Unless you are familiar with your home’s wiring and electrical safety, we recommend not tacking this yourself and calling an electrician. But, if you are comfortable with replacing receptacles, first turn off the breaker and use a hand-held voltage tester (tic-tracer, shown at right) or an inexpensive three-light receptacle tester (shown below) to confirm that the power is actually off at the outlet that you suspect is be first one in the circuit. Remove the outlet and cap the wires with wire nuts. Turn the breaker back on and test the other outlets with the tic-tracer or receptacle tester.  

    It is not uncommon for one of the outlets in the cirucit to be in a different room from the rest. If you chose correctly, all the others will be dead. If you picked the wrong one, turn the breaker back to off, put the original outlet back in, and try another one. Repeat the process until you locate the first receptacle in the circuit.

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  To learn more about electrical wiring, devices, and receptacles, see these other blog posts:

 • What is the difference between what trips a GFCI (ground fault) receptacle and a circuit breaker?

• What is the code requirement for GFCI protection for receptacles near a wet bar sink? 

• What is the requirement for a service receptacle outlet for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HACR) equipment? 

• Why is an opening in the wall around the side of an electrical receptacle outlet a safety defect?  

• When was GFCI-protection for kitchen dishwasher receptacle outlet first required? 

• What is allowable voltage range at a wall receptacle outlet in a house?

• When should I replace electric receptacle outlets? 

• Does an electric receptacle outlet in a storage shed require GFCI protection? 

• What are "self-contained" electrical receptacle outlets and switches?

• What is the difference between an electrical receptacle, an outlet, and a plug?

• Does a washing machine receptacle outlet require GFCI protection?

• What is the building code requirement for receptacle outlets at stairs and stair landings?

• Can I remove a 240-volt range receptacle and hard-wire the range? 

• What is a "backstab" receptacle outlet? 

• Why are some electric receptacle outlets upside down (ground slot up) in a house?   

• What is the height requirement for an electric receptacle outlet? 

• Where are GFCI receptacle outlets required?

• When were GFCI receptacle outlets first required?

• Does a home inspector remove receptacle outlet cover plates?

• What is the minimum height for an exterior receptacle outlet? 

• When was the current receptacle/outlet spacing of 12-feet first required? 

• When was the three-slot (grounding) outlet/receptacle first required? 

• Why does painting an electric receptacle (outlet) make it unsafe?

• Why are electrical outlets and plugs polarized? 

• How many electrical receptacles (outlets) are required in a hallway?  

• What problems does having too many electric receptacle outlets on a single circuit cause? 

• Is a house required to have outdoor electric receptacle outlets?

• How I can tell if a receptacle outlet is tamper resistant?

• Why is there a GFCI breaker in the electric panel for the bathroom shower light and exhaust fan?

• What is a false ground, bootleg ground, or cheated ground receptacle? 

   Visit our ELECTRICAL page for other related blog posts on this subject, or go to the INDEX for a complete listing of all our articles.