‘Repair loose outlets and inspect electrical wiring,’ says San Luis Obispo Electricraft, Inc.
It happened again! You plug in the coffee maker and the plug falls out. “Easy fix,” you say to yourself as you spread the plug prongs to make it fit tighter. A word from the electrical wiring experts from San Luis Obispo’s Electricraft: Don’t do that anymore!
First of all, it’s not safe. Secondly, loose outlets can expose you to electrical shock, sparks, other electrical hazards and fire. The best thing to do is replace the outlet.
Outlets loosen in two ways:
- The entire outlet wobbles.
- The receptacles are loose and the plug either falls out or doesn’t completely connect, and sometimes sparks.
Wobbly outlet
An outlet usually wobbles because it’s not installed properly and securely. The danger is that an unstable outlet can also loosen or disconnect wires, if they are not already loose. Electrical wires need to be securely attached to the outlet, otherwise the electricity doesn’t flow to the outlet, or the wires can spark, cause shock or fire.
The entire fixture needs to be either repaired or replaced.
Loose receptacle
When the plug is falling out of the outlet the problem is with the contact points inside the two slots (called the receptacle) for the plug. Over time, the contact points and other parts of an outlet can wear out over time. The worn out outlets and receptacles can arc, spark or start fires.
The best thing to do is replace old outlets and this requires rewiring part of the interior electrical wiring.
Call the professionals
Replacing outlets is a fairly simple electrical fix—if you are an electrician. Working with electricity always poses a risk and the less experience you have, the higher the risk.
- The outlets need to be tested.
- If one outlet was not installed properly the chance of others not being installed correctly is pretty high.
- The power needs to be turned off.
- New wiring and outlets need to be installed and tested.
- Some trouble shooting may be in order once the power is turned back on.
The San Luis Obispo electrical wiring experts have all the proper tools and electrical components to repair and replace faulty outlets.
Electrical wiring encompasses everything from the wiring in a lamp to wiring and outlets for household appliances and complex cabling and conduit systems for large commercial, industrial, and public infrastructure electrical needs.
The Electricraft team has the training, certifications and licenses for every aspect of electrical wiring, including installing and troubleshooting:
- Switches, sockets and light fixtures
- Distribution Panels
- Conduits, cabling and wiring
- Testing voltage and electric current capacity
- Operating a variety of state-of-the-art detection and voltage measurement equipment including infrared cameras.
- Installing circuit protection, control and distribution devices within the electrical wiring system
Electricraft is available on a 24-hour, 7 day a week emergency basis to provide immediate service and repair of any electrical component or system. Call today to schedule an appointment for your home or business electrical wiring needs.
