Although the current outlets in your home may be functional, they may be unsafe for your family, your sensitive electrical components, and your home. You may need to replace all of the outlets, or just individual outlets according to features and their locations in the home.
While it's not difficult to replace and outlet, it can be dangerous for amateurs, so you may consider hiring a professional electrical repair services to assess the situation and make the necessary changes. Outlets that may need to be replaced include the following examples:
Ungrounded Outlets
Older homes with outlets that lack a round grounding port were designed to use the insulation cover of the home's wiring as a grounding agent. The plugs of most appliances and power strips now include a round grounding pin, making them incompatible with these older outlets.
Using an adapter only allows an appliance or device to plug into an ungrounded outlet. It doesn't provide the secure ground needed to prevent electric shock or electrocution. All ungrounded outlets should be replaced with grounded upgrades.
Standard Outlets in Wet Locations
Any type of standard outlet, grounded or not, should be replaced by a GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) outlet, which detects faulty grounding caused by exposure to moisture and shuts off the power supply to the outlet to prevent against electric shock or electrocution. GFCI outlets will remain inoperable until normal current has been restored.
Outlets Accessible to Children
Any type of standard outlet that is vulnerable to tampering by children should be replaced by a tamper- resistant alternative. These spring loaded devices will only open if equal pressure is applied simultaneously to each slot, such as when a plug is inserted.
This prevents young children from inserting a metallic object into one of the slots and being injured or killed from electric shock.
Outlets That Power Sensitive Components
Outlets that supply power to electrical devices such as personal computers, tablets, and cell phones are vulnerable to power surges that occur when power is restored after a temporary disruption.
Expensive components can suffer extensive damage and valuable data lost without the installation of a surge-protected outlet, which shuts off when a power surge is detected. The outlet can only be reset when the surge has passed and the normal flow of electricity restored.
Defective Outlets
Any type of outlets that are not fully functional must be replaced. This includes outlets with worn receptacles that no longer provide a firm grip on a plug. Outlets that spark, become hot to the touch, or show any other type of dysfunction, should be replaced as soon as possible. Your life, and the lives of your family members, may depend on it.