near our bathroom sink. It’s a relatively new house, so gfci and such protection is taken care of.
Due to repeated use of hair dryers etc. the screws on this outlet keep coming loose. I have tried applying thread sealant etc to the screws but they still get loose after a years use or so.
Is there a more robust (code approved) outlet that can withstand repeated use ? I did google searches on robust outlets / sturdy outlets but found nothing relevant .
Or maybe this is another case of male focused designs like the car seat or car seatbelt or the crash dummy.
The traditional design of the power outlet consists of a outlet box which goes behind the drywall and is held on to the studs with screws. The electrical outlet is held on to the box again with screws. The faceplate is held on to the outlet again with screws.
So I am referring to all screws getting loose with repeated usage.
Thread sealant? Don’t know what you’re referring to here, but AFAIK most thread sealants aren’t designed to prevent loosening; they’re to prevent fluid flow through the threads (i.e., the same idea as teflon tape).
Fair enough. That should be ok. Not sure why that wouldn’t be holding up as long as the threads on both sides are ok. Not to ask too obvious a question, but the screw is metal, right?
If the outlet goes though a lot of plug/unplug cycles, like several per day, you might consider getting a short pigtail extension like this. Then you won’t loosen the screws or stretch out the contacts.
SamuelA, thanks for the posts and the recommendations but I am not sure what industrial grade actually means by the code.
For example - paper for US currency is folded /unfolded a thousand times to check if it will stand the rigor. Similarly a lot of wires in the industry are folded/unfolded many times to check for fatigue. Does Industrial grade means it has been checked similarly ?
BTW - I am surprised this seems like an unheard problem to you, but most houses I have been in and also hotels have outlets by the sink, loose. Presumably, Outlets by the sink are regularly / repeatedly used by women (or men) for grooming purposes and I would hope the electrical code had some requirements for them.
am77494, I researched this for you. “industrial grade” doesn’t mean anything. Hospital Gradedoes. Hospital grade receptacles have undergone substantial amounts of testing for durability and plug retention. There is a set of written tests they have passed.
Hereis one that is GFCI, Hospital Grade, Tamper Resistant, and Weather resistant. Each of these words means something.
With that said, the receptacle is described very similar to the “industrial grade” ones offered by the same manufacturer.
While the hospital grade receptacles are definitely better, the 6-32 screws that attach a hospital grade receptacle to an outlet box are no different than the 6-32 screws that attach a residential grade receptacle to an outlet box so I don’t think this will solve the problem. Same goes for the 6-32 screw that holds the coverplate to the receptacle.
If you have plastic outlet boxes, the plastic can end up stripped over time, in that case you should replace the outlet box (if you’re good you can do it without damaging the drywall). I’ve seen people use screws with coarser threads like drywall screws to fix this, but that is technically a code violation (NEC 406.5).
If it is a metal outlet box and the threads are stripped you could try threading the holes to a larger 8-32 screw size and see if that helps.
If it’s not a stripped threads issue, it could be because the box is set back a little from the finished surface and the receptacle has room to flex back into the wall every time you plug something in. Over time this could cause your screws to loosen (can also cause coverplates to crack). The fix for that would be to install spacers between the outlet box and the back of the outlet so there is no room for it to flex back into the wall. Most hardware/home improvement stores will sell them - the ones I’ve used most are called cat-a-pillars, but if you do a search for receptacle spacers you’ll find a bunch.
Another solution is Don’t plug things in and out so often.
I solved a similar problem by adding a double box nearby, providing 4 extra outlets. Then plug in items like electric toothbrush, hair dryer, etc. and leave them plugged in. That’s both more convenient and reduces wear and tear on the outlet.
The extra receptacles can be wired from the existing GFCI outlet, so they can be the cheap basic outlets.
That’s a nice solution but the trade off is that then you have all these appliances and tangle of cords laying all over your bathroom counter, which might not be desirable.
I’m not so sure some kind of fancy outlet is the solution here. In my household the hairdryer and some sort of iron (either curling or straightening) get used on almost a daily basis taking turns plugged into the same outlet. We’ve been in our current residence for over 9 years and have never had a problem with that outlet. This makes me wonder if maybe there was something faulty with the outlet installation to begin with. My plan of attack would be to first see if the outlet box is too far recessed like shawnpdx describes. Here is alink that shows the type of shims you can use to help that problem. Then, since it’s likely that the plastic threads on the outlet box have taken a beating, I’d get some longer screws so you can tap into fresh threads further back on that box. You might need the longer screws anyway, with the shims.
And finally, I would take a look at how that outlet is treated. If it’s a tight plug and the person using it doesn’t have a lot of hand/arm strength, they may be wiggling or wrenching on it to get it out and that will for sure take a toll on the outlet.
Thank you Tim@T-Bonham.net and SmellMyWort for the nice solutions. All the outlets in my house are tamper resistant, so they do need some wiggling to get the plug in.
I especially like SmellMyWort‘s idea of the shins and will look into it but for now they are locked in using the threadlocker.
We need more women electrical engineers, so that problems like this (which I am guessing effect women more than men) are adequately addressed by the code rather than some ad-hoc solution by the end user.