New Inspector-proof Electrical Receptacles!
My friend Charles Buell on new "Tamper Resistant Receptacles" now being required on all new construction.
A while back I did a post about the new Tamper Resistant Receptacles that are now required by the most recent electrical codes.
In recent inspections of new homes I have started seeing these receptacles.
Not only is it now more difficult for children to make their hair stand on end or wet their pants by sticking pointy metal things into the receptacles, it is difficult for grownups to stick anything into them either.
Well it really isn’t quite that bad, but there is indeed a bit of a learning curve with the devices and one must sometimes fiddle with the plug a little to get the inner gates to open and allow the plug to enter.
I talked to an electrician about this the other day and he told me that he is getting a lot of call backs related to the difficulty in using these receptacles. Usually there is nothing “wrong” with the receptacle----people just have to be educated about how to use them. As an inspector I am providing information in my reports about this learning curve so the owner does not just call the electrician only to be told that there is nothing really wrong with them.
Perhaps manufacturers will figure out a way to make the interior components a little more responsive to normal use.
Charles Buell
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