Are Your Electrical Outlets In Need Of An Upgrade?

As a homeowner, you try to run a tight ship and make sure you stay up on maintenance around the house. There's one particular aspect of your house though that you might be overlooking, especially if something is always plugged into it so you never really notice it when you walk by. That's your house's electrical outlets of course, and your outlets require regular maintenance and care just like the rest of your house. A regular inspection from a residential electrician is a good idea, but there are also some scenarios where you'll want to call an electrician sooner rather than later. Here are three different scenarios where you might want to get some work done on your electrical outlets in order to keep your family safe.

You Have Loose Outlets

If you've had a bad habit of yanking on cords or shoving plugs into the wall rather roughly over the years, it's possible that all of this jostling could eventually cause your electrical outlets to become a bit loose. A loose outlet is a recipe for disaster and could easily lead to exposed wiring that could harm someone when they go to plug in or otherwise interact with a loose outlet. A trained electrician can either repair your current outlets by tightening things up again or install brand new outlets as needed.

You Have Two Prong Outlets When You Need Three

Older houses have plenty of electrical outlets with only openings for two-prongs. But many electronic devices today are actually three-prong. It's technically possible to plug a three-prong device into a two-prong outlet with the use of an adapter but this is not the safest option. For best results and to ensure that something doesn't go terribly wrong during a power surge, you should get professional help to swap out all two-prong outlets for the three-prong variety so you can plug all of your devices in without adapters.

You Have Children on the Way

If you have a young child or one on the way, you will need to baby proof your home, and that usually includes paying special attention to all plugs and outlets. If your outlets do not yet have safety devices installed that are designed to keep young children from poking around, contact an electrician immediately. In the meantime, put up a small gate or other obstruction and keep your young child away from all plugs.

Reach out to a residential electrician today to upgrade your outlets as needed.