u/organizedone

Been in our home 13 years. never used exterior plug at back of home. last summer, noticed the outlet and though would be easier to use it versus extension cord from inside laundry room. But, outlet didnt work. Looked dirty, but opted to just flag for our next annual electrical inspection. Fast forward to inspection yesterday. Electrician discovered reason it doesn't work. Inside that outlet, evidence that there was fire in that outlet at some point in time. Since we never used it, I am guessing it happened before we purchased the home. However, no way to know for sure. Electrician said is possible that if he cuts open interior wall, will see that the damage was contained to just that outlet box versus having spread to the wire going into the back of it (when shining flashlight he said it LOOKs like the wire coming into the back remained white - i.e. not burned). BUT, also possible that the wire could have been burned and who knows how many feet. He turned off the breaker and we are leaving it off - but that breaker feeds all of our bathroom outlets. Minor inconvenience for the moment. He suggested that he not cut the wall and we discuss whether to call homeowners insurance - in case the damage is not contained to just that outlet. I don't know how to determine when the damage occurred, or what insurance would likely say. Should we first get alternate electrician to look? If damage is isolated, the fix is doable for us. If it ends up not being isolated and a bunch more walls have to be cut and wire re-rerun to all bathroom outlets - THAT is likely very expensive. Electrician said if he cuts the wall, insurance may not then cover repair cost. So, we need to decide whether to have him cut the wall and hope for the best case scenario (that damage is isolated to just that exterior outlet), or call insurance. What do you recommend?