All Questions
Tagged with receptacle safety
36
questions
4
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Melted electrical outlet
I have an electrical outlet in my home that got hot and melted. My son shut main breaker off and took outlet out of wall and he separated the wires and wrapped electrical tape around the wires. Is ...
- 49
0
votes
1
answer
40
views
Covering screws used to mount receptacle boxes
Should screws that are used inside a receptacle box to mount it to a stud be covered by tape or some non conductive material?
- 1
9
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Blanked receptacle in my kitchen island: Safe to install a GFCI?
Context: Rental house built to US/Oregon code in 2008.
There's a receptacle in my kitchen covered by a blank plate. It's located vertically below the lip of my counter. When I opened it, it had one ...
- 193
2
votes
1
answer
280
views
Protocol for copper wire with dirt / patina when installing new outlet
I’m replacing some outlets in my 1950s home that were originally split (via broken tab) across two circuits, so that I can get them back on a single circuit.
When replacing the Leviton outlets with ...
- 155
14
votes
3
answers
6k
views
Does it cause problems to overtighten connections on receptacles/switches?
One of the things that's always been drilled into me is "loose wires cause fires," and that's something I always remain conscious of when changing out devices. But is there such a thing as &...
- 621
5
votes
2
answers
3k
views
How reliable are receptacles' clamp connectors for stranded wires?
A lot of people seem to discourage "backstabbing" wires (whether those be stranded or solid) to receptacles wherein an inserted wire could later be released by pushing a flat-head screw to ...
- 123
0
votes
3
answers
852
views
How to cover an unused outlet box with worn out screw holes?
I have an outlet box made of cheap PVC with worn out screw holes. It is located in a bedroom so dampness isn't really a big issue. The problem is: it's embedded in concrete so replacing the whole box ...
- 123
13
votes
9
answers
6k
views
Is it possible to dangerously short a U.S. power outlet with multimeter probe?
I was recently told that the common 120V electric receptacles (non-GFCI) found in North American homes can be extremely dangerous to measure using a multimeter. FYI, this came up while I was checking ...
- 131
7
votes
3
answers
2k
views
How to cover old Red Dot outdoor outlet for constant use?
Here's the current outlet.
I need to leave a cable connected constantly.
Is there a snap-on cover for this type of thing?
(Can I gaff tape a quart baggie over it?)
tia...
- 103
13
votes
4
answers
8k
views
Is this cord bend ok on electric range?
Will this be okay for a 40 amp range? The box was set a little too low. I wasn't sure if they bend what cause any issues.
- 149
3
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Installing Outlet for Welder; Possible Dual Use for RV
I'm doing some electrical upgrades to my garage/workshop with upstairs apartment; I'm going to be replacing its 1960s-vintage subpanel which is fed by #4 wire from a 200 amp service entrance panel (on ...
- 439
23
votes
4
answers
11k
views
Is my repair to this plug safe?
The red copper wire was burned so I took out the burnt part of the wire and reinserted all the wires by myself.
- 233
3
votes
1
answer
148
views
Electical Outets with Bootleg ground
I replaced a couple of broken outlets that had a “bootleg ground “ on them.
Most posts say it’s dangerous to have bootleg ground. Older home, no ground, no metal, no metal sheathing on wires.
...
- 31
0
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Wall outlet in house are burnt in wall
Wall outlet in house are burnt in wall. How do I fix it?
Josh Anderson
1
vote
0
answers
389
views
Attaching a ground wire to a prong that plugs into an outlet adapter
The outlet shown in the image below doesn't have a ground wire connecting to its receptacle. A friend of mine is helping me setup a ups that requires ground wire, however what he did was run a ground ...
- 11