What's That Orange Light In Certain Power Outlets For?

Many power outlets available on the market today can flash orange, but depending on the kind of outlet, that light can mean various things. Sometimes it's a flagging problem with the outlet's ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI). Other times it's a hospital grade socket that always glows orange or perhaps a surge-protected power strip telling you it's on. We will go over these one by one to help you identify your outlet and what lighting up orange means for it.

First up is the GFCI. These are special outlets that are actually mandatory in parts of the house exposed to water, and their whole point is shock prevention. This means you'll likely spot them in bathrooms and kitchens, plus garages, basements, and laundry rooms. You can tell an outlet is GFCI if it has those TEST and RESET buttons on its face. The way they work is immediately killing power — in mere milliseconds – upon detecting that electricity is leaking somewhere it shouldn't.

If the light on this outlet flashes orange or amber, it means potential trouble. You only see that when the GFCI has tripped. It can also sometimes turn red, which typically means the outlet has hit end of life and it's time for a replacement. The exact behavior can vary brand by brand, so it's worth checking out the manual.

But one thing you can be sure of is that orange is bad news. When that happens, try resetting the outlet first. For that, unplug whatever's connected first, press the RESET button until it clicks, and see if power comes back. If it doesn't and orange keeps glowing then the outlet may need to be replaced. Normally, you can expect these types of outlets to last 10 to 25 years.

That said, if the orange glow is coming from inside the outlet's housing rather than a small indicator light on its face, then you're likely looking at a hospital-grade illuminated power receptacle. These are designed sturdier than typical outlets and meet tougher standards for things like grip strength and impact resistance. The illumination comes from a tiny LED tucked behind the face, which can also light up in other colors besides orange. Models like the Leviton 8300-HLI and the Pass and Seymour 8300ILLA both do this. The whole point is so you can find the outlet in a dark room without flipping on the lights, which matters in places like patient rooms. Sometimes, you may even find these installed in a residential home.

Next, we have surge-protected power strips, which can also light up orange. This isn't necessarily something you need to worry about, though — in fact, it's one of the ways you can tell if the power strip is a surge protector in the first place. Surge protection refers to the ability of your outlet to guard you from sudden voltage spikes that could otherwise wreck electronics. As long as it's connected to power and working, the little dot on them will shine orange, green, or even red, depending on make and model. It's only when it goes dark that its defense against voltage spikes stop or completely stops working.

Finally, some smart Wi-Fi sockets, like those from HomeWizard, can also start blinking orange. They do that when whatever's plugged into them pulls more amps than the outlet can handle. It's a safety shutoff feature designed to keep appliances from overheating. Just flip the switch back manually to clear it.