Safety Receptacle...
scubalab
Posts: 3,101
My A$$!
So, I went to plug something in by the window seat in our living room (fairly new with new receptacles and lighting) and had a nice little surprise. At the time I wired these, all I could find at Lowes were some Decora "safety" receptacles. Well, they SUCK!
They have this spring-loaded "guard" that only allows a plug (two prongs) to slide in and is intended to keep kids from sticking other things in there (think Heiny9's avatar...). They make it very difficult to plug things in and you have to force the plug in.
So, back to story - This afternoon, when I "forced" the plug in, it wouldn't release the safety guard and the whole frickin front of the receptacle popped off and completely exposed the inside of the receptacle! How's THAT for safety Cooper Electric?
So, I went to plug something in by the window seat in our living room (fairly new with new receptacles and lighting) and had a nice little surprise. At the time I wired these, all I could find at Lowes were some Decora "safety" receptacles. Well, they SUCK!
They have this spring-loaded "guard" that only allows a plug (two prongs) to slide in and is intended to keep kids from sticking other things in there (think Heiny9's avatar...). They make it very difficult to plug things in and you have to force the plug in.
So, back to story - This afternoon, when I "forced" the plug in, it wouldn't release the safety guard and the whole frickin front of the receptacle popped off and completely exposed the inside of the receptacle! How's THAT for safety Cooper Electric?
Comments
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Get the Leviton receptacles. Better build quality. I've used them for about 30 years. Turn the breaker off, Al !!! -
What's a breaker?!?
Wuss -
I ain't afraid of no receptacle
H9"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
My A$$!
So, I went to plug something in by the window seat in our living room (fairly new with new receptacles and lighting) and had a nice little surprise. At the time I wired these, all I could find at Lowes were some Decora "safety" receptacles. Well, they SUCK!
They have this spring-loaded "guard" that only allows a plug (two prongs) to slide in and is intended to keep kids from sticking other things in there (think Heiny9's avatar...). They make it very difficult to plug things in and you have to force the plug in.
So, back to story - This afternoon, when I "forced" the plug in, it wouldn't release the safety guard and the whole frickin front of the receptacle popped off and completely exposed the inside of the receptacle! How's THAT for safety Cooper Electric?
Wow!Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
We have those in our house, all new houses do. While I see their potential after sticking things in them over and over they get loose. (Pervs enter comments here) so kind of pointless. In your case that is just awful.
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Pffft sissy......Turn the breaker off !!!
I ain't afraid of no 120v. But if you stand in water it sure makes it exciting ...
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This was 3 weeks ago, kids always plug and unplug the hair dryer and crud in their bathroom. Screw worked it's way loose over timeWhen I was a kid my parents told me to turn it down. Now I'm an adult and my kids tell me to turn it down.
Family Room:LG QNED80 75", Onkyo RZ50 Emotiva XPA3 GEN3 Oppo BDP-93,Sony UBP-X800BM. Main: Polk LsiM 705Center: Polk LSiM 704CFront High/Rear High In-Ceiling Polk 80F/X RT Surrounds: Polk S15 Sub: HSU VTF3-MK5
Bed Room; Marantz SR5010, BDP-S270Main: Polk Signature S20Center: Polk Signature S35Rear: Polk R15 Sub: SVS SB2000
Working Warehouse; Yamaha A-S301, Sony DVP-NS3100ES for disc Plok TSX550T SVS PB2000 Mini tower PC with 400GB of music -
Nasty wires but wonder why it's not ground fault in a wet area ? Is the circuit it's on tied into GFI?
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Nasty wires but wonder why it's not ground fault in a wet area ? Is the circuit it's on tied into GFI?
It should be fed from a GFCI upstream. Line/load set up. Looks nasty @mrloren.
Hair dryers and heat loads wreak havoc on receptacles. That should have been a 20A rated receptacle. -
And BTW, pitt...I got you sissy right here buddy.
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Nasty wires but wonder why it's not ground fault in a wet area ? Is the circuit it's on tied into GFI?
It should be fed from a GFCI upstream. Line/load set up. Looks nasty @mrloren.
Hair dryers and heat loads wreak havoc on receptacles. That should have been a 20A rated receptacle.
well it is grounded and it is a GFCI circuit. when my son was 5 he wanted to wash out the hair dryer one day. breakers and GFCI all tripped before the hair dryer fried.
I went to Home Depot and the same replacement was 68 cents... The guy said to get the premium ones for like $2.50each. I replaced all bathroom and kitchen receptacles with those. Premium one weighted 3X more than the cheap ones the builder put in. MLK weekend a Friend is coming over to replace the rest in the house. wonder if it will make my stereo sound better?When I was a kid my parents told me to turn it down. Now I'm an adult and my kids tell me to turn it down.
Family Room:LG QNED80 75", Onkyo RZ50 Emotiva XPA3 GEN3 Oppo BDP-93,Sony UBP-X800BM. Main: Polk LsiM 705Center: Polk LSiM 704CFront High/Rear High In-Ceiling Polk 80F/X RT Surrounds: Polk S15 Sub: HSU VTF3-MK5
Bed Room; Marantz SR5010, BDP-S270Main: Polk Signature S20Center: Polk Signature S35Rear: Polk R15 Sub: SVS SB2000
Working Warehouse; Yamaha A-S301, Sony DVP-NS3100ES for disc Plok TSX550T SVS PB2000 Mini tower PC with 400GB of music -
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What's your address? -
Once again, Al, life imitates art.
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You know Mike, that happened literally minutes after I saw your Wilco Schmilco post in the "What are you listening to thread"! Where do you hide your crystal ball?
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All better now! Home Depot had Leviton - thanks for the advice Russ!
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Top notch work, Al. Now trim out that window, slacker......
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Ah, it's been without trim for about 6-7 years now. I think I'm procrastinating because of something my grandfather used to say... "The day you finish working on your house is the day you die.". I may be misinterpreting that quote, but I'm sticking with it!
And, the trim matches much of the rest of the upstairs, so it's all good! -
Ouch, for a second there I thought you had aluminum wiring.
This was 3 weeks ago, kids always plug and unplug the hair dryer and crud in their bathroom. Screw worked it's way loose over time
I had a GFCI in an approved outdoor enclosure do almost the same thing.
Nothing like the aroma of fried electrical insulation too, maybe they do that on purpose so you know if there's a problem brewing?
So, are you willing to put forth a little effort or are you happy sitting in your skeptical poo pile?
http://audiomilitia.proboards.com/ -
You know I love ya Russ...3 hrs. south of Tonyb -
Awwhell! I'll be in Lafayette, Indiana next week. What say you? -
He's in Bloomington-Normal, IL so you guys are 2 hours away from a hugfest
"....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963) -
This was 3 weeks ago, kids always plug and unplug the hair dryer and crud in their bathroom. Screw worked it's way loose over time
This is a good example of arc fault. New code calls for arc fault breakers in berooms due to wires coming loose and arcing in areas where people are sleeping. Far more common than people realize. If you're comfortable with such things I highly recommend powering down and checking all the wires in your house once a year. If you do attempt this I suggest using a torque driver, or call a pro.Post edited by kharp1 on -
EndersShadow wrote: »
He's in Bloomington-Normal, IL so you guys are 2 hours away from a hugfest
Only if you join us, Dan. Wouldn't be the same without you.
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Dang Dan just fink me out to the sparkie
One of these days Russ..fo sure -
This was 3 weeks ago, kids always plug and unplug the hair dryer and crud in their bathroom. Screw worked it's way loose over time
This is a good example of arc fault. New code calls for arc fault breakers in berooms due to wires coming loose and arcing in areas where people are sleeping. Far more common than people realize. If you're comfortable with such things I highly recommend powering down and checking all the wires in your house once a year.
Good call, K....especially the ones wired with 12ga 20A circuits i.e. kitchen, dining room and bathroom circuits. They are side wired like the one pictured above. Load causes heating and cooling of the set screw terminals thus potentially loosening the contact between wire and terminal. Leading up to the near disaster you see.
Have a qualified tech check and service these problem outlets. Anything that handles a heating, cooling unit. Motor loads, refridgerator-freezer etc pay more attension to.
Peace of mind, folks. -
This was 3 weeks ago, kids always plug and unplug the hair dryer and crud in their bathroom. Screw worked it's way loose over time
This is a good example of arc fault. New code calls for arc fault breakers in berooms due to wires coming loose and arcing in areas where people are sleeping. Far more common than people realize. If you're comfortable with such things I highly recommend powering down and checking all the wires in your house once a year. If you do attempt this I suggest using a torque driver, or call a pro.
When this happened I called a contractor friend, he told me it was common and to just replace it. My wife was a little freaked so she called an electrician, guy told her before he comes out it would be $175. I then went to Home Depot and did it myself. It's not hard to do just make sure the breaker is off and check it with by plugging something in. I got a tester for like $4 to make sure power was off.When I was a kid my parents told me to turn it down. Now I'm an adult and my kids tell me to turn it down.
Family Room:LG QNED80 75", Onkyo RZ50 Emotiva XPA3 GEN3 Oppo BDP-93,Sony UBP-X800BM. Main: Polk LsiM 705Center: Polk LSiM 704CFront High/Rear High In-Ceiling Polk 80F/X RT Surrounds: Polk S15 Sub: HSU VTF3-MK5
Bed Room; Marantz SR5010, BDP-S270Main: Polk Signature S20Center: Polk Signature S35Rear: Polk R15 Sub: SVS SB2000
Working Warehouse; Yamaha A-S301, Sony DVP-NS3100ES for disc Plok TSX550T SVS PB2000 Mini tower PC with 400GB of music
