Electrical Receptacle vs Electrical Outlet

If you are learning how to install electrical devices in your home, you may be confused by references to the terms electrical outlet and electrical receptacle. Basically these are the same item. However, an electrical receptacle often refers to an outlet that has more protection than the ordinary electrical outlet. Below a range of different forms of both electrical receptacle and electrical outlet devices are described.

The Electrical Receptacle or the Electrical Outlet

Most lay people refer to the receptacle and the outlet in the same breath. The receptacle often has a female connector which is joined to a male plug, similar to an electrical outlet. The plug causes power to travel from the receptacle to the unit, and this occurs no matter what kind of system you choose to plug into the outlet or the receptacle. When you are looking at plugs, the only real difference is whether the outlet has two or three holes, as these will fit different plugs. However, this does not change the fact that most of the time, receptacles and outlets can be used to describe the same piece of equipment.

Receptacle Differences

The main difference between the electrical outlet and the electrical receptacle is the issue of safety. Most receptacles are grounded, and they are also designed so that small children or animals can't push fingers or paws into the parts of the receptacle. In addition, there are also power overload systems which prevent the outlet becoming too hot, and therefore prevents the risk of fire. This makes them safer than outlets, which sometimes are not so considerate of home owners needs. Some building codes will also require that receptacles are used.

Safer Receptacles

As well as the safety features described above, receptacles may also have additional caps, which can fit into the socket when the device is not being used. These caps are rather easy to lose, but when they are being used, they can help to prevent serious damage to homes and inhabitants of the house. You may also choose to cap the socket if you are concerned about liquids entering the socket, as this can cause a fire risk.

Variation in Socket Types

You may be more confused by the differences between outlets and receptacles because of the different types of sockets which are in use across the world, and even in different parts of America. Outside of the US, many countries prefer to use a three-socket outlet, which has an additional connection to fit the grounding wire. Most American sockets contain two pins, one for the live, and one for the neutral.