The pressure washer will not start, the landscape lights are off, or the garage fridge has gone warm. Outdoor and garage outlets are the ones that fail most often in South Florida, and they usually fail for the same reason: water. Here is what to check, and what makes the repair last.
Why these outlets trip
Outdoor and garage outlets are GFCI protected. The CPSC's GFCI fact sheet notes the National Electrical Code has required GFCI protection for outdoor receptacles since 1973 and garage receptacles since 1978. A GFCI cuts power when it senses current leaking to ground, and water is the most common way that happens outside. So when an outdoor outlet dies after rain, the GFCI is usually doing its job.
- Rain and sprinklers. Water gets into a box through a cracked cover, a cover left open, or a box that faces a sprinkler head.
- Covers that only work when closed. Old flip covers only keep water out with nothing plugged in. Once a cord is plugged in, the cover stays open.
- Plugged-in equipment. Pool and fountain pumps, landscape lighting transformers, holiday lights and extension cords lying in wet grass all leak a little current when wet.
- Worn GFCIs. Heat, humidity and salt air shorten a GFCI's life. An old one can become oversensitive or stop resetting.
Where to find the GFCI
The GFCI that controls an outdoor outlet is not always the outlet itself. Check the outdoor outlets for TEST and RESET buttons, then the garage, then the bathrooms, and in the panel for a GFCI breaker. In many homes one GFCI in the garage protects every outdoor outlet, and in some older homes a bathroom GFCI protects an outlet outside.
How to reset safely
- Unplug everything from the outdoor and garage outlets on that circuit first.
- If the outlet or box is wet, wait for it to dry. Do not reset a GFCI with water in the box.
- Press RESET firmly until it clicks. If it holds, plug things back in one at a time to find the one that trips it.
- If it trips with nothing plugged in, there is water or a fault in the wiring. Leave it off.
The CPSC recommends testing GFCIs at least once a month and after a power failure. Outdoor GFCIs are the ones most worth testing, because they are the ones most likely to have failed.
When it is the equipment, not the outlet
If the GFCI only trips when one thing is plugged in, that thing is leaking current. Pool pumps, fountain pumps and older landscape transformers are the usual suspects. Do not move them to a non-GFCI outlet to stop the tripping. That removes the protection, it does not fix the leak.
What makes the fix last
Replacing a tripped or worn GFCI with the same thing in the same box gets the power back, but if water can still get in, it will trip again after the next storm. A lasting repair usually includes:
- A weather-resistant GFCI outlet rated for outdoor use.
- An in-use cover, sometimes called a bubble cover, that stays closed with a cord plugged in.
- A properly sealed box, and moving or redirecting a sprinkler head that soaks it.
- Checking the wiring for corrosion where the box has been taking water.
Near the coast, salt air corrodes outdoor devices faster still. Our guide to salt air corrosion explains what lasts longer in Miami Beach and Coconut Grove.
Garage outlets in particular
Garages add their own loads: a second refrigerator or freezer, power tools, sometimes an EV charger. A freezer on a GFCI that trips while you are away can spoil its contents, so it is worth knowing which GFCI it is on. If a garage circuit trips regularly when tools run, it may be overloaded. See dedicated circuits.
Signs it needs a call
- A GFCI that trips with nothing plugged in.
- Corrosion, rust or green deposits on an outlet or inside the box.
- A cracked or missing cover, or a box pulling away from the wall.
- An outlet that is warm, scorched or smells of burning.
See outlet and GFCI repair for how we handle these, and post-storm electrical safety if the problem started after a storm.
Questions people ask
Why does my outdoor outlet trip every time it rains?
Water is getting into the box or into something plugged into it. The fix is a sealed box and an in-use cover, plus a new GFCI if the old one is worn.
Why are all my outdoor outlets dead at once?
They are usually on one GFCI, often in the garage. Find it and reset it.
Can I use an indoor outlet outside if it has a cover?
No. Outdoor locations need outlets rated for weather and a cover suited to the location. An indoor outlet under a cover corrodes quickly here and is one of the most common reasons we replace outdoor devices.
My landscape lights went off but the outlet works. Why?
Check the transformer's own timer, photocell and breaker or fuse first. If the transformer has power and the lights are still out, the low-voltage wiring or a fixture has failed. Our page on lighting repair covers landscape lighting.
Need it looked at?
KRW Electric (EC13012832) troubleshoots and repairs outdoor and garage outlets in Pinecrest, Coconut Grove, South Miami and Miami Beach, with same-day service when scheduling permits. Call (305) 359-7312 and tell us what you are seeing. We will ask a few questions, tell you whether it sounds urgent, and give you the earliest time we have. Our before you call checklist covers what to have ready, and what happens on a repair visit explains the rest.
Reviewed by Kyle White, KRW Electric Company LLC — licensed electrical contractor EC13012832.
