins residential electrician Brian Sheffler:

● If you’re having trouble with an exterior, bathroom or kitchen outlet, a GFCI breaker may have been tripped. GFCIs are outlets or breakers with two buttons between the sockets, one labelled “test” and the other “reset.” GFCIs can protect several outlets on the same circuit, so find the GFCI and press the reset button. That may solve your problem.

● You can also go to your electrical panel to see if a circuit breaker has been tripped. If one has, flip the switch back and see if that solves your problem.

● Sometimes a circuit breaker may have been tripped even though all the switches seem to be in the correct position. Flipping the breakers off and on may fix your problem.

If these tips fail, you should contact an electrician. If you live in the Baltimore-Washington area and contact Hawkins (call 1-877-927-0900 or use our online contact form), here’s what you should know:

● The majority of Hawkins’ residential customers who need outlets repaired wind up paying just our diagnostic and travel charges — that can range between $170 and $350 depending on where you live and what kind of diagnostics our electrician needs to perform.

● For any work beyond an initial inspection — starting with the diagnostics — we will tell you how much you would pay and get your approval before beginning.

● With Hawkins, you pay by the job, not by the hour.

● Simpler jobs — such as replacing a bad circuit breaker — probably will cost less than other jobs. If there’s a hard-to-detect or hard-to-repair wiring issue, you will probably pay more. For instance, in older houses the wiring can be more complex and more costly to repair.

● Our first priority will be fixing your problem. But our next priority is making sure the problem isn’t likely to return or spread. For instance, when we find a loose connection that has caused one outlet to go bad, it’s not uncommon to find other loose connections in the house. We’ll check and, with your approval, repair those issues, as well — saving you the time and expense of an additional service call and, more important, keeping you safe.

● No matter who does your electrical work — we know there are many choices and are grateful that so many customers have chosen us over the years — never hire an electrician who is not certified and insured. All of Hawkins’ electricians are.

Again, you can contact Hawkins by calling 1-877-927-0900 or using our online contact form.

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