Sharon, since you mention that the dryer is also too hot, you should check the duct. If it is clogged the dryer will run too hot. This could cause a fire. It could also cause a fuse in your dryer to break, or the curcuit to trip if the dryer becomes dangerously overheated. I had a curcuit that kept tripping a few years ago. We finally realized it was because something plugged into one outlet was overheating. Luckily when the plug started melting the curcuit tripped again and we did not have a fire. Here is a link to a thread on the forum about cleaning the lint from the machine and duct. Joanne Here is a link that might be useful: Lint all over

A little troubleshooting will help determine possible causes. First try flipping the breaker for that circuit all the way to off, then back on. Sometimes breakers are hard to tell if they've tripped without actually cycling the switch. Check to see if other receptacles in the basement work, if they do, the problem is most likely the receptacle that doesn't work or a connection in the box. If you're still not getting anywhere, turn switch off the breaker for that circuit (if in doubt, shut off the main) and remove the receptacle. Check for loose or scortched connections, or a "backstabed" connection to the receptacle. This is when wires are pushed into the holes on the back side of the receptacle. These connections are not reliable. Redo the connection by looping the wires around the provided screws on the side of the receptacle (white to silver screw, black to gold screw) Have a look and post back with what you find. Remember to always check that the power is off on the circuit, then check again! If you are not 100% comfortable working with electrical, call an electrician.

Spend the 38 cents that a new outlet costs and just replace it. Even if there is no damage you can use for a teaching moment as you can have your daughter replace it not just financially but physically. She is at the age where she can handle it with some guidance and it is a good thing for her to know how to do. In 5 short years roughly she will be off on her own and it is something that is very handy to know how to do safely otherwise a 38 cent outlet becomes a $50.38 when you have an electrician come do it and he charges for an hour of labor. Who knows she might find it interesting enough to pursue it as a career someday.

"Only the breaker would, if enough total current was passing." Well, sort of. Just to dispel any possible confusion: A GFI breaker implements two functions. The first is overcurrent protection. The breaker trips if the total current drawn from the circuit exceeds the breaker's rating. For branch circuits this is normally 15 or 20 amps. The more it exceeds the breaker's rating, the faster the breaker trips. The second is ground fault protection. The breaker trips if it detects that the current is asymmetrical across the power line. The amount of asymmetrical (ground fault) current that trips the GFI part of the breaker is MUCH lower than the current that trips the overcurrent part . (Confused yet?) To explain this second function: it's not 100% accurate to describe it this way, but it's easier (I hope) to understand if you think of the electricity as going out the hot side of the receptacle and coming back in the neutral side. The GFI monitors both of these. If the amount of current coming back is less than the amount going out, some of it must be "leaking" to ground. That leakage might be going through a person or animal, risking shock or electrocution. So when the GFI sees that, it instantly opens, shutting off the power. With most GFIs, an imbalance (fault current) of 5 milliamps (0.005 amps) is enough to cause a trip.