adult proof outlets
February 7, 2012 4:09 AM Subscribe
How do I insert a power plug into a tamper resistant outlet?
All the electrical outlets at my workplace have been replaced with tamper resistant outlets. I was told that to insert a plug into the outlet I should push the larger prong in and the slide the smaller prong in at an angle. This doesn't work. I did manage to insert a plug two or three times but that's out of half an hour of trying. What's the trick to using these things? The videos I've been able to find online show plugs sliding smoothly into the outlet with no trouble.
All the electrical outlets at my workplace have been replaced with tamper resistant outlets. I was told that to insert a plug into the outlet I should push the larger prong in and the slide the smaller prong in at an angle. This doesn't work. I did manage to insert a plug two or three times but that's out of half an hour of trying. What's the trick to using these things? The videos I've been able to find online show plugs sliding smoothly into the outlet with no trouble.
Best answer: I'll second the possibility that the outlets may be damaged or defective. I've noticed that the quality of tamper resistant outlets can vary wildly, sometimes within the same receptacle where one outlet works fine but the other is impossible to use.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 5:35 AM on February 7, 2012
posted by RonButNotStupid at 5:35 AM on February 7, 2012
I was told that to insert a plug into the outlet I should push the larger prong in and the slide the smaller prong in at an angle. This doesn't work.
This is the incorrect procedure. These plugs work by detecting uneven physical pressure between the two shutters. Like RichardP said you need to push the plug in straight trying to have both prongs hit the shutters at the same time. Pushing only one prong is is going to cause it to bind.
posted by Mitheral at 7:38 AM on February 7, 2012
This is the incorrect procedure. These plugs work by detecting uneven physical pressure between the two shutters. Like RichardP said you need to push the plug in straight trying to have both prongs hit the shutters at the same time. Pushing only one prong is is going to cause it to bind.
posted by Mitheral at 7:38 AM on February 7, 2012
Response by poster: Thank you. It's now obvious to me that the outlets were not properly installed. One of the guys from the Housekeeping department showed me how they were plugging things in. It involved a great deal of physical force. I suspect that the outlets were improperly installed and that the outlets that people did manage to plug into are now broken.
posted by rdr at 10:14 AM on February 7, 2012
posted by rdr at 10:14 AM on February 7, 2012
Does the recepticle have a TR on the upper right? Like the first pic in this pdf:
http://www.hubbell-wiring.com/Press/pdfs/HS127.pdf
The last pic in that pdf shows the mechanism. If the prongs have been bent too wide they may not hit push the diagonal piece properly. Try squeezing the prongs narrower.
posted by at at 11:51 AM on February 7, 2012
http://www.hubbell-wiring.com/Press/pdfs/HS127.pdf
The last pic in that pdf shows the mechanism. If the prongs have been bent too wide they may not hit push the diagonal piece properly. Try squeezing the prongs narrower.
posted by at at 11:51 AM on February 7, 2012
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I've used plenty of tamper-resistant receptacles and I've never encountered the behavior you describe, they're just as easy to use as regular receptacles. If you find yourself resorting to using excessive force or wiggling when inserting a plug, it's not your fault — either the receptacle is defective or damaged. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that any tamper-resistant receptacle which requires many minutes of fiddling to insert a plug is almost certainly a safety hazard.
posted by RichardP at 4:32 AM on February 7, 2012