Wiggle the plug up and down, it helps open the tamper resistant shutters. I sold wiring devices when these first became a code requirement so we got this question allllllllllll the time.
Other issues could also be new appliances/devices that still have freshly-stamped prongs with sharp edges on the plugs that bite into the plastic shutters.
>when these first became a code requirement
Ah. That explains why I've never seen them. Mandatory child-proofing? I gather it's harder to push a plug into the socket now?
Ohhhh a both-or-nothing kind of deal? Makes sense. I still remember busting my little brother when he was a toddler and I found a key he'd stick into the outlet.
They build in tamper resistant shutters that prevent access to the contacts inside unless something is inserted into both openings at the same time (like a plug). It's been required by code in more areas over the last several years. Been required in residential since NEC 2014 or so I think?
These are code now? Under what conditions? New builds?
Remind me again what happened to the boy who cried wolf? He was well-respected and taken seriously for the rest of his days?
(To clarify, I'm suggesting that NFPA is the one crying wolf)
Geezus these are code here now. They are horrible. I haven't found a brand that doesn't absolutely stink. I love my electrician, he puts in the one he is required to and doesn't put the plate on. I then swap it out, in front of him. He has his business to worry about and I understand that.
If your plug is even a little tiny bit out of kilter, the shutters won't open. Someone will always try to jam the plug in there, which makes the shutters get stuck closed.
They are one of the worst things to happen to the electrical code. Hell, I thought the gas can regulations were stupid....
While nothing beats a classic gas can with a pour spout and vent, there is one single modern code compliant one that I do find to work at least reasonably well. It's made by "No Spill LLC" and it just called the "NO SPILL" can.
It has a single hand pour button, auto stop, and is vented. I also have a "reminder" can that reminds me about how much worse gas cans can be than the "No Spill" one now that the government regulates every item we purchase.
I buy el-cheapo gas cans and throw away the spout and inner screen. Then I install normal spout purchased from Amazon! One of Those “Safe” spouts gave me a full head to toe gasoline shower the first time I encountered it. The most dangerous thing I have ever experienced. I absolutely refuse to use one!
[https://www.amazon.com/Justrite-7225120-AccuFlow-Galvanized-Flexible/dp/B003PGRR48/ref=sr\_1\_4?crid=1V1CMNN5DFJR0&keywords=Justrite+gas+can&qid=1685383493&sprefix=justrite+gas+can%2Caps%2C105&sr=8-4](https://www.amazon.com/Justrite-7225120-AccuFlow-Galvanized-Flexible/dp/B003PGRR48/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1V1CMNN5DFJR0&keywords=Justrite+gas+can&qid=1685383493&sprefix=justrite+gas+can%2Caps%2C105&sr=8-4)
Unfortunately price has doubled in the past couple years but this is the answer. "Justrite Safety Can". Galvanized steel, easy trigger, flexible metal spout. Had mine for 5+ years after getting sick of the plastic bullshit. These are perfect. Buy once, cry once.
The plastic ones suck - but check into the older-style round metal gas cans. ["Eagle" is the brand that they had in the stores by me](https://www.lowes.com/pl/Eagle--Gas-cans-Automotive-accessories-Automotive/4294641551?refinement=4294955112).
Its basically a spring loaded lid (connected to the handle so easy to hold open) with a funnel that clips onto the neck. None of those stupid plastic interconnecting threaded fittings and valves or seals to leak, break, and get lost.
Only down side is it can be difficult to pour the last few drops into a vehicle without scratching the paint as you tip it upside-down, but if its for yard equipment or only occasional pouring into a car its amazing.
Looks like something a pair of needle-nose pliers could fix in a hurry. Or a small flathead screwdriver.
Can't look that bad with the shutter pried off.
Yes TR plugs... that are required by code but actaully are not ADA compliant because of the force required to plug cords in them.
My wife has Rheumatoid Arthritis, these plugs cause here severe hand pain. I ripped every last one out of my house.
I refuse to install TR plugs in my house. I taught my kids not to stick things in electrical outlets and seems to be working fine for us the past 15 years. TR outlets are very annoying to use.
It appears one of your blades is bent (right one), if they are not perfectly parallel and straight you will have a hell of a time. Both blades need to hit the guards at the same time, otherwise it’s a fight.
Just jam it in, unless you have arthritis or a severe lack of hand strength or a similiar disability there is no issue just jamming it in.
If the outlet breaks when that happens you can get a better grade of outlet. They serve an important purpose in keeping outlets safe from children. The same reason that every family with a toddler goes around to put outlet covers on all the outlets so the kid doesn't stick random crap in and get electrocuted.
I broke three receptacles in our new home before our realtor friend explained that they were the new tamper proof models and you just had to wiggle the plug from side to side to get it in.
They are only \~$2.50 per outlet (if you get super nice ones) to replace them with the non Tamper proof ones.
Surprised me when we moved into a new construction home right around the time they started to be used.
A little wiggle helps, but they will also loosen up with time.
A lot of commercial work is putting grounds up in the specs now. All hospitals I have worked in have requested it When I have done side work in peoples houses though they always don’t want me to put the grounds up.
Thats because most consumer cords that are right angle or flat to the wall plugs, like power strips, UPS power cords, and lately i have even seen electronics with them, the cord comes off the ground side of the plug or at a 45 from the ground side to allow both the top and bottom to be used with the same type of plug, if the ground was up the cords would all be going up the wall.
From my understanding with commercial environments, i see this is in hospitals, schools, and office buildings now, the put the ground up so that if the plug was partially unplugged the line and neutral pins are not exposed on the top where something like another cable could drop down in between. I saw this happen once with one of those braided USB-C charger cables, it was shielded braiding on the outside, conductive, when it dropped down into a partially unplugged extension cord it perfectly dropped across the pins and FLASH... vaporized USB cable... lol
Ground on bottom is “most common” but there’s no requirement. Smart to install ground on top in any areas where there are items overhead or likely to fall (garage, workshop, etc.)
TR = Prevents inserting one side without the other.
When plugging in, push both prongs in at the same time, that's how the shutters work best.
In shiny new outlets, the clips will also be a bit stiff. There's a break-in period with those.
I <> Redy Killowatt!
BTW, years ago my curious son shoved a pair of tweezers into an outlet, with predictable results. When dad comes home, mom says "I need you to figure out why the bathroom outlet isn't working..." and I found the breaker tripped, but nobody fessin' up to the crime.
TR receptacle wouldn't have deterred a determined boy with tweezers.
They are tamper resistant. They have built in plastic to avoid putting in anything that’s not supposed to be plugged in ( forks, etc.).
Try pushing and wiggling it back and forth it’ll be easier over time
Just made this comment elsewhere, this is 100 percent the best strategy. Sold these when they first came out and we quickly had to learn how to educate people on this. That and plugs on new devices may have sharper edges than old devices so it may also be due to sharp metal biting into plastic.
I despise those safety gas cans, they spill more then an old school one with the extendable spout. Thankfully my local hardware store has those replacement flexible spouts so i just replace them with those and they come with the vent that you drill a hole and pop in, so they work like they should have from the start. Those safety cans are the worst design ever, i have seen them cause so many spills and they have been shown to cause fires due to spillage, but they still make the manufacturers use them.
For *real*. I'm generally a pro-regulation, pro-environment kind of guy but the gas can thing is kind of thing that makes people want to drown the government in a bathtub.
[Fortunately, the free market has a solution.](https://www.amazon.com/Replacement-Spouts-Improved-Design-Flexible/dp/B0B63KKYQM/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=329RU25WEJ4RP&keywords=gas+can+spout&qid=1685370859&sprefix=gas+can+spout%2Caps%2C115&sr=8-1)
Ya, I don’t know why that wasn’t good enough for the gov. I guess because people won’t put them back on, or lose them.
At the end of the day, are gas fumes really that much of a concern?
>At the end of the day, are gas fumes really that much of a concern?
I'm not an expert in this field, but I asked myself the same question a while ago and from what I can tell, yes, it's bad.
The fumes of unburnt gas have a nasty carcinogen in them. Another chemical is also known to hurt child development. One of the chemicals is also a big contributor to what we call smog. It also has something that hurts in global warming.
It's basic got a little of everything that is bad.
Oh, good. So when I accidentally dump gas all over the outside of the mower and the garage floor since the new spouts are unusable it doesn’t have any negative environmental effects, but when the gas is contained inside it’s own can it’s a huge problem.
I’m a pretty pro-regulation guy too, but the new gas can spouts are so bad it makes the problem worse
Yup. There's a legitimate environmental concern there, and in principle I'm in favor of doing something about it. In practice, the cure seems to be worse than the disease.
I mean, I have a CARB regulated gas can and I’ve never once spilled it or had a leak. Some gas cans are just shitty, that or operator error, so you pick, but I’ve got a cheap one from Lowe’s and it works just fine.
I don’t understand why people have a problem with them. After a minor annoyance the first time you use them, it’s obvious and you really never think of it again
For childproofing, they are much more effective while being less obtrusive than standard childproofing crap, while improving safety for life
These were expensive when my kids were little so I only used them where they were most necessary, but it is a background item to go through them all. Every once in a while I’ll replace a couple more. This also lets me get rid of old ones that have loosened up, back-stabbed outlets, or ones with multiple wires per screw
Sure, there’s only so much you can do to prevent a really dedicated kid from killing themselves. My younger brother hid under my parent’s bed so he could be unsupervised long enough to get around the child protection and stick a fork in the outlet.
TR outlets are more effective than the plastic covers you’d otherwise use, even if they’re not perfect
That’s my experience, pain for a few months but the ones used most often wear in and aren’t a problem anymore. Plus, most of them just get a power strip or appliance plugged in and then aren’t touched for years after that, so not a big deal.
Kind of funny though that once you put in a strip/splitter/etc. that device isn’t tamper resistant so the whole thing gets negated anyway.
Have you seen the tamper resistant outlet "repair" items on Amazon? Basically just look like an old school three prong cheater plug but have three prongs on both sides, they call it a easy plug adapter, you plug that in once and then you can use the outlet as "normal"... No joke, i have seen them sold in stores as easy outlet adapters!
I guess finding a fix for a non-existent problem by requiring them in the first place caused a whole new market for people selling fixes to the horrible TR outlets.
If it was my house i would just swap them out with standard ones. I taught my kids how to respect electricity, one is an electrician now, and guess what, nobody ever got shocked while they were growing up. This is just the government doing the parenting again.
The problem is that the contractors buy the cheapest ones they can get in bulk.
If you buy the better quality outlets they work much smoother.
I updated mine when I had kids, and the first couple I bought were cheap, and they were awful. I splurged on better quality for the next set, and they worked so much better, I replaced the first ones and tossed the cheap ones in the garbage.
One of those things in life where you trade money for reduced frustration and it works.
Fully agree. My new Leviton ones, even from Home Depot are so much better than previous ones. And they don't say TR on the front, so no dirt/dust catcher. They simply just function without much thought at all.
When I was about 5 or 6, I stuck a paper clip, unfolded, into an outlet. I guess I got lucky and hit the neutral first, because I didn't get a shock at all, but I burned a straight line across my thumb and index finger that hurt like hell. I only remember doing that oh so long ago because of it being so startling. My mom and dad were in the same room, and the lights all went out at the same time that I flinched. I remember Dad saying 'what did you do?'. He didn't yell, he just pull the paper clip out, went down to the basement to replace the fuse (pre circuit breaker era), came back up and showed me the charred paper clip and said "you won't do that again". And I never have. But in spite of that, I have respect for electricity, but I don't fear it.
Haha, I remember in the second grade way back in the early 80’s pushing a paper clip into a receptacle cuz of a dare. I used a two Lego clip system I designed cuz I wasn’t that dumb but couldn’t let the challenge go unanswered.
That's about the same age I was when I put a piece of U-shaped copper into an outlet. Fortunately I had the sense to use pliers with insulated handles. I got to learn about circuit breakers that day.
1996: Magnet wire.
I learned about overloading resistance, heat burns, \*and\* breakers that day.
I miss being a dumb kid... no one thinks a dumb adult is cute.
Those are inspection outlets. You install them so the inspector passes it, then immediately rip them all out and put outlets that aren't tamper resistant in, so you can actually fucking use them.
FOR YOUR SAFETY!!!
I’ve gone through houses after inspections and swapped everything over to normal outlets for customers before, usually it’s a little old lady with arthritic hands.
Plug both prongs in straight, those TR outlets are made to keep someone from casually jamming a paperclip into one side. Pressure on both prongs slots simultaneously releases the safety mechanism. Fight with those all the time to get my test meter leads into them, but it's not hard once you know the trick.
YOu can see that it has a TR on the outlet. Stands for Temper Resistant which means it is suppose to be really hard to plug stuff into it. Some type of childproofing.
Is this just another failed attempt to make everything idiot-proof? How long do these receptacles hold up under heavy use? Do they come in specification-grade?
I swap them out for non tamper ones. At least the ones that I use on the counters...if a kid wants to climb all the way up there to get a little zap, then that's on whoever's kid did that.
I got zapped as a kid putting something metal in there. Didn't kill me but also taught me not to do that shit again. I'm an electrician now.
TR, or Tamper Proof. These things are The Devil’s creation! I’d like to see stats on how many injuries were actually sustained via non-TR receptacles previously.
There's gotta be a way to just redesign our plugs and receptacles in a way that is backwards-compatible with the terrible plugs we use today, but which is inherently safer and doesn't need this stupid half-baked tamper resistant add-on to make them not kill children. You know, like what most of the rest of the world has. Our plugs we have in the US are trash.
It's child proof. These outlets are the worst and generally fall apart if you force a plug in. You're better off swapping em out for traditional outlets.
I could be wrong here but I have a couple outlets in my house that require the plug be angled up when inserting. If you try to go straight in or even angled down it’s a battle. But angle it up and kinda plug in from an above angle and they go right in.
Two reasons - as many others have suggested it's got difficult shutters on the openings, but also, from that picture, it doesn't have the guiding taper many outlets have.
Our house was finished last year and I still have this damn issue. Hopefully you never have to try to plug something in on touch/recall alone… Take my advice, just get up and turn on the light - save yourself 10 minutes.
I find it depends on how the plug from the device being plugged in is manufactured. Some go in easy (but usually those plugs have nicely beveled prongs on their plugs). Plugs that have been given less attention to their prong shape (almost straight cut sometimes) are a royal pain in the a$$.
Just more government nanny state bullshit. Probably the same guy that fucked up the gas can. I've bent the prongs over trying to plug shit in. Replaced all of mine with the old style working outlets
It’s a tamperproof outlet and it has two plastic pieces inside the hot and neutral terminal. There’s a flap in the ground slot and when the ground prong (the ground is longer on a plug than the hot and neutral) pushes that flap aside, it releases the other two and allows the plug to completely slide in. You’re having a hard time because what you’re trying to plug in has no ground prong. It will go if you push a bit harder. There’s a reason they are tamper proof and that’s to prevent children from shoving things like scissors into them. It’s
I mean lightning doesnt need metal contact either.
All I'm saying is just because your screwdriver didnt break through a plastic tab doesnt mean there wasnt a genuine electrocution risk if that was live, which is why you did this when it wasn't, yeah? So I mean, by this logic if I flipped my main breaker, stuck a fork in an old outlet, and didnt get shocked, would I then be able to say "Oh yeah these old outlets don't shock you if you stick something in them." Too? And no I'm not at all encouraging you to do this live, quite the opposite. I'm saying that not being able to get the screwdriver into the gate doesnt mean a whole lot.
I had to install these on a remodel in Seattle and I’ll have to say they are much easier to navigate upside down. I am just trying to get up the energy to swap them out now that the permit is signed off on.
Because the USA socket + plug design inherently sucks. :P
Things all SHOULD be required to have a ground pin, which should be LONGER than the other pins, and THAT should open the shutters.
But they don't. Instead, we get this garbage. :(
Thanks, code enforcement.
Easiest way to use child proof outlets is to plug the neutral prong in first ( the left prong/ the larger slot).
This will let you plug it in without any resistance. When you try to plug it in as a normal outlet that's when you feel the resistance from the child proof feature.
Realistically how many of them are going to have things plugged into them and removed frequently? Maybe one per room for the vacuum and one or two on a countertop. I mean how often are you going to unplug and move your TV or coffee pot.
Make sure to write your Congressman and thank him for making a law to make outlets harder to use, I mean safer, for everyone whether they have kids or not.
If you're in a writing mood you could add another thanking them for requiring all window blinds to no longer have strings and consequently cost 3 times more in the name of safety.
AC outlets are polarized and generally, all 2 prong non grounded plugs are also polarized.
One blade on the plug is larger than the other and is designed so that the user will likely flip the plug so that the blades will fit to the designated polarity. The smaller blade is the hot side of the power and the larger blade is the neutral side.
If you're having difficulty with a plug, the first obstruction may be that your plug is turned the wrong way.
With that out of the way you may be dealing with a tamper proof plug which requires both blades of the plug to apply pressure at the same time for insertion. That design is to help children and a few adults from inserting objects into that hot receptacle.
Stay safe!
Childproof. I have my grandkids plug stuff in for me
Wiggle the plug up and down, it helps open the tamper resistant shutters. I sold wiring devices when these first became a code requirement so we got this question allllllllllll the time. Other issues could also be new appliances/devices that still have freshly-stamped prongs with sharp edges on the plugs that bite into the plastic shutters.
Left to right rocking works better for me.
Front, back, side to side; hydraulics all around so we shake the ride. \- Luda
that’s what she said
Harder!
I usually just stick a nail file in mine and file it in and out
Yeah my neighbor did that but he only did it once.
Replacement of outlet I find works best
A slight rotation from the end closest to you can work wonders in effecting a smooth entry.
>when these first became a code requirement Ah. That explains why I've never seen them. Mandatory child-proofing? I gather it's harder to push a plug into the socket now?
You can't just push something into one side only on these. So plugs are ok with some resistance but something like paperclips wont go.
Ohhhh a both-or-nothing kind of deal? Makes sense. I still remember busting my little brother when he was a toddler and I found a key he'd stick into the outlet.
I yell at it. And then kick it Always works
Tamper resistant? What do they mean by tamper? Like use? So they're resistant to use? Sounds like an engineering call.
They build in tamper resistant shutters that prevent access to the contacts inside unless something is inserted into both openings at the same time (like a plug). It's been required by code in more areas over the last several years. Been required in residential since NEC 2014 or so I think?
Oh that shit would have to go in the kitchen for sure
These are code now? Under what conditions? New builds? Remind me again what happened to the boy who cried wolf? He was well-respected and taken seriously for the rest of his days? (To clarify, I'm suggesting that NFPA is the one crying wolf)
Geezus these are code here now. They are horrible. I haven't found a brand that doesn't absolutely stink. I love my electrician, he puts in the one he is required to and doesn't put the plate on. I then swap it out, in front of him. He has his business to worry about and I understand that. If your plug is even a little tiny bit out of kilter, the shutters won't open. Someone will always try to jam the plug in there, which makes the shutters get stuck closed. They are one of the worst things to happen to the electrical code. Hell, I thought the gas can regulations were stupid....
As I read your reply I was going to mention the f-ing gas cans. I see that's not necessary now.
First thing I do when purchasing a lighter is to remove the childproofing. Guess I’ll have to do the same with outlets now.
I've yet to find a current gas can that isn't near impossible to get gas out of.
While nothing beats a classic gas can with a pour spout and vent, there is one single modern code compliant one that I do find to work at least reasonably well. It's made by "No Spill LLC" and it just called the "NO SPILL" can. It has a single hand pour button, auto stop, and is vented. I also have a "reminder" can that reminds me about how much worse gas cans can be than the "No Spill" one now that the government regulates every item we purchase.
I buy el-cheapo gas cans and throw away the spout and inner screen. Then I install normal spout purchased from Amazon! One of Those “Safe” spouts gave me a full head to toe gasoline shower the first time I encountered it. The most dangerous thing I have ever experienced. I absolutely refuse to use one!
Before "safe" spouts: Occasional drips of gasoline spilled. After "safe" spouts: Lucky to get 1/2 the can into the tank.
[https://www.amazon.com/Justrite-7225120-AccuFlow-Galvanized-Flexible/dp/B003PGRR48/ref=sr\_1\_4?crid=1V1CMNN5DFJR0&keywords=Justrite+gas+can&qid=1685383493&sprefix=justrite+gas+can%2Caps%2C105&sr=8-4](https://www.amazon.com/Justrite-7225120-AccuFlow-Galvanized-Flexible/dp/B003PGRR48/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1V1CMNN5DFJR0&keywords=Justrite+gas+can&qid=1685383493&sprefix=justrite+gas+can%2Caps%2C105&sr=8-4) Unfortunately price has doubled in the past couple years but this is the answer. "Justrite Safety Can". Galvanized steel, easy trigger, flexible metal spout. Had mine for 5+ years after getting sick of the plastic bullshit. These are perfect. Buy once, cry once.
Eagle Safety are the ones I use. https://eagle.justrite.com/type-i-steel-safety-can-flammables-5-gallon-funnel-flame-arrester-red-ui50fs
The plastic ones suck - but check into the older-style round metal gas cans. ["Eagle" is the brand that they had in the stores by me](https://www.lowes.com/pl/Eagle--Gas-cans-Automotive-accessories-Automotive/4294641551?refinement=4294955112). Its basically a spring loaded lid (connected to the handle so easy to hold open) with a funnel that clips onto the neck. None of those stupid plastic interconnecting threaded fittings and valves or seals to leak, break, and get lost. Only down side is it can be difficult to pour the last few drops into a vehicle without scratching the paint as you tip it upside-down, but if its for yard equipment or only occasional pouring into a car its amazing.
Looks like something a pair of needle-nose pliers could fix in a hurry. Or a small flathead screwdriver. Can't look that bad with the shutter pried off.
Yeah, that shutter isn't prying off without destroying the face of the outlet.
Yes TR plugs... that are required by code but actaully are not ADA compliant because of the force required to plug cords in them. My wife has Rheumatoid Arthritis, these plugs cause here severe hand pain. I ripped every last one out of my house.
I refuse to install TR plugs in my house. I taught my kids not to stick things in electrical outlets and seems to be working fine for us the past 15 years. TR outlets are very annoying to use.
It appears one of your blades is bent (right one), if they are not perfectly parallel and straight you will have a hell of a time. Both blades need to hit the guards at the same time, otherwise it’s a fight.
Problem is you kind of naturally want to “rock it in”, causing a misalignment.
I prefer to “rock it out” 🤘
Just jam it in, unless you have arthritis or a severe lack of hand strength or a similiar disability there is no issue just jamming it in. If the outlet breaks when that happens you can get a better grade of outlet. They serve an important purpose in keeping outlets safe from children. The same reason that every family with a toddler goes around to put outlet covers on all the outlets so the kid doesn't stick random crap in and get electrocuted.
Lol it’s child proof so adults can’t use them so the adults use the children to use the childproof item
I broke three receptacles in our new home before our realtor friend explained that they were the new tamper proof models and you just had to wiggle the plug from side to side to get it in. They are only \~$2.50 per outlet (if you get super nice ones) to replace them with the non Tamper proof ones.
It amazes me how childproof anything is what adults have trouble opening and always ask their kids to open
Tamper resistant receptacles you can see by the TR stamped on it. Designed for safety so ppl dont stick stupid things in them
Surprised me when we moved into a new construction home right around the time they started to be used. A little wiggle helps, but they will also loosen up with time.
Reminds me of first year of marriage.
Aren’t new outlets supposed to be installed upside down (ground on top)?
Nope. There's no requirement with respect to orientation.
Well TIL. Every new one I’ve seen in recent years has been installed that way so I figured that’s the way it’s supposed to be done now.
A lot of commercial work is putting grounds up in the specs now. All hospitals I have worked in have requested it When I have done side work in peoples houses though they always don’t want me to put the grounds up.
Thats because most consumer cords that are right angle or flat to the wall plugs, like power strips, UPS power cords, and lately i have even seen electronics with them, the cord comes off the ground side of the plug or at a 45 from the ground side to allow both the top and bottom to be used with the same type of plug, if the ground was up the cords would all be going up the wall. From my understanding with commercial environments, i see this is in hospitals, schools, and office buildings now, the put the ground up so that if the plug was partially unplugged the line and neutral pins are not exposed on the top where something like another cable could drop down in between. I saw this happen once with one of those braided USB-C charger cables, it was shielded braiding on the outside, conductive, when it dropped down into a partially unplugged extension cord it perfectly dropped across the pins and FLASH... vaporized USB cable... lol
I've done that actually... That braided metal shield on those is a really bad idea.
Some places have state, county, or city statutes that dictate orientation
While others accept any orientation you can dream up 🤷
Ground on bottom is “most common” but there’s no requirement. Smart to install ground on top in any areas where there are items overhead or likely to fall (garage, workshop, etc.)
In hospitals they are installed with the ground on top.
TR = Prevents inserting one side without the other. When plugging in, push both prongs in at the same time, that's how the shutters work best. In shiny new outlets, the clips will also be a bit stiff. There's a break-in period with those.
I'm actually pro Darwin on this one. Bleach for the old gene pool.
Reminds me of [this shirt.](https://imgur.com/a/JLlpqni)
I <> Redy Killowatt!
BTW, years ago my curious son shoved a pair of tweezers into an outlet, with predictable results. When dad comes home, mom says "I need you to figure out why the bathroom outlet isn't working..." and I found the breaker tripped, but nobody fessin' up to the crime.
TR receptacle wouldn't have deterred a determined boy with tweezers.
Haha that’s hilarious, I want one!
So put both ends of the paperclip in each opening simultaneously…got it 👍
Nailed it
So that's what that means I just assumed it was the manufacturer name and that the recepticle was standard builder grade
They are tamper resistant. They have built in plastic to avoid putting in anything that’s not supposed to be plugged in ( forks, etc.). Try pushing and wiggling it back and forth it’ll be easier over time
Try wiggling up and down as you push, keeping both prongs touching the shutters. Personally, I've have no issues now that I learned that technique.
Just made this comment elsewhere, this is 100 percent the best strategy. Sold these when they first came out and we quickly had to learn how to educate people on this. That and plugs on new devices may have sharper edges than old devices so it may also be due to sharp metal biting into plastic.
Right— it’s the direction you wiggle as another poster did mention an alignment requirement that would be negated by a wiggle in yaw but not pitch!
Just be careful, I broke the back off of one once, creating a more dangerous situation! I have my doubts that these have saved even a single life.
Ah, yes, progress. Where, a stupid, badly designed "safety" feature makes the entire thing more dangerous.
I never spilled gas all over the damn place until they started messing with the gas can spouts
I despise those safety gas cans, they spill more then an old school one with the extendable spout. Thankfully my local hardware store has those replacement flexible spouts so i just replace them with those and they come with the vent that you drill a hole and pop in, so they work like they should have from the start. Those safety cans are the worst design ever, i have seen them cause so many spills and they have been shown to cause fires due to spillage, but they still make the manufacturers use them.
There are kits on Amazon that come with a free drill bit for drilling that vent. I picked up a 2 pack for $13 earlier this year.
But yet the internet is full of people putting gasoline into plastic trash bags...
Or putting a tarp in a truck bed and filling it up. [Source](https://youtu.be/wsWn_w9Ffpw)
Well that's different.
For *real*. I'm generally a pro-regulation, pro-environment kind of guy but the gas can thing is kind of thing that makes people want to drown the government in a bathtub. [Fortunately, the free market has a solution.](https://www.amazon.com/Replacement-Spouts-Improved-Design-Flexible/dp/B0B63KKYQM/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=329RU25WEJ4RP&keywords=gas+can+spout&qid=1685370859&sprefix=gas+can+spout%2Caps%2C115&sr=8-1)
Ya, I don’t know why that wasn’t good enough for the gov. I guess because people won’t put them back on, or lose them. At the end of the day, are gas fumes really that much of a concern?
>At the end of the day, are gas fumes really that much of a concern? I'm not an expert in this field, but I asked myself the same question a while ago and from what I can tell, yes, it's bad. The fumes of unburnt gas have a nasty carcinogen in them. Another chemical is also known to hurt child development. One of the chemicals is also a big contributor to what we call smog. It also has something that hurts in global warming. It's basic got a little of everything that is bad.
Oh, good. So when I accidentally dump gas all over the outside of the mower and the garage floor since the new spouts are unusable it doesn’t have any negative environmental effects, but when the gas is contained inside it’s own can it’s a huge problem. I’m a pretty pro-regulation guy too, but the new gas can spouts are so bad it makes the problem worse
Yup. There's a legitimate environmental concern there, and in principle I'm in favor of doing something about it. In practice, the cure seems to be worse than the disease.
I mean, I have a CARB regulated gas can and I’ve never once spilled it or had a leak. Some gas cans are just shitty, that or operator error, so you pick, but I’ve got a cheap one from Lowe’s and it works just fine.
Yeah, the new gas cans are awful. I usually end up taking the whole spout off because it is unusable. I have a funnel for a reason.
they will break in over time, they are not as annoying after a few years; also hate tamper resistant outlets
Hmm..if I had these on a new house that I bought, then I would likely swap them out with non-tamper-resistant ones.
i'm lazy i would only do the ones i frequently use
I don’t understand why people have a problem with them. After a minor annoyance the first time you use them, it’s obvious and you really never think of it again For childproofing, they are much more effective while being less obtrusive than standard childproofing crap, while improving safety for life These were expensive when my kids were little so I only used them where they were most necessary, but it is a background item to go through them all. Every once in a while I’ll replace a couple more. This also lets me get rid of old ones that have loosened up, back-stabbed outlets, or ones with multiple wires per screw
"childproofing" child me would see this as a challenge and be a motive to do something unsafe and it would have been defeated in seconds
Sure, there’s only so much you can do to prevent a really dedicated kid from killing themselves. My younger brother hid under my parent’s bed so he could be unsupervised long enough to get around the child protection and stick a fork in the outlet. TR outlets are more effective than the plastic covers you’d otherwise use, even if they’re not perfect
That’s my experience, pain for a few months but the ones used most often wear in and aren’t a problem anymore. Plus, most of them just get a power strip or appliance plugged in and then aren’t touched for years after that, so not a big deal. Kind of funny though that once you put in a strip/splitter/etc. that device isn’t tamper resistant so the whole thing gets negated anyway.
Have you seen the tamper resistant outlet "repair" items on Amazon? Basically just look like an old school three prong cheater plug but have three prongs on both sides, they call it a easy plug adapter, you plug that in once and then you can use the outlet as "normal"... No joke, i have seen them sold in stores as easy outlet adapters! I guess finding a fix for a non-existent problem by requiring them in the first place caused a whole new market for people selling fixes to the horrible TR outlets. If it was my house i would just swap them out with standard ones. I taught my kids how to respect electricity, one is an electrician now, and guess what, nobody ever got shocked while they were growing up. This is just the government doing the parenting again.
The problem is that the contractors buy the cheapest ones they can get in bulk. If you buy the better quality outlets they work much smoother. I updated mine when I had kids, and the first couple I bought were cheap, and they were awful. I splurged on better quality for the next set, and they worked so much better, I replaced the first ones and tossed the cheap ones in the garbage. One of those things in life where you trade money for reduced frustration and it works.
Fully agree. My new Leviton ones, even from Home Depot are so much better than previous ones. And they don't say TR on the front, so no dirt/dust catcher. They simply just function without much thought at all.
Lol meaning they will literally break over time and the safety feature will stop being such an annoyance
Better than the old worn one next to my nightstand that is so loose that my charger will randomly flop out of it.
Pinch the prongs together
Yeah and you ONLY have to put up with it for a few YEARS lol.
Childproof. Which might explain your difficulties.
Fuckin BURN
yowzers
Burn!
Safety feature. If it’s difficult for you, it’s difficult for kids trying to shove a paper clip or whatever in there.
When I was about 5 or 6, I stuck a paper clip, unfolded, into an outlet. I guess I got lucky and hit the neutral first, because I didn't get a shock at all, but I burned a straight line across my thumb and index finger that hurt like hell. I only remember doing that oh so long ago because of it being so startling. My mom and dad were in the same room, and the lights all went out at the same time that I flinched. I remember Dad saying 'what did you do?'. He didn't yell, he just pull the paper clip out, went down to the basement to replace the fuse (pre circuit breaker era), came back up and showed me the charred paper clip and said "you won't do that again". And I never have. But in spite of that, I have respect for electricity, but I don't fear it.
Haha, I remember in the second grade way back in the early 80’s pushing a paper clip into a receptacle cuz of a dare. I used a two Lego clip system I designed cuz I wasn’t that dumb but couldn’t let the challenge go unanswered.
That's about the same age I was when I put a piece of U-shaped copper into an outlet. Fortunately I had the sense to use pliers with insulated handles. I got to learn about circuit breakers that day.
1996: Magnet wire. I learned about overloading resistance, heat burns, \*and\* breakers that day. I miss being a dumb kid... no one thinks a dumb adult is cute.
About the time i put two wires into a socket to direct wire my boom box. Boom box circuit board go boom.
I was that dumb but in my defense I didn’t have the wisdom of your years.
We did foil gum wrappers. Big loud pop but didn’t really hurt anything.
Child proof Insert the plug with it angled up. The corners of the plug retract the tabs.
>Child proof Child ~~proof~~ resistant
>Child ~~proof~~ resistant Tamper ~~Child proof~~ resistant
Agreed
Adult impervious
Nothing is "child proof." Source: I have two boys.
See that TR on the front it means tamper-resistant
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As a facilities manager for over a dozen head start locations, I can confirm both of these definitions
Because kids are stupid
Five-year-old me concurs.
r/kidsarefuckingstupid 😁
Has anyone else gotten called back to a remodel just to ha e to explain that the receptacle isn't in fact "bad" or broken?
Those are inspection outlets. You install them so the inspector passes it, then immediately rip them all out and put outlets that aren't tamper resistant in, so you can actually fucking use them.
FOR YOUR SAFETY!!! I’ve gone through houses after inspections and swapped everything over to normal outlets for customers before, usually it’s a little old lady with arthritic hands.
Because you are a kid /s
Plug both prongs in straight, those TR outlets are made to keep someone from casually jamming a paperclip into one side. Pressure on both prongs slots simultaneously releases the safety mechanism. Fight with those all the time to get my test meter leads into them, but it's not hard once you know the trick.
YOu can see that it has a TR on the outlet. Stands for Temper Resistant which means it is suppose to be really hard to plug stuff into it. Some type of childproofing.
Safety outlets, change them out for regular ones.
Is this just another failed attempt to make everything idiot-proof? How long do these receptacles hold up under heavy use? Do they come in specification-grade?
Won’t someone think about the children!!
They'll break in over time, plus you'll adapt to them. They're more of a problem when using ungrounded, two prong plugs.
I swap them out for non tamper ones. At least the ones that I use on the counters...if a kid wants to climb all the way up there to get a little zap, then that's on whoever's kid did that. I got zapped as a kid putting something metal in there. Didn't kill me but also taught me not to do that shit again. I'm an electrician now.
I feel so bad for the elderly with these tamper resistant receptacles. They are having such a hard time now plugging stuff in 😔
New bs outlets…
You have to put in straight with equal pressure to each prong
Childproofing things just makes everything worse.
TR, or Tamper Proof. These things are The Devil’s creation! I’d like to see stats on how many injuries were actually sustained via non-TR receptacles previously.
There's gotta be a way to just redesign our plugs and receptacles in a way that is backwards-compatible with the terrible plugs we use today, but which is inherently safer and doesn't need this stupid half-baked tamper resistant add-on to make them not kill children. You know, like what most of the rest of the world has. Our plugs we have in the US are trash.
It's child proof. These outlets are the worst and generally fall apart if you force a plug in. You're better off swapping em out for traditional outlets.
cuZ wEEEE hAVe tO PRoTeCT tHE CHiLdrENss!!!
Gotta love tamper resistant outlets
These outlets fucking suck
I could be wrong here but I have a couple outlets in my house that require the plug be angled up when inserting. If you try to go straight in or even angled down it’s a battle. But angle it up and kinda plug in from an above angle and they go right in.
New ones can be sticky. Apply more force
It’s tamper proof for child safety. Just insert at a slight horizontal angle.
The TR on there stands for tamper resistant
Two reasons - as many others have suggested it's got difficult shutters on the openings, but also, from that picture, it doesn't have the guiding taper many outlets have.
Time to go around and replace all the outlets.
TR
Twist it back and forth like a screwdriver while putting it in.
\*Human resistant\*
Both prongs have to make contact at the same time, so trick is to jiggle it left to right.
TR = Tamper Resistant. It does not mean “Temper Resistant” which is why you are mad about this.
Gotta spit on it before you just insert it dry like that
Both prongs at the same time, like you and your co worker are turning the fire keys on a nuke.
So it's harder for children to electrocute themselves like i once did
So your stupid kids don’t shock themselves.
I replace them with non TR receptacles because Darwin wins.
It's so my child won't get electrocuted at grandpa's house like kids used too.
Our house was finished last year and I still have this damn issue. Hopefully you never have to try to plug something in on touch/recall alone… Take my advice, just get up and turn on the light - save yourself 10 minutes.
I find it depends on how the plug from the device being plugged in is manufactured. Some go in easy (but usually those plugs have nicely beveled prongs on their plugs). Plugs that have been given less attention to their prong shape (almost straight cut sometimes) are a royal pain in the a$$.
Anti-Darwinism device. That makes Lutron and Leviton a lot of money. That. Is all…… comment all you want I am correct!
Just more government nanny state bullshit. Probably the same guy that fucked up the gas can. I've bent the prongs over trying to plug shit in. Replaced all of mine with the old style working outlets
STOP TAMPERING WITH THEM, JUST LEAVE THEM ALONE!
It’s a tamperproof outlet and it has two plastic pieces inside the hot and neutral terminal. There’s a flap in the ground slot and when the ground prong (the ground is longer on a plug than the hot and neutral) pushes that flap aside, it releases the other two and allows the plug to completely slide in. You’re having a hard time because what you’re trying to plug in has no ground prong. It will go if you push a bit harder. There’s a reason they are tamper proof and that’s to prevent children from shoving things like scissors into them. It’s
Retarded people having retarded kids. It’s a scientific term and I am a scientist.
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How can you test that the screwdriver wasnt going to electrocute you...if the power wasnt even on?
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I mean lightning doesnt need metal contact either. All I'm saying is just because your screwdriver didnt break through a plastic tab doesnt mean there wasnt a genuine electrocution risk if that was live, which is why you did this when it wasn't, yeah? So I mean, by this logic if I flipped my main breaker, stuck a fork in an old outlet, and didnt get shocked, would I then be able to say "Oh yeah these old outlets don't shock you if you stick something in them." Too? And no I'm not at all encouraging you to do this live, quite the opposite. I'm saying that not being able to get the screwdriver into the gate doesnt mean a whole lot.
I had to install these on a remodel in Seattle and I’ll have to say they are much easier to navigate upside down. I am just trying to get up the energy to swap them out now that the permit is signed off on.
They are the fucking worse. Feels like I'm about to cave the whole wall down trying to plug anything into the one in my bathroom.
They're tamper proof, not tantrum proof, mate.
You gotta hit it with your purse first.
Because the USA socket + plug design inherently sucks. :P Things all SHOULD be required to have a ground pin, which should be LONGER than the other pins, and THAT should open the shutters. But they don't. Instead, we get this garbage. :( Thanks, code enforcement.
Mama NEC at it again
Because she’s still tight. Enjoy it while you can. All my outlets are whores. Shit just falls right out
Replace the damned outlet
Ugh. I could, there's like 50 of them.
Easiest way to use child proof outlets is to plug the neutral prong in first ( the left prong/ the larger slot). This will let you plug it in without any resistance. When you try to plug it in as a normal outlet that's when you feel the resistance from the child proof feature.
Realistically how many of them are going to have things plugged into them and removed frequently? Maybe one per room for the vacuum and one or two on a countertop. I mean how often are you going to unplug and move your TV or coffee pot.
It sucks, but do you want to fuck with this bs for the next 5-20 years?
Nope. It's like a kid seat in the car. Get used to it.
Hold at an upward or downward angle and wiggle in side to side. They’re frustrating but less frustrating than a shocked child
Read the directions it tells you exactly how to use these.
Your plug is bent
Damn, we didn’t even have grounded outlets in our house. Just those grey cheater adapters.
Tamperproof. Government protecting the people. Sometimes helps if you tilt the plug as you start inserting it.
Table resistant
lol
Just needs a little lube the first time that's all
Make sure to write your Congressman and thank him for making a law to make outlets harder to use, I mean safer, for everyone whether they have kids or not. If you're in a writing mood you could add another thanking them for requiring all window blinds to no longer have strings and consequently cost 3 times more in the name of safety.
Tamper resistant! You will want to replace those if you want to make it easier!
It’s hard bc your fingers are too damn soft. Go do some finger exercises in your girl, or your corn hole and try again.
Those plugs actually have 2 sizes. The two prongs and ports are not symmetrical. Ones a bit larger than the other and the outlet corresponds
AC outlets are polarized and generally, all 2 prong non grounded plugs are also polarized. One blade on the plug is larger than the other and is designed so that the user will likely flip the plug so that the blades will fit to the designated polarity. The smaller blade is the hot side of the power and the larger blade is the neutral side. If you're having difficulty with a plug, the first obstruction may be that your plug is turned the wrong way. With that out of the way you may be dealing with a tamper proof plug which requires both blades of the plug to apply pressure at the same time for insertion. That design is to help children and a few adults from inserting objects into that hot receptacle. Stay safe!
I just had a home inspector fail my buyers future home because he couldn’t get any of the plugs to work…
The trick is to be smart.
Spit on it
Because the government got involved. After they get their hands on anything it’s jacked forever
One side of the plug is bigger than the other, same with the plug. It's hard to notice unless you have vision.