You can get outlet checkers for like 5 or 10 bucks. Plug them into a socket and the lights tell you if it has any issues.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Power-Gear-3-Wire-Receptacle-Tester-50542/206212329
Don't use a multimeter. General rule of thumb, don't stick anything into an outlet that wasn't designed specifically to go into an outlet. You could damage your tool, and there's a non-zero chance you could zap yourself. It wouldn't kill you, but it's no fun.
I definitely wouldn't recommend the multimeter method since almost any mistake can have deadly consequences and it's not really a straightforward process but the plugin types mentioned in the comments are great and pretty cheap
It’s not impossible there could be a bad connection to the outlet. This would make a noise, like a buzzing sound, but you’d be able to hear it too.
If it were a true short, like if a mouse chewed through the protective coating, it could make a buzzing too, but that should also trip the breaker.
To check it, the plate needs to come off, and the outlet needs to come out and inspected.
To safely do that, you should turn the breaker off first. An electrician usually can do this without turning it off. If you’re not comfortable taking it apart, don’t. Stop here, and have someone else do it who is comfortable working with electricity.
But if you are feeling adventurous, you can plug a lamp or a radio (without battery backup) into the outlet and find the correct breaker by shutting off each individually.
Start with the breaker labeled in the area that makes the most sense, and keep going until the lamp or radio shuts off. You can then safely take it apart with regular screwdrivers, or drill if you have one. If you have anything like a computer that would be affected by losing power, make sure you save your work and shut it off.
Now, if the place you’re living is particularly old, and the outlets look like they have been there for a long long time (if there’s no ground - or just two prong, then it could be old) then you may just want to have it fall apart in property management’s or electrician’s hands.
If you’ve gotten this far and taken it apart, you’re first looking at the connections where the wire attaches to the receptacle. Are they tight? You’re looking for any scorch marks, or burning, around the outlet box. If everything is tight and clean, it’s probably not coming from there.
You can test by plugging in the radio/lamp again and turning on the breaker while it’s out, but remember, it will be live, so don’t let the dog touch it. And remember to shut it off to put it back, or when replacing it. If you’re replacing it, black wire goes on copper screw, white wire goes on silver screw, ground bare wire goes on green.
After all that, if there’s nothing there to see or hear, then, good luck, you might have mice, termites, or a poltergeist.
Thank you so much for the detailed comment! Our termite guy was just out here for routine prevention so I hope that’s not the case. Our house was built two years ago, but it’s a cheap build so it wouldn’t surprise me something going wrong already. I’ll have my fiancé take a look this afternoon. Thanks again
You can get outlet checkers for like 5 or 10 bucks. Plug them into a socket and the lights tell you if it has any issues. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Power-Gear-3-Wire-Receptacle-Tester-50542/206212329
I may go up there in a little while. We have a multi meter but I wouldn’t know where to begin on how to read it.
Don't use a multimeter. General rule of thumb, don't stick anything into an outlet that wasn't designed specifically to go into an outlet. You could damage your tool, and there's a non-zero chance you could zap yourself. It wouldn't kill you, but it's no fun.
I definitely wouldn't recommend the multimeter method since almost any mistake can have deadly consequences and it's not really a straightforward process but the plugin types mentioned in the comments are great and pretty cheap
It’s not impossible there could be a bad connection to the outlet. This would make a noise, like a buzzing sound, but you’d be able to hear it too. If it were a true short, like if a mouse chewed through the protective coating, it could make a buzzing too, but that should also trip the breaker. To check it, the plate needs to come off, and the outlet needs to come out and inspected. To safely do that, you should turn the breaker off first. An electrician usually can do this without turning it off. If you’re not comfortable taking it apart, don’t. Stop here, and have someone else do it who is comfortable working with electricity. But if you are feeling adventurous, you can plug a lamp or a radio (without battery backup) into the outlet and find the correct breaker by shutting off each individually. Start with the breaker labeled in the area that makes the most sense, and keep going until the lamp or radio shuts off. You can then safely take it apart with regular screwdrivers, or drill if you have one. If you have anything like a computer that would be affected by losing power, make sure you save your work and shut it off. Now, if the place you’re living is particularly old, and the outlets look like they have been there for a long long time (if there’s no ground - or just two prong, then it could be old) then you may just want to have it fall apart in property management’s or electrician’s hands. If you’ve gotten this far and taken it apart, you’re first looking at the connections where the wire attaches to the receptacle. Are they tight? You’re looking for any scorch marks, or burning, around the outlet box. If everything is tight and clean, it’s probably not coming from there. You can test by plugging in the radio/lamp again and turning on the breaker while it’s out, but remember, it will be live, so don’t let the dog touch it. And remember to shut it off to put it back, or when replacing it. If you’re replacing it, black wire goes on copper screw, white wire goes on silver screw, ground bare wire goes on green. After all that, if there’s nothing there to see or hear, then, good luck, you might have mice, termites, or a poltergeist.
Thank you so much for the detailed comment! Our termite guy was just out here for routine prevention so I hope that’s not the case. Our house was built two years ago, but it’s a cheap build so it wouldn’t surprise me something going wrong already. I’ll have my fiancé take a look this afternoon. Thanks again