That Electrical Stuff!

Holy Shit that's dangerous! - Me and everyone else that saw that movie. 

I think we are all worried about kids and electrical wires; especially toddlers. There are new tamper proof outlets out and of course the old go to, outlet plugs. But, to be honest, the chances of a child electricuting themselves on a standard outlet by shoving something inside of it are so low that you might as well worry about getting struck by lightning.  Even thought the safety police would make you think that your outlet is an unsafe thing and will cause death to anyone that touches it, that just isn't so. 

Now, don't get me wrong. I used those outlet plugs with my kids and my grandson. But honestly the chances that they can get two metal items into both the right slot and one of the other two, and insert it in far enough to actually make contact is so hard. They are far more likely to electrocute themselves from a loose cord that actually has a plug then some random household items. 

On top of that, the hanging cord can arc inside the outlet causing a series safety issue. Like the picture above, this is normally caused by a worn out outlet that can't properly hold the cord in anymore. So changing out worn plugs is the best thing you can do to keep your electrical safe. Also, I have seen outlets crack and come apart on the inside. If you decide to do this, choose a quality plug for your replacement. 

There is a quality difference with anything that you buy, even outlets. So don't go to a dollar store or some other random store. You should go to a hardware store that has an actual electrical dept. I also have amazon links in all of these videos that you can use to order quality outlets and switches. There is a difference on how to wire a GFI or GFCI outlet so here is a video on that as well. 

And don't forget about light switches. They definitely go bad too, and they are normally the easiest to change out. Of course having the right tools makes any job easier. Even though most people don't know what a voltage detector is, it is one of my most used tools when I work with electrical. There are two more tools that are good to have when doing these jobs. The multimeter and a circuit / outlet tester.

Let me end with this. Working with electrical is series business. There are some people out there that should never pick up a screwdriver, and if you are one of those people do not attempt these repairs. It has nothing to do with your intelligence. I'm sure that you are great at something, but this requires a basic aptitude with the mechanical arts to complete correctly. Incorrectly installed outlets and switches can electrocute someone or cause fire and death. If I have you a little worried right now that's good. But if you do have a good basic aptitude for the mechanical arts then my videos can help you through updating your electrical. Changing outlets and switches takes more of an attention to details more then anything. I hope that this helps you with your projects to update and add safety to your own home's electrical.