4 Electrical Receptacle Problems

An electrical receptacle is the part of the outlet where you actually plug in your appliances or electrical devices. In most cases, you should not experience any problems with an electrical receptacle, and they are something that you probably don't spend too much time thinking about. However, when problems arise with a receptacle, they can either be simply frustrating (because they can flip the breaker switch in the service panel box) or they could be very dangerous and present a real fire hazard. Therefore, this article will discuss some of the most common problems associated with electrical receptacles and why you should be aware of them.

Water and Moisture in Outside Outlets

If you have electrical outlets outside your home, you might want to consider having them inspected occasionally to ensure that moisture or water has not seeped into them. If you know anything at all about electricity, then you know that electricity and water are like fire and gasoline: deadly!

If you live in an older home, you may not have the correct type of outdoor outlets and receptacles installed to provide the maximum level of safety for you and your family. These days, most cities and municipalities require that Ground Fault Circuit Interrupt (GFCI) receptacles be installed outdoors. These types of outlets and receptacles are able to monitor even the slightest variations in the electrical current and immediately switch off the power. Therefore, if you inadvertently touch an outdoor outlet that is wet, these types of receptacles could save your life. Occasionally have the outlets inspected, or learn some basic electrical wiring. theory and inspect the outlets yourself.

Wires are Crisscrossed

Another common problem with electrical receptacles is due to faulty installation. Sometimes, an outlet may be installed where the neutral and hot wires have been crisscrossed on the terminal screws of the receptacle. The strange thing about crisscrossed wiring on an outlet that is that most of the time your electrical devices will still work. However, that does not mean that crisscrossed wiring on the receptacle will not cause problems.

Quite to the contrary, crisscrossed wiring on the receptacle will usually cause the ground to be ineffective  on most types of equipment. Also, sometimes very sensitive electronic equipment can be quite easily damaged when the polarity is reversed on the receptacle. Therefore, if you're experiencing strange anomalies with your electronic equipment, you may want to make sure the outlet is wired correctly.

Outlet and Circuit Overloading

Perhaps the most common reason for damage to a receptacle is connecting to many pieces of equipment or electronic devices to the outlet. If you have one of those types of extension boxes that allows you to plug 4, 6 or even more electronic devices into a single outlet, you're only asking for trouble.

If you're lucky, you will only trip the breaker switch in your main service panel box. However, if you overload the circuit, and the breaker switch does not perform as it should, there is a very real chance that the result will be an electrical fire. Never overload your outlets.