Replaced several worn out electrical receptacles for a friend. He had bought a bag of the cheap 50 cent ones from HD. I normally would buy the boxed levitons fot $2.
Plugged in his clock radio with some difficultly. Had to pop the cherry first. Wanted a cigarette afterwards.
No joke. There’s a micro thin film of plastic over the opening. The plug’s hard prong has to punch through it the first time the Receptacle is used.
Next time you’re in HD, look at the bargin bin cheap Receptacles. Every one has left over plastic covering the slots. I assume Lowes bargin priced are similar.
It’s just these cheap ones. The boxed levitons have clear slots. Superior manufacturing process.
It has nothing to do with inferior manufacturing processes. The outlets you are referring to are tamper-resistant outlets. The plastic pieces you are referring to are shutters to prevent children from inserting fingers or other objects. The shutters open when a plug is inserted and close when the plug is removed. Both tamper-resistant and non-tamper resistant are available, and code requires the tamper-resistant version to be used in new construction.
I unplugged it several times. Then the clock radio plugged in easily. I only plugged in a couple appliances. The other receptacles will have to be punched through whenever needed.
They probably are tamper resistant. Yet more Nanny State nonsense.
TR receptacles have been proven to significantly reduce serious injuries to toddlers and adults. They also prevent accidents caused by objects coming into contact with old or damaged receptacles, which protects everybody. They cost one quarter more than non-TR receptacles. (Sorry, in aceplace-ease, that’s “two bits.”) And they’re not even required for every outlet (just those near the floor.)
There’s nanny-statism, and there’s practical, evidence-based approaches to improving building safety. I’ll let you struggle with determining which things are which.
Oh, I’ll look at them alright…I’ll have to wear my stoutest pair of canvas overalls to ensure that my arousal over the “hymens” doesn’t poke an innocent bystander’s eyes out.
I understand the rationale behind TR receptacles, but I have no children and I hate the TR receptacles that infest my house. The first couple of uses are difficult, usually requiring more fiddling and futzing than one would think reasonable to “pop the cherry” and get a usable receptacle.
Initial use of the outlets can be tricky, and it really is best if you can set aside the natural desire to just force the plug into a brand new outlet as this can damage both outlet and plug. I good technique is to slowly wiggle the plug up and down in the slots as you gradually work the plug in. The application of a little dielectric grease will facilitate the process with the added bonus of more harmonious electrical flow and less resistance at the union. A little wine and flowers beforehand doesn’t hurt either.
When I am buying receptacles, I make it a point to never buy the cheap ones. A couple reasons:
The cheap ones usually require the copper wire to be wrapped under the screw head. I much prefer the (more expensive) receptacles where you push the straight copper wire into a hole and then tighten the screw.
The cheap ones seem to have a lower spring force compared to the more expensive ones.
You might check the building code in your area. As I noted earlier, they are required in CA. It may be that the contractor wanted to make sure you’d pass the Final Inspection, or it may be that those are the only type that are sold these days. The building code (at lest in CA) has gotten very stringent in the last few years. There are all sort of safety, water conservation and energy conservation requirements that contractors have to comply with.
So if you have to punch through, doesn’t that thin layer of plastic then potentially linger inside the socket itself and hamper the electricity conduction?
Indeed. Why, when I was a boy we only had the two wires sticking out of the wall, no insulation on them, and someone had to hold them in place on the plug.
