How to Fix Outdoor Outlets After a Soft Wash House Washing
If you’ve recently had your home’s exterior soft washed, you might find that your outdoor electrical outlets have stopped working. While it isn’t common, it does happen! Don’t panic—in most cases, it’s an easy fix, and it’s actually just a safety feature doing exactly what it’s supposed to do.
Here is a step-by-step guide to finding the problem and getting your power back on right now:
1. Check Your Exterior Outlets First
Walk around the outside of your home and look at every single exterior outlet. You are searching for a GFCI outlet, which is a specific type of plug that has two small buttons in the middle.
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If you find one, press the Reset button.
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If it instantly trips again: That is a sign that one or more of your exterior outlets are still wet. Because outdoor electrical systems are highly sensitive, even the smallest drop of water is enough to trip the safety switch. Give the outlets more time to completely air out and dry before trying to reset the button again.
2. Check Inside the Garage
If you look at every exterior outlet and do not see a GFCI, head to the interior of your garage. Most garage outlets are linked to the exterior plugs, meaning if an outside plug gets a drip, the garage loses power too.
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Look at every outlet inside the garage. If you find a GFCI here, press the Reset button.
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If it instantly trips again: Just like the outside plugs, this means an exterior outlet is still damp and needs more time to dry.
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Important Note About Garage Appliances: If you have a refrigerator or freezer plugged in inside your garage, always double-check to make sure it is running after a house wash! If the exterior safety switch trips, it will cut power to your garage appliances as well.
3. Check the Bathrooms (Older Homes)
If you haven’t found a GFCI outside or in the garage, check inside your house. In older homes, the single GFCI outlet that controls all the exterior plugs can sometimes be located inside a bathroom. Check your bathroom outlets and press the reset button if you find a tripped GFCI.
4. Check the Breaker Box
If all the above fails and you still cannot find a tripped GFCI, take a quick look at your main electrical panel to see if a breaker has tripped.
Why Does This Happen?
When washing a home, the whole exterior is thoroughly rinsed down with low pressure. Because outdoor electrical systems are highly sensitive safety devices, it only takes one single drop of water getting into an outlet to cause the GFCI to trip.
Professional pressure washing and soft washing companies should be taping all your exterior outlets before the house is washed. Our best practice is to cover all exterior plugs. This helps reduce the potential for an outlet to get damp enough to stop working.
If taped correctly, it will greatly reduce the chance of this issue occurring. While it is not a 100% guarantee, it significantly minimizes the risk. After a wash, we highly recommend leaving the outlets covered until they are completely dry—wait at least 24 hours before removing the tape. Plugging something back in too quickly before the outlet is fully dry will increase the likelihood of losing power.
When to Call a Professional
It is important to keep in mind that GFCI outlets do sometimes fail on their own over time and need replacement. If you have given the outlets plenty of time to dry and the GFCI still will not reset or restore power, it is best to contact a licensed electrician to handle the replacement.
