I've never encountered an a TR outlet that didn't require an unreasonable amount of force to plug into it. Fighting me on something as mundane as plugging in a coffee grinder when all I want is my damn coffee makes me furious.
Why would I buy something that prevents me from using the primary function of the product? Most of the time, the protective system is binding me and preventing its use. It would be the same as buying a car, but the brakes are engaged most of the time. Sell me a device that has a system that works, and I will buy it.
I had five kids, and they are all grown now. I used those plastic plugs, and I never had any problems. If you don't want to change your outlet get the plugs. They are cheap, and effective.
better question, did any of your kids remove a plastic plug? Or did they know that playing with plugs is like playing with cars on the highway? Kids are not stupid, but it seems adults are who make it really hard for us to plug a plug into an outlet.
@@samjones1954 There were no tamper-resistant outlets or plastic plugs when I was of an "experimental" age. I remember my parents keeping a keen eye out and being removed from in front of an outlet twice - I could not have been more than three years old. Yes, I had a house key all ready to insert on both occasions. I also remember being talked to very sternly about how dangerous that was, and I left them alone after that. The stern talk didn't scar me for life, either, because I did not become afraid of outlets, just very respectful.
@@agcons me too.. my mom just told me that I would get hurt if I did that. Never did till I was a teenager and was learning electronics and electricity, but I knew what I was doing and knew where the dangers are.
I'm an old and TR outlets are so much harder to put a plug into. My hands and fingers aren't strong enough an it hurts my joints to try to work the plug into them. Also, the electrical boxes in my house aren't very deep. Some of these new features make the outlet so clunky, they just won't fit. Switches with timers, wireless-enabled, outlets with USB added...they won't fit in my old metal boxes. I won't be putting a bobby pin into an outlet anytime soon; I've lived in my 1951 rambler for almost 30 years and I'll let the new owner put them in if they need them.
It's feature you have to design in from the start, like they did with BS1363, for it to have any hope of working right. And despite all of its flaws, NEMA 1-15/5-15 is never ever ever ever ever EVER going away. We can't even use a similar mechanism using the ground pin because almost all appliances are ungrounded unless the manufacturer really couldn't come up with a double insulated design. So any TR implementations for us will always be avoided whenever possible and never work well in the few places they're used.
I think the key with TR outlets is getting used to them. You have to put the plug in perfectly square. If you are at a slight angle, then it can take a lot of force to insert the plug.
I like that you disassembled the outlet to better explain and show how the TR feature works or doesn't. Thanks for bringing this to light. I also don't choose the TR outlets to install because I feel like I have to fight the outlet each time I try to plug in something from past experience.
Only if they are buying cheap contractor grade TR Outlets which do not function well....... If you purchase quality TR outlets they function flawlessly! TR Outlets are not deeper than a non-TR outlet...
Great to see that I am not alone. Absolutely frustrating. I have stockpiled a lifetime supply of non-tamper outlets just in case they become unavailable someday.
I did the same thing when I was maybe six years old. Was goofing around with a plug to socket adapter at a wall outlet and got my finger against the hot prong.
Parents today think they have to protect their children from everything. They are not letting them learn on their own. They are raising children made of glass and will be sorry for it someday. If it's not going to kill them, let them do it and learn themselves. Do not be afraid of natural selection, unless your genes are the ones nature is trying to get out of the pool.
Same but I was taking out an outlet when I was like 10 and touched the sides as I pulled it out. Learned that day you have to turn the breaker off first lol I took apart everything as a kid
GERMANY actually has 'safe outlets' but not yet when I grew up (or maybe the soft wire bypassed the safety - doubt it , we're talking 1958) ..... but I took the wires of a 12V electric motor for an erector set and stuck them in .... whole house went dark (glass fuses) .... my parents told me the found me sitting dead center, as far away as possible from any wall, still holding the leads with a 'wth' look on my face ..... lol
If you really want to hate TR outlets, try using a weather resistant & tamper resistant outlet outdoors in cold weather. You can't plug an extension cord in with both hands no matter how hard you push.
Only if they are buying cheap contractor grade WR/TR Outlets which do not function well....... If you purchase quality WR/TR outlets they function flawlessly!
Agreed. Trying to plug my heat gun into the WR/TR outlet when trying to thaw out my AC condensation line during the polar vortex last month here in GA when it was -10 with windchill, made lots of 4 letter words come out of my mouth.
We finished my basement 2 years ago. It is a small basement, 300 sq ft. We built a closet around our furnace and water heater, put in a small closet for my wife's crafts, and the rest is just 1 open space divided into 2 sections: my office (I work from home 100%) and my wife's craft design area. We had rough in plumbing when the house was built, but did not use it, so no bathroom or sink. The inspector required us to use the TR outlets. They are so hard to push in the plugs that we've broken several of them. Completely useless!
@@scallywag1716 Check out NEC 406.12. They are unfortunately required in all dwelling units unless your jurisdiction (state, county or city) decides not to implement that portion of the NEC.
You have a set-up for a sink so the inspector was insisting on a GFI. A tamperproof receptacle does nothing for you and does nothing to solve any potential problems in a wet location.
Only if they are buying cheap contractor grade TR Outlets which do not function well....... If you purchase quality TR outlets they function flawlessly!
All UK 13 amp. socket outlets are required to have protective shutters fitted which l guess helps with lowering the overall cost due to higher manufacturing volume. I am also aware that UK outlets are physically bigger so provide more scoop to fit a shutter arrangement that in most cases is operated by the insertion of the slightly longer earth (ground) pin which does make for a smoother operation when inserting the plug. Keep up the great videos and stay safe.
Exactly this. It's not a problem here. UK sockets / plugs are the best standard tbh. As for cost I see your point but given respective population numbers not sure about the economies of scale.
The UK plugs are designed better than the ones used in North America in terms of safety. Only issue with having the ground operate the shutter here is that not everything requires a ground pin, so you'd need a work around for all old devices.
@@jeevana.6391 Yes. We have 3 pins on all plugs. Where it is a two wire connection the earth pin is simply left unwired. Or typically for a pre wired connection the earth pin is a dummy made of nylon,/plastic. So yes you would need to replace the plug where it has only 2 pins.
I have an old 50's house entire with 2 prong outlets and wired with 12-2. Replacing all with commercial Legrand (non tamper) and add GFI at the breaker panel. All the boxes are small and I am using the Wagos instead of wire nuts.
It's also a long-term use product where its niche feature will only be of use for maybe a few years once the kid is old enough then it's just an annoying outlet
I just looked at an outlet that've been meaning to replace for months now. I was having the issues that you mentioned with the plug not going in and sure enough, the outlet has a TR on the front. I know nothing about replacing an outlet and was just going to wing it via youtube videos of course 😁. But at least now I know the reason why several outlets in this flipped home are having issues. Cheap TR outlets installed to pass inspection. This was a revelation. Thank you!
Never trust a flipped home. Test everything! Try to rattle some of the walls and all the doors doors. Take a power tester with you and test every room, at least in one spot. Check calking and flashing around the exterior. Check for signs of water damage both where pipes are visible and around windows and doors. Make a check-off list. It's not hard these days to be your own home inspector. YT has dozens of sources to learn from.
@@mrcryptozoic817 That only applies if you have the money to pay cash. If you're financing, your home is inspected well enough for the bank to lend you the money, and the insurance company to cover the house. You're NOT going to be that good from watching a YT video. You damn sure aren't going to do a good job inspecting the electrical system.
@@lordgarion514 I wasn't describing perfection. I should have specifically said "At Least". You CAN help yourself a lot on your own. And there are plenty of documented home flip disasters. Don't walk in and be stunned by a new kitchen and nice draperies then say "I'll buy it".
I have a beach home in Baja, Mexico. When remodeling the home, I noticed many of the outlets were rusted and corroded. I installed tamper resistant as not only a safety feature for future grandkids, but to help minimize future rust and corrosion. Not sure if my thought process is valid but we’ll see over time. Thanks for your channel, it’s helped me tremendously!
Things cannot oxidize below 35% relative humidity. You will almost always never get this close in real world scenario, but the closer you are the slower the oxidation. Things are coated for anti corrosion anyways so keeping humidity low will help extend this coating
@@MadLadCustoms Fully understand that but…we are on the beach. The weather ranges from 45 with the same dew point and near hurricane like winds and salt spray to 120° and no humidity. Bottom line, it’s a beach house and salt intrudes so I’m just trying my best to prolong and damage.
Only if they are buying cheap contractor grade TR Outlets which do not function well....... If you purchase quality TR outlets they function flawlessly!
Personally I've always used the Leviton TR outlets, always seemed to work well enough, to the point you basically don't even notice, unless of course you try to plug something in off center or to one side. Just need to make sure you inserting the plug in relatively square.
The first use seems stiffer than subsequent uses. I've been replacing the existing backstab outlets in my house with TR outlets. The existing outlets quite often break in my hands while releasing the wire, which is why I keep at it. I don't really notice any extra stiffness in normal use.
That's what the builder used in my house. A few of them had bad shutters but most were okay after a few uses. As the years went by though I've had to replace a bunch of them. Most recently the one on my front porch when I couldn't get the Christmas lights to plug in no matter what I tried. Unfortunately I've had to return several of the replacements as they didn't accept plugs fresh out of the box. I've installed a number of receptacles with USB ports and some had the same problem. At least with those the cover is screwed on from the back so I was able to remove the shutters in the bad ones.
I put some of those in they are fine, not sure what the hate is about. I put them in some of the most used outlets so they wouldn't need those plastic plug covers, no one has noticed. I'm more concerned the mechanism will break rather than having any issues plugging things in.
@@johnhaller5851 They break because you're pulling them straight out. Had an electrician show me how to do it. Grab the wire with pliers, and then while pulling on the wire, twist the outlet back and forth. It will "walk" the wire out.
Only if they are buying cheap contractor grade TR Outlets which do not function well....... If you purchase quality TR outlets they function flawlessly! TR Outlets are not deeper than a non-TR outlet...
I had such a bad experience with difficult contractor grade TR outlets that I have been removing them and replacing them with standard (albeit better grade) outlets.
Standard outlets are designed to not allow little fingers to touch the energized metal. The only way to get shocked with a standard outlet is by inserting a piece of metal such as a paper clip.
After coming to our current house I was frustrated as to why I couldn't plug in electrical devices. It was only 8 years later that I came to realize these plugs and their purpose. Once I saw your disassembly of one did I come to realize my approach to plugging in was wrong. Since then plugging in has been much easier. Not perfect but definitely easier. Thanks for the thorough explanation.
I recently finished a new sub panel install in a detached garage as a diy project. I Decided to add a new circuit with six outlets at workbench height. The Inspector wouldn't approve the final inspection until I put the TR outlets in. Kind of silly given the location. My question is if this was truly done for safety by the NEC or just another way to make a few bucks by the manufacturers? There have been cheap plastic outlet plugs available for years to solve this problem. Anyone with kids has used them and any homeowner can put them in without any skill. I'd venture to guess more of those are in use than TR outlets and are likely just as effective, if not more so because of their ease of use and availability. Anyway, thanks for the great videos and content. Your channel helped a ton with my project and after changing out the outlets the inspector was happy. Keep it up!
It is a money grab between manufacturers and corrupt politicians, like AFCI. Next time don't call for a permit, why would you pay to have someone give you a hard time? I am a GC and many building inspectors miss clear violations and get hung up on certain "issues" some of which meet code!
Two things at work here: (1) Kickbacks by manufacturers getting stuff made mandatory in order to sell higher cost crap. (2) Protecting out-of-control kids since parents no longer teach them things like how to stay alive without being in a bubble. MY SUGGESTION: Forget tamper resistant receptacles and the like, and take the stupid warning labels off products. You know the ones - labels on appliances warning not to use in bathtub, pool, or whatever. It would be best to JUST LET STUPID WORK ITSELF OUT.
I tried to research this issue when I ran into TR's for the first time. What I found was most childhood electrocutions fell into a few categories. Most were either malfunctioning appliances, construction problems, or older kids hitting lines with a ladder they were carrying unsupervised. TR's would help with none of that. I found that very small children presented at hospitals with shocks on a fairly regular basis, but were typically released without treatment, since they often only contacted the hot and did not have a good path to ground (through carpet or wood or socks or whatever). While I'm sure TR's have prevented some of that, I haven't found any data on TR's having been able to prevent, or actually preventing any fatal electrocutions in children. I think they're still too new to know, but I suspect they may increase other dangers involving electrical shock hazards, since people are putting a lot more force into their outlets and potentially damaging wire insulation. An outlet "failing" due to a worn TR shutter entirely may result in inappropriate use of extension cables etc. So is the cure worse than the disease here?
We have a home daycare and I have installed tamper resistance outlets in most of the standard outlet locations throughout my house. Yes, some seem to be problematic, but most work fine. Previously, I found that the safety covers were too difficult to remove when that outlet was needed and were easily lost, broken, or not replaced. An unprotected outlet is a huge deficiency for a daycare and can cause you to be shut down.
I totally get it. I bought one of these tamper-proof outlets by mistake, and after I installed it and tried to plug something in, I couldn't. It was frustrating to me as a DIY'er... Thinking that either I had messed something up, or had purchased a faulty product. Well, long story short, I won't be buying the tamper-resistant receptacles Because they are a pain in the butt.😬
You're absolutely right about the design functionality and it's lacking thereof. From a customers point of view, it is my number one complaint that I receive. As from an electrician's standpoint of new construction homes 🤔 trying to keep the costs down and forced to put in the cheapest Eaton brand. Thanks for sharing the video.
The electrician who wired my shop said that he had to put in TR receptacles. They totally suck. I have to fight to plug anything in. I don't know if it's the brand or what. All I know is that they are difficult to use and they may get replaced here shortly. I've been zapped by 120 quite a few times and I'm still kicking. Stop looking at my twitching eye! 😁
I have gotten a shock by light socket when I was a kid, small shock from replacing a ceiling fan , and struck by lightning..thankfully I'm still kickin
@Bert Hongo The electrician was following the NEC Codebook 406.12. That basically requires them everywhere, but as Kamerashy stated, they are located 5-1/2 feet above the floor.
Replaced all my outlets with Leviton TR outlets this summer. Bought in bulk on Amazon. I have young kids so safety is my priority. I have no issue with them so far. Most things stay plugged in. For ones that are plugged in/out regularly they don’t have any struggle. Will see how they do over time.
September 2021 we were replacing old outlets in a place that was a recent purchase for us to retire to.. We had to buy 6 or 8 of the TR design outlets to finish the project. A few home improvement stores we visited were out of stock of regular decora 15amp outlets. No estimated arrival time of stock. The TR outlets are a PITA to use
Only if they are buying cheap contractor grade TR Outlets which do not function well....... If you purchase quality TR outlets they function flawlessly! TR Outlets are not deeper than a non-TR outlet...
I have installed them almost everywhere per code. They are not that bad. Just wiggle the plug side to side a little when you plug it in. My daughter was the one that put a chain of paperclips in each side years ago. She hot a big surprise.
Ditto...code here requires it so I installed them. A little wiggle lets the cord go right in. Rarely have any issues unless someone had badly bent the prongs on the plug and they're no longer aligned.
You can do the same if you push in two paperclips at the same time. The child that does this could end up in cardiac arrest. Wiggling them in can cause the prongs to bend. This has already happened to me several times. You can buy outlet covers to make the outlets safer.
Just got done upgrading my house with Eaton Arrowheart TR outlets and the shutter system has worked great and have no problems plugging anything in. The Eaton GFCI outlets however can be pretty tough with TR I've noticed.
I agree with you and installed about 40 of these in a remodel recently. The Eaton Arrowheart TR’s are working fine and haven’t presented any issues with excessive tightness. NFPA NEC 2020 explicitly requires TR receptacles.
I replaced some probably 20 year old regular outlets in my house that were very loose. One small tug and the plug falls out, which was very annoying when using things like a vacuum cleaner. I replaced them with TR outlets and I actually like they're very tight and snug, they feel more secure and they eventually get more loose over time so its not as difficult to plug in stuff now. Overall, I think they're nice and if they're safer to use, especially with kids, why not!
I had the exact same reasoning. Added a couple outlets in a bedroom-turned-office where my copiously large MacBook Pro wall wart was consistently falling out. It's been snugly in the new leviton TR outlet for months now without issue.
The struggle of plugging something in is the reason I usually stay away from them. I think installing them in a kid’s bedroom or playroom would be a the reason I would install them.
Unfortunately building code in residential areas now requires any outlet that is below 5 ft from the ground must use tamper resistant outlets. It really sucks! I am no electrician, but remodeled my basement two years ago and the building inspector required us to use those. It is so hard to plug into them that we have broken a few of the outlets. Really makes me feel good about how safe they must be. I'm sure a kid could easily injure themselves messing around with a broken outlet.
@@billyoung8118 Nope, they couldn't. If they don't touch both wires, they aren't grounded well. Not being grounded is why birds can sit on bare high voltage lines. Dry wood, carpet, and vinyl are horrible conductors. So you don't get much of a shock. That's why almost no one gets electrocuted by plugs in America. They get electrocuted by damaged cords and shorted out appliances. These let you "touch" both wires at the same time, giving the electricity a complete path to ground, through your body.
@lordgarion514 the cover of the plate was actually broken, cracked. The kids seeing that could easily pry it off and play with whatever's inside. I'm not talking about the cover that's screwed over the outlet, I'm talking about the plastic on top of the outlet itself, what the plug pierces through to hit the conductors inside. That makes it very possible kids can get hurt. FWIW I have a B.S. in electrical engineering and am extremely knowledgeable about current flow.
It really sucked for me because I had an electrician redo my cabin before I moved in then replacing all toe GFI etc because they were so hard to use. Reminds me why I bought a cabin in the woods where I can build what I want not what some overpaid corrupt government official want.
Stop buying cheap contractor grade TR Outlets which do not function well....... If you purchase quality TR outlets they function flawlessly! TR Outlets are not deeper than a non-TR outlet...
A friend visits your home with a small child. They come to help you with something in the kitchen leaving the child alone for a short time. During that time child finds something like a metal knitting needle and ... You can guess the rest. If a TR outlet is difficult to use then it’s either badly designed, badly made or damaged.
I have an old house and had a bunch of loose outlets. I went with commercial tamper resistant outlets on everything, I think I ended up using just over 24 outlets. I had at the time a 3 year old now going on 7. Lets just say they've worked very well with her shoving things in the plug's and even pulling out the child proof cover's. Little hard at first but a few plug in's the resistance to insertion is a lot less. I used leviton outlets with nylon wallplates, just basically because there's a home depot not even a mile down the street. This kid figured out most of the child proof stuff sold with ease but those TR plugs, they got beat up and never failed to protect.
I hate those things. Was trying to help my dad out at his house with a GFCI outlet. The GFCI tester wouldn't even go into the outlet to test it. And the electrical tester I use wouldn't go into the hot side to even test it since it needs both prongs going in at the same time. Terrible.
I accidentally bought them for my shop I recently rewired. I thought these black receptacles would look cool. Hate those things!! I got to change em out.
No clue why the first one didn't go in. But the second sounds like an idiot stick. They don't need to be inserted to work. Just remove the cover and get it near the wire.
@@todd2456 Not gonna lie, it's better to test everything before you cover it all up. Learned that the hard way when we had a GFCI bad from the factory.
When my daughter was little, I swapped a bunch out for tamper resistant that were low on the wall and easily accessible by her. This is because those little child safety caps can be pulled off easy. I caught her once playing with an outlet, that was reason enough for me to change them. If I had to replace them again, now that she is grown up, it would be with a non tamper resistant version.
Honestly, how many people here have ever been shocked by a standard outlet by sticking a foreign object in there? I've never heard of it happening. I'll stick with the standard outlets because the price point of TR is not worth preventing the thing that I've literally never heard of happening. If you want to childproof it, just use those plastic outlet covers.
I forgot these things existed. Haven't seen one in a decade at least. They are horrible. That plug needs to be square to the wall within a nanometer or it will jam. Everyone should just learn why not to jam stuff into electrical outlets by doing it once or twice.
@@michaeldunham3385 And why is making something that's not really dangerous, safer such a good thing??? 330 million people in America, almost none of the outlets are protected, and yet basically no one gets electrocuted by the plugs. They get electrocuted by damaged cords and defective appliances that are plugged in, not by the plug itself. You really do need to touch both wires to get electrocuted, touching one wire zaps you and makes your arm tingle and go partially numb for a few minutes at most. unless you're standing in water. Hell, cars are VERY dangerous I bet you don't advocate making their top speed 20mph to make them safer...... And yes, 20mph is plenty fast enough.
Interesting video. It would be helpful to mention that there is a specific way to insert a cord into a tamper resistant plug. For a two pronged cord, lay the two prongs on the lower edge of the plug at a slight angle with the cord end tilted down. Then just roll the plug into the outlet. Unfortunately, you have more difficulty using a three prong plug.
I've used Leviton. I find they tend to be a problem the first couple of uses. I also find that the problem, in general, tends to go away as users get used to going straight in with both prongs simultaneously. I've also run across some plugs that have, not just 2 different width prongs, but 2 different length prongs. They don't have to be off by much before the TR outlet won't let the plug in. I find that holding the plug slightly loosely as I start it in helps by allowing the plug to shift in my hand when the prongs make contact with the shutters, aligning the plug for a more, straight in alignment. I then tighten my fingers and push.
Couldn't have described it better. I use the same plugs, haven't had many issues...but there's always that 1 plug that you just can't get something plugged into.
One thing I found with Levitons is if you don't plug-unplug regularly they get stiff and sometimes need replaced. I've had to replace ones hardly used after 5 years or so and after unplugging my dishwasher, which had been plugged in for a looooong time I couldn't get anything to plug in there again.
I may be in the minority but I love these things. I've replaced about half the outlets in my house and used the tamper resistant ones in my son's room and ran them through a GFCI outlet where it came into the room. I can't mess around with no safety around this kid. A few weeks after I got all his outlets switched over he tried sticking a paperclip into one. He wasn't able to. I don't keep paperclips in the house because I've really got no need for them so I have no idea where it came from. Anyway, I'm really happy tamper resistant outlets exist and I love them.
I haven't had much issue with the Eaton commercial grade tamper resistant outlets. I have kids and don't mind spending $5 a pop for them. My most hated product in home electrical is the arc fault breaker. I've rarely had issues with GFCI breakers and outlets, but arc faults are horrible!
The homes most likely to need arc fault breakers are older homes and yet those are the ones least likely to be upgraded with AFCIs. New homes are required to have them and who knows if they will actually work 50 or 60 years from now when the connections throughout the house start to loosen up.
@@janderson8401 well, that's the point, for them to trip of there is a loose connection. Not to nuisance trip every time a window AC cycles in 80 degree weather.
I bought my house a year ago and replaced every outlet in my house with Leviton TR since most were worn out and I've never had an issue. Just put it in straight, slightly wiggle left to right and it goes right in.
Some places have code requirements for TR outlets for any new or retrofit applications. So yes, you can replace them with a non TR for yourself but if you need to call an electrician to do the work for your garage/attachment/new construction they have to go with TR outlets. BTW I found that you can "break" them in and just plug-unplug a quickly few times and afterwards they work just fine.
I use the TRs in places easily accessible to small children - floors, baseboards, walls, behind large appliances... but the the standard ones in places where the little ones could not reach (kitchen backsplash, bathroom outlets above the vanity...). So far, so good!
I have just replaced an old outdoor outlet with a TR one, thinking it was a good idea. I regretted it right away even before plugging anything into it. I tried to test it after installation with a voltage tester, the kind that has a plastic tip. Since it is necessary to "open" both the hot and neutral "gates" at the same time, I could not put the probe in deep enough to sense the current. I'll replace it with a non-TR one when the weather becomes warmer and when I can work with the caulking. I'll never touch the TR outlets again.
We call the single prong testers "idiot sticks", and you don't need to plug them in for them to work. Just remove the cover and get it near the wire. Doesn't even need to physically touch, just be close.
The trick is to plug something in (eg a cell phone charger) about 75%of the way, then test on that plug that is now making contact with the receptacle contactor. You can also use your tester directly on the plug ends at the same time.
If you add a new circuit greater than 6 ft. you are required to use TR Outlets! Let someone get hurt in your home with an item that you should have purchased diffectly by code and see what your homeowners insurance does if they is a liability issue...
I renovated our entire basement building 2 bedrooms, office with 7 plugs, and a complete 11.1 home theater room with 2 separate 20A plugs all using tamper resistant. A box of 10-15A, bought before covid, I think I paid ~$16 for each. I have now issues with them. The 20A one's I bought were Eaton's, obviously more expensive. Rest I believe were Leviton. Easy to wire, square tamper resistant not wildly expensive really than the cheap round crappy one's we grew up with. I see no issue's with them. Sometimes you have to stuggle a bit to get plugged into a new outlet that hasn't been used before, hence tamper resistant. Lol
When I was expecting my first child. I looked into those TR outlets. But it was the cost. For the price of 2 TR outlets I got a 50 pack of the plastic plugs that insert into the plugs. And for the baby room I just put heavy furniture in front of the outlets.
The first time I bought a TR receptacle, it was a Legrand with two USB connectors. The biggest problem I have with that was that the shutters were extremely stiff, it's like it was designed to expect a ground pin to be inserted. If if was just the two blades, it was tough, but if the ground pin was included, it seemed a bit easier to insert. However, when I replaced a few GFCIs with an Eaton/Cooper TR GFCI, those seemed to be a lot easier to use. Almost like they knew that not every plug is going to have a grounding pin. My mom, however, had some trouble plugging things into it, only for me to observe that she's been inserting them at a slightly awkward angle than what she had thought. Once I pointed out her actual issue, she readjusted, and adapted.
The residential grade Legrand TR receptacles are pretty glitchy, I find I have to really jiggle a plug to insert it, which is mildly annoying. I'd have a pretty hard time justifying its replacement with another TR receptacle, I would probably use a non-TR Legrabd commercial receptacle. I agree they're the best and I live 1/4 mile from Menards lol
I use them. Remodeled our kids bedroom and the playroom with the TR outlets. It's a peace-of-mind situation. Plus it's not that big of a deal on cost. The work great for us.
I recently replaced all the (backstabbed) outlets in my house with residential grade Leviton Decora tamper resistant outlets. I get the 10 packs from Home Depot. I occasionally have a little struggle when plugging something in, but I can't say it's been an issue in general. Maybe that brand is one of the good ones? The price difference isn't nearly as much as the ones in the video either. $13.48 for standard, $19.98 for TR. That's 50% more, not 250% more like the commercial outlets in the video.
I bought the same. I've never noticed any increased difficulty using them, and the price difference was similar and I say negligible when it comes to safety. I'm not understanding people's issues with these, I guess.
Never had an issue with them. I learned from an electrician friend of mine to angle the plug downward at the outlet openings and kind of roll the plug in. Rather than trying to go straight in as normal. Super easy.
I’m replacing the forty year old backstabbed receptacles in my house and I actually went with the commercial grade decora ones from Legrand. I had to order them from an electric supply shop because nobody around me carries them, so I only ordered enough for one room because I wanted to test them before doing the rest of my house specifically because of how bad the TR mechanisms are at a friends house. I installed the first room and was quite surprised at how well they work, there’s almost no extra resistance and I probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the Legrand TR receptacle and any other non TR receptacle. The next day I went back to the shop and ordered enough for the rest of my house. Thanks for your videos by the way. They’ve been extremely helpful when it’s come to the finer details of swapping my receptacles and switches that can easily be overlooked.
Are you aware that the Contractor Grade are the lowest quality. Don't buy cheap contractor grade TR Outlets which do not function well....... If you purchase quality TR outlets they function flawlessly! TR Outlets are not deeper than a non-TR outlet... Let someone get hurt in your home with an item that you should have purchased diffectly by code and see what your homeowners insurance does if they is a liability issue...
From what I see, TR outlets are required by code. NEC 406.12: All 15 and 20 amp receptacles in seven common areas (including dwelling units) shall be listed tamper resistant receptacles. (paraphrased) Meaning - if you touch it as a project, it need to be up to code. Existing receptacles do NOT need to be TR. In my projects. I install TR outlets to be code compliant. They are quirky but they work.
When I was about 7 years old I did exactly what he describes and got a good jolt. I never did it again, but had I not reacted as quickly as I did, that decision may have been made for me on a permanent basis. This seems like a good idea that addresses a real problem (as opposed to so many so-called safety features that are really just Darwin candidate lawsuit prevention), it just needs some work to improve the design.
When I was growing up I got a pretty good jolt trying to unplug a big wall wart adapter, fingers slipped and grabbed both prongs while they were still party inserted. TR outlets require a lot more force not only when inserting the plug, but also while removing it. So they prevent one way of electrocuting yourself at the cost of making a different way of electrocuting yourself more likely lol
This is literally an anti-darwin mechanism. Remember darwin isnt just checking the child but also the parents. Theres alot of parents that shouldnt have kids, and this is preventing one of those checks. A good parent would install the plastic covers, a bad parent does nothing.
@@fctoashton No serious adult should be conflating natural selection, which humans have bypassed for several centuries, and any safety methodologies designed within a single lifetime, to reduce possibly lethal accidents. Seatbelts, along with modern auto design changes, halved the fatalities, which were once equal annually, to the entire American deaths in the entire Viet Nam war -about 55,000. Cynical, self-centered, self-righteous prigs believe they and their families, unique above all others, have a "right" of privilege, to flaut any law or restriction they find inconveniencing, believing their superiority makes them better arbiters of what regulations need apply - until they suffer a consequence, and sue everyone within arms reach, for damages.
So that what is the resistance I had to face on one of the plugs that o had in my rental. I never heard of them but unique product. I probably voted yes before I saw the one you took apart. I probably pass on and would not install. I hated every time I used it. Amazing video. Thank you for sharing
My college apartment had these tamper resistant outlets and every time I tried to plug something in it felt like I was one step away from breaking the outlet. It was always so difficult to plug anything in. I feel like those plastic covers work far better for keeping children from messing with them. At least when I was a kid it was a bit of a challenge to remove them.
Faced frustration with a tamper resistant outlet in an AirBnB (or similar, don't remember for sure) I had for a few days. I took a key, lined it up, gave it a good whack with my shoe, and no more problems. Even tho it was in the "long" (neutral) side I did wrap a sock around the key before pulling it out. 😁
Legrand’s TR outlets are my favorite. They work well, are good quality and it’s not difficult to plug something into it. Not to mention the “protective doors” are black and you can’t tell it’s TR by looking at it.
Depending where you live and your local codes you don't have a choice. Here in Ontario, Canada provincial code states that after a certain date, all new and updated duplex outlets are to be Tamper resistant.
I'm in Ontario and all of mine are getting replaced. I'm putting all regular receptacles in and I'll be buying a case of them to put away for replacements in case they stop making them. My kids are smart enough not to shove something into a receptacle and if one of them does it anyway, that's just my wife's side coming through. "Honey, pick Sparky up and give him a cookie."
@@michaeldunham3385 Has nothing to do with insurance. Older homes are not part of the new code. New homes require them. You am not required to retrofit older homes.
TR receptacles are a great idea. However, some of them are plug resistant. I use Leviton but Legrand is pretty good too. I don't have any bad brands. They're all pretty good. I have a 3 year old niece and a 12 month old niece and I babysit them a lot and so, I absolutely must have TR receptacles for sure! I plug and unplug equipment constantly and the TR is a must for me. My dad's RV had cheap quality receptacles and I replaced them with TR because I have 5 step nieces. I admire the idea behind the tamper resistance receptacles. I have to have them because of my 7 nieces total. A power cord is just going to hang there. Clock is just going to stay plugged in 24/7. An alarm system is too going to stay plugged in 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, 12 months a year, and so forth. But a lamp on the other hand, we've all done it, I've done it, I do it every time I shut off my metal halide fixture, all finished using it, reach down and jerk the plug to turn it off. I do it to my Christmas tree all the time, I do it to my metal halide light when I turn it off...unplug it to turn it off. I do it to my central vacuum powerhead to turn it off. But, no one ever remembers to reinsert the plastic caps, I don't. Well, when the receptacles are uncovered, that puts small children at risk. That's why I absolutely depend on tamper resistance receptacles. In fact, TR receptacles are all I buy because of my nieces. I had a ceiling mounted receptacle for a garage door opener go bad and I just threw up a tamper resistance receptacle because that was what I had on hand. That should illustrate how much I depend on tamper resistance receptacles because I babysit my nieces a lot and I love my nieces very much. So, naturally I am very protective of my nieces and I only buy tamper resistance receptacles for that reason.
When I was two I stuck a key into an outlet. Ended up in the emergency room and still have a scar on my thumb. Would have been protected by one of these outlets, even though they are inconvenient.
Thank you, I wondered why on the new outlets I have, it is almost necessary to hammer plugs into them. The resistance to insertion is painfully difficult on some of them. I have a couple of new outlest that I cannot use because I cannot plug in devices.
I use Leviton receptacles, and Home Depot has them at same price 10 for $50. They have a metal shutter on one side. Their design works well easily sliding a plug into them.
TR receptacles are a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Plastic plugs or protective cover plates with sliding doors work fine. These are very easy to swap out when your children or grandchildren are old enough to know better (may vary by child).
LOL, I just replaced 112 outlets in my house. I use the Eaton commercial grade outlets, that run about $1.98/ea in 10-packs. No WAY would I pay an additional $330 for unreliable tamper resistant outlets in a house that has 2 adults and 2 dogs.
Same thing as backup cameras on sub-compact cars. They install a compliance camera that you can't see clearly anyways and now everyone is distracted by touch-screen BS in cars instead of real buttons.
I've found that most people don't like the TR recpts because they are difficult to use. Unfortunately, whenever something becomes part of "code", the price of the product becomes unnecessarily exorbitant. And, their required use becomes more ubiquitous. Take GFI and AFI protection, for example. Just as you state, they may serve a purpose, however limited, but their use and installation multiplies with every code cycle. It's almost as if the code making panel is comprised of manufacturer reps forcing the new expensive products on the public. This is usually at the expense of the public or installing contractor as they become the unwitting R&D for these products; especially when they fail.
Indeed. Over the past few years, GFCI and AFCI & now TR are required on almost everything in the home. It looks like it is mainly a profit-driving measure.
Only if they are buying cheap contractor grade TR Outlets which do not function well....... If you purchase quality TR outlets they function flawlessly! TR Outlets are not deeper than a non-TR outlet...
20 seconds in... Residential electrician here... If you have problems plugging in a certain thing into a TR outlet, take a fine file to the edges of the prongs on the thing you're trying to do and create a sharper point to try and push the shutters open on the TR outlet. I hope this made sense, to all those out there that are trying to make simple home repairs. Peace and love from South Florida.
I bought a pack of 50 TR outlets on amazon for less than the cost of buying 20 standard outlets at Lowes. I generally prefer them just for how difficult it is to accidentally unplug something from them. Then again, I'm changing out the 40 year old receptacles in my house for new ones, so it only made sense to go for the better bulk deal. At the end of the day, they don't really have any cost difference unless you buy exclusively from brick and mortar stores.
Those bulk packages are junk... Only if they are buying cheap contractor grade TR Outlets which do not function well....... If you purchase quality TR outlets they function flawlessly! TR Outlets are not deeper than a non-TR outlet...
Anytime I have any issues requiring a lot of force plugging in a standard plug or even some 12V accessory plug in a car "cig lighter" outlet, I apply a bit of di-electric grease to the prongs. Makes a huge difference.
I put outlet covers that have a sliding cover that stops anything from being inserted that I used when my daughter was a toddler. Those are less complicated, don’t bind as easily, and have a lower price difference than standard covers when compared to tamper resistant plugs.
It had not even crossed my mind to replace all the outlets with TR, and I am already in the process of replacing all outlets (old outlets are old, standard, ivory with backstab connection, new are commercial grade, white, decora, and obv not backstab). I guess in my mind, it would make sense if we had little kids, but we don't.
I've been flipping houses for almost 8 years. We replace all outlets and switches. I've never seen an outlet that you didn't have both the screw connections and the holes to stab. Not old or new. They all have both.
As an electrician we only use temper resistance outlets . And when it comes time to plug test every outlet it is rare that we get through a house with no problem plugging in our GFCI testers. You would think it's because we were in a rush but no. Rushing would only cause unnecessary where on my tester Not to mention it would almost guarantee that it's not going to go in. With that said it's become a game of will it go in smoothly or will I have to waste 10 seconds fiddling with pointless shutters. Now that I'm thinking about it I'm curious if while passing them out aka standing in the center of the room tossing them toward the box. Is causing the shutter mechanism issues. You should do drop tests to see what average of tossed tamper resistant receptacles mess up versus non tossed. . I think I'm going to try and see if that makes a difference at work but you should do it for us
As a kid I used to handle all the tamper resistant items in the house, then when I was 5, I asked my parents why they got everything too difficult for adults to use... 🤦... One of those early moments of realization..
You’re too enamored with Legrand receptacles. If you’d have tried Hubbell TR receptacles, you’d know that they DON’T use SLIDE SHUTTERS for TR but instead TRAP DOORS that PUSH OUT OF THE WAY like swinging doors WITHOUT ANY BINDING or EXCESSIVE FORCE. You also neglected to tell that, since at least 2008, NEC 406.4(D)(5) REQUIRES replacement grounding-type receptacles MUST be TR receptacles.
Hey Brian, thanks for the feedback and I actually did go to the local supply house and picked up a fairly high end Hubbell GFCI with the trap doors to take a look but noticed Hubbell seems to use the shutters on some of their models and trap doors on others. Hubbell make great stuff just a little less available as compared to Leviton, Eaton, and Legrand.
Don’t know about where you live, but those child safety outlet covers are actually not up to code in my area! The reason is, if you have a looser fitting (possibly older residential grade) receptacle, your child can easily pull them out of the outlet! I remember pulling quite a few out myself when I was little!
@@quinnbattaglia5189 They feel like junk when the plug refuses to go in. Buy quality outlets if you want a solid feel without the headache of these things.
Replaced all my wall outlets with Leviton Decora TR... sometimes they work well, sometimes they give me grief even with the same plug. I don't find myself plugging and unplugging stuff that often, as something like our vacuum is now rechargeable, and the dock stays plugged in, so the safety factor with a Toddler in the house is a no brainer. Tried those safety cover plugs first but they caused more curiosity and tempted my kid to fiddle with the outlets more. When I do my kitchen outlets, I'll steer clear of the TR for most of them as the safety risk is much lower.
I also updated my house with Leviton Decora TR, and they've been pretty easy to use and operate reliably the very few times I ever need to plug something in. I suspect a lot of the frustration folks are experiencing is due to poor-quality outlets that only meet the bare minimum standards. I did pay through the nose for them, though, can't deny that.
@@JohnVance I didn't think the residential grade were that bad when bought in 10 packs, sure more than the cheapo builder grade.. Kitchen will get commercial those add a few more bucks.... It's the screw less wall plates that get you.
In our areas, central Arizona, the dust ends up clogging the shutter on the TR receptacles. I’ve never found them to be that much safer, similarly the tamper resistant medicine bottles.
I always use tamper resistant outlets when I do replacements. I've never had a problem with them. An extra $2 per outlet isn't going to make or break a budget for any of my projects.
It's not the price, it is the fact that they're a pain in the butt when you use them. If you don't get the prongs lined up absolutely perfectly they won't go in. You spoke of budget and projects, so I assume you're a contractor. Ask your previous customers how they like them after using them for a few months. I'll think you'll be surprised at their answers.
When you are struggling to get something plugged in to one and your finger slips and touches the prong, how much safer is that? These things are junk pushed by corrupt politicians and the corporations that will profit from them, same as AFCIs, same as a Nissan Versa having a backup camera. Then people wonder why housing, cars etc keep getting more expensive.
@@WillNeverforgetmypasswordagain I have them in my home and I’ve never had a problem. I haven’t gone back and asked specifically about them on other jobs but I’ve not had any complaints. I replaced every outlet with them in a building used for a kid’s track out camp. Having kid-safe outlets (and GFI on the first outlet after each breaker) was an obvious need on that project. It was also a code requirement. It’s been years but I think I used Eaton child-resistant outlets. Maybe I just had better luck with the brand I used. I’d attribute any problems with these things as a symptom of a larger problem. Most products in general just aren’t made very well these days. Manufacturing has mostly moved offshore and the only consideration is how cheaply things can be produced.
Since I live in a different part of the world with other outlets (Schucko) I must say I was surprised that those non-tamper-resistant outlets are still allowed. The only outlets that are not tamper resistant that are allowed are those already installed, afaik. There is one exception. The 3-phase sockets have no tamper resistance, but those are never installed indoors where children are supposed to be, but rather in a garage or an industry. (I have a 3-phase soccer in my garage. I can use it to charge my car with a portable "wallbox".)
@Phillip Banes Of you think that it should be allowed to install dangerous equipment where kids are supposed to live, then we can only agree to disagree.
Honestly the US plugs are a bad design. A child could still easily partially pull out a plug TR or not and touch the prongs and get shocked. I see this as a more likely scenario than a child inserting something into a receptacle even though it does happen.
Indeed that is how I received my worst outlet shock as a child. The plug was stuck partially out, and my finger slipped down behind while I was trying to pull it out.
As someone with kids, I started with a mix of tr outlets and the plastic covers for existing outlets. I eventually just replaced the first outlet in each chain with a gfci outlet. For the two kids rooms (which sadly is on one breaker) I replaced the breaker with an cafci one. That's how much I hated the TR outlets and the plastic covers.
As a former child, I can tell you that most of the likelihood of a kid tampering with an outlet has to do with the kid. I am not saying TR receptacles aren't a valid product. I don't recall ever trying to insert anything into an outlet. But On probably 2 occasions I purposely touched both prongs of a plug while it was partially inserted in the outlet, to know what it felt like. After the novelty of the brief "vibrating" sensation lost its allure, so did any further attempts. Much later, we used the plastic inserts when our kids were young. They could have easily defeated them, but never were interested in trying.
My mother frequently told the tale of how as soon as I could crawl, I'd make my way to where her vacuum was plugged in, and unplug it. She had to pen me up to finish the job. Experimentation has continued for decades since (with more electrical shocks, plumbing accidents, auto mishaps, ... than I can count).
I have TR all over from various brands and they all work with a little wiggling. Worth the safety. Not that big of a deal. Not perfect but if it just slows down an accident then worth it imho. By the way, anywhere grandkids are close to outlets, I put the clear plugs in also, so they have to do two things to get in trouble. Pull out the plug and then insert something.
They have these in the house we just bought. I will be changing them all out in the spring. I can't stand them. Let the kid stick the fork in the outlet. He'll be fine and he will never do it again. Let children explore and learn and stop mollycoddling them or we're going to end up with a bunch of losers who are afraid of everything and allergic to everything. Oh wait, we already have two generations of those people. edit: I have a huge family with over 100 when my side and my wife's side all come over at the same time. None of the kids have ever put anything in an outlet. I've never heard of a kid doing it, other than on television.
![Lil Uzi Vert - Chill Bae [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/D7F42F_JM3U/mqdefault.jpg)
I've never encountered an a TR outlet that didn't require an unreasonable amount of force to plug into it. Fighting me on something as mundane as plugging in a coffee grinder when all I want is my damn coffee makes me furious.
Yeah same here. He’s likes making it seem like a huge problem but it’s really not.
You probably don’t need TR on a kitchen counter
Wiggle it while you push.
Problem eased.
Why would I buy something that prevents me from using the primary function of the product?
Most of the time, the protective system is binding me and preventing its use.
It would be the same as buying a car, but the brakes are engaged most of the time. Sell me a device that has a system that works, and I will buy it.
@@TheHavocdog it’s not an issue, get some and find out.
I had five kids, and they are all grown now. I used those plastic plugs, and I never had any problems. If you don't want to change your outlet get the plugs. They are cheap, and effective.
Same here, except I have 3 grown kids,we used the door knob things too,and the cabinet locks.
better question, did any of your kids remove a plastic plug? Or did they know that playing with plugs is like playing with cars on the highway? Kids are not stupid, but it seems adults are who make it really hard for us to plug a plug into an outlet.
Yes, that's clearly the best solution. Those plastic plugs are impossible for. a young kid to extract
@@samjones1954 There were no tamper-resistant outlets or plastic plugs when I was of an "experimental" age. I remember my parents keeping a keen eye out and being removed from in front of an outlet twice - I could not have been more than three years old. Yes, I had a house key all ready to insert on both occasions.
I also remember being talked to very sternly about how dangerous that was, and I left them alone after that. The stern talk didn't scar me for life, either, because I did not become afraid of outlets, just very respectful.
@@agcons me too.. my mom just told me that I would get hurt if I did that. Never did till I was a teenager and was learning electronics and electricity, but I knew what I was doing and knew where the dangers are.
I'm an old and TR outlets are so much harder to put a plug into. My hands and fingers aren't strong enough an it hurts my joints to try to work the plug into them. Also, the electrical boxes in my house aren't very deep. Some of these new features make the outlet so clunky, they just won't fit. Switches with timers, wireless-enabled, outlets with USB added...they won't fit in my old metal boxes.
I won't be putting a bobby pin into an outlet anytime soon; I've lived in my 1951 rambler for almost 30 years and I'll let the new owner put them in if they need them.
I used to put Bobby pins in the outlets when I was a small kid, I liked the way they sparked.
It's feature you have to design in from the start, like they did with BS1363, for it to have any hope of working right. And despite all of its flaws, NEMA 1-15/5-15 is never ever ever ever ever EVER going away. We can't even use a similar mechanism using the ground pin because almost all appliances are ungrounded unless the manufacturer really couldn't come up with a double insulated design. So any TR implementations for us will always be avoided whenever possible and never work well in the few places they're used.
I think the key with TR outlets is getting used to them. You have to put the plug in perfectly square. If you are at a slight angle, then it can take a lot of force to insert the plug.
I have same problem. A combination of arthritis and mild parkinson's make using outlets harder with each passing year
@@daleatkin8927 I've had better luck going in at an angle
I like that you disassembled the outlet to better explain and show how the TR feature works or doesn't. Thanks for bringing this to light. I also don't choose the TR outlets to install because I feel like I have to fight the outlet each time I try to plug in something from past experience.
Only if they are buying cheap contractor grade TR Outlets which do not function well....... If you purchase quality TR outlets they function flawlessly! TR Outlets are not deeper than a non-TR outlet...
@@michaelholliday100 Ok good to know that about the better ones. Thanks.
Great to see that I am not alone. Absolutely frustrating. I have stockpiled a lifetime supply of non-tamper outlets just in case they become unavailable someday.
Quick little shock as a kid was a learning experience. Z a a a p! Only did it once
I did the same thing when I was maybe six years old. Was goofing around with a plug to socket adapter at a wall outlet and got my finger against the hot prong.
I stuck a bobby pin in it.
Parents today think they have to protect their children from everything. They are not letting them learn on their own. They are raising children made of glass and will be sorry for it someday. If it's not going to kill them, let them do it and learn themselves. Do not be afraid of natural selection, unless your genes are the ones nature is trying to get out of the pool.
Same but I was taking out an outlet when I was like 10 and touched the sides as I pulled it out. Learned that day you have to turn the breaker off first lol I took apart everything as a kid
GERMANY actually has 'safe outlets' but not yet when I grew up (or maybe the soft wire bypassed the safety - doubt it , we're talking 1958) ..... but I took the wires of a 12V electric motor for an erector set and stuck them in .... whole house went dark (glass fuses) .... my parents told me the found me sitting dead center, as far away as possible from any wall, still holding the leads with a 'wth' look on my face ..... lol
If you really want to hate TR outlets, try using a weather resistant & tamper resistant outlet outdoors in cold weather. You can't plug an extension cord in with both hands no matter how hard you push.
Only if they are buying cheap contractor grade WR/TR Outlets which do not function well....... If you purchase quality WR/TR outlets they function flawlessly!
You gotta wiggle that plug a little bit to get her in there. lols
Never had a problem with my weather resistant TR outlets.
Agreed. Trying to plug my heat gun into the WR/TR outlet when trying to thaw out my AC condensation line during the polar vortex last month here in GA when it was -10 with windchill, made lots of 4 letter words come out of my mouth.
@@macgyver03ga Because you or your contractor use cheap a$$ WR/TR receptacles! It is not an issue with quality receptacles...
Thank you for coming out with a non short, I prefer the insight and content you have in the video versus the short.
Ane luckily you were not well grounded otherise you most likely would have never done ANYTHING ever again!!!
We finished my basement 2 years ago. It is a small basement, 300 sq ft. We built a closet around our furnace and water heater, put in a small closet for my wife's crafts, and the rest is just 1 open space divided into 2 sections: my office (I work from home 100%) and my wife's craft design area. We had rough in plumbing when the house was built, but did not use it, so no bathroom or sink. The inspector required us to use the TR outlets. They are so hard to push in the plugs that we've broken several of them. Completely useless!
Huh? Are you sure inspector did not mean GFCI? Tamper resistant not required in any code I’m aware of….
Switch them out. You don't need inspections for changing your own outlets. You also want gfci in a basement because sometimes basements flood.
@@scallywag1716 Check out NEC 406.12. They are unfortunately required in all dwelling units unless your jurisdiction (state, county or city) decides not to implement that portion of the NEC.
You have a set-up for a sink so the inspector was insisting on a GFI. A tamperproof receptacle does nothing for you and does nothing to solve any potential problems in a wet location.
Only if they are buying cheap contractor grade TR Outlets which do not function well....... If you purchase quality TR outlets they function flawlessly!
All UK 13 amp. socket outlets are required to have protective shutters fitted which l guess helps with lowering the overall cost due to higher manufacturing volume.
I am also aware that UK outlets are physically bigger so provide more scoop to fit a shutter arrangement that in most cases is operated by the insertion of the slightly longer earth (ground) pin which does make for a smoother operation when inserting the plug.
Keep up the great videos and stay safe.
Exactly this. It's not a problem here. UK sockets / plugs are the best standard tbh. As for cost I see your point but given respective population numbers not sure about the economies of scale.
The UK plugs are designed better than the ones used in North America in terms of safety. Only issue with having the ground operate the shutter here is that not everything requires a ground pin, so you'd need a work around for all old devices.
@@jeevana.6391 Yes. We have 3 pins on all plugs. Where it is a two wire connection the earth pin is simply left unwired. Or typically for a pre wired connection the earth pin is a dummy made of nylon,/plastic. So yes you would need to replace the plug where it has only 2 pins.
I have an old 50's house entire with 2 prong outlets and wired with 12-2. Replacing all with commercial Legrand (non tamper) and add GFI at the breaker panel. All the boxes are small and I am using the Wagos instead of wire nuts.
It's also a long-term use product where its niche feature will only be of use for maybe a few years
once the kid is old enough then it's just an annoying outlet
I just looked at an outlet that've been meaning to replace for months now. I was having the issues that you mentioned with the plug not going in and sure enough, the outlet has a TR on the front. I know nothing about replacing an outlet and was just going to wing it via youtube videos of course 😁. But at least now I know the reason why several outlets in this flipped home are having issues. Cheap TR outlets installed to pass inspection. This was a revelation. Thank you!
Never trust a flipped home. Test everything!
Try to rattle some of the walls and all the doors doors. Take a power tester with you and test every room, at least in one spot. Check calking and flashing around the exterior. Check for signs of water damage both where pipes are visible and around windows and doors. Make a check-off list.
It's not hard these days to be your own home inspector. YT has dozens of sources to learn from.
@@mrcryptozoic817
That only applies if you have the money to pay cash.
If you're financing, your home is inspected well enough for the bank to lend you the money, and the insurance company to cover the house.
You're NOT going to be that good from watching a YT video.
You damn sure aren't going to do a good job inspecting the electrical system.
@@lordgarion514 I wasn't describing perfection. I should have specifically said "At Least". You CAN help yourself a lot on your own. And there are plenty of documented home flip disasters.
Don't walk in and be stunned by a new kitchen and nice draperies then say "I'll buy it".
I have a beach home in
Baja, Mexico. When remodeling the home, I noticed many of the outlets were rusted and corroded. I installed tamper resistant as not only a safety feature for future grandkids, but to help minimize future rust and corrosion. Not sure if my thought process is valid but we’ll see over time. Thanks for your channel, it’s helped me tremendously!
With what I've seen as far as electrical in Mexico, you far exceeded the norm...
Things cannot oxidize below 35% relative humidity. You will almost always never get this close in real world scenario, but the closer you are the slower the oxidation. Things are coated for anti corrosion anyways so keeping humidity low will help extend this coating
@@MadLadCustoms Fully understand that but…we are on the beach. The weather ranges from 45 with the same dew point and near hurricane like winds and salt spray to 120° and no humidity. Bottom line, it’s a beach house and salt intrudes so I’m just trying my best to prolong and damage.
These outlets are a curse to seniors with compromised hand strength.
Valid point for sure, they can be tough to use.
As a 73 year old, I agree!
Not just seniors, but people with arthritis, cancer, and other illnesses. You do not need those outlets if you have no children in the house.
TRs are a ridiculous device here. How many old people stick things in receptacles? What are you protecting them from?
Only if they are buying cheap contractor grade TR Outlets which do not function well....... If you purchase quality TR outlets they function flawlessly!
Personally I've always used the Leviton TR outlets, always seemed to work well enough, to the point you basically don't even notice, unless of course you try to plug something in off center or to one side. Just need to make sure you inserting the plug in relatively square.
The first use seems stiffer than subsequent uses. I've been replacing the existing backstab outlets in my house with TR outlets. The existing outlets quite often break in my hands while releasing the wire, which is why I keep at it. I don't really notice any extra stiffness in normal use.
That's what the builder used in my house. A few of them had bad shutters but most were okay after a few uses. As the years went by though I've had to replace a bunch of them. Most recently the one on my front porch when I couldn't get the Christmas lights to plug in no matter what I tried. Unfortunately I've had to return several of the replacements as they didn't accept plugs fresh out of the box. I've installed a number of receptacles with USB ports and some had the same problem. At least with those the cover is screwed on from the back so I was able to remove the shutters in the bad ones.
I put some of those in they are fine, not sure what the hate is about. I put them in some of the most used outlets so they wouldn't need those plastic plug covers, no one has noticed. I'm more concerned the mechanism will break rather than having any issues plugging things in.
@@johnhaller5851
They break because you're pulling them straight out.
Had an electrician show me how to do it.
Grab the wire with pliers, and then while pulling on the wire, twist the outlet back and forth.
It will "walk" the wire out.
Only if they are buying cheap contractor grade TR Outlets which do not function well....... If you purchase quality TR outlets they function flawlessly! TR Outlets are not deeper than a non-TR outlet...
I had such a bad experience with difficult contractor grade TR outlets that I have been removing them and replacing them with standard (albeit better grade) outlets.
Standard outlets are designed to not allow little fingers to touch the energized metal. The only way to get shocked with a standard outlet is by inserting a piece of metal such as a paper clip.
After coming to our current house I was frustrated as to why I couldn't plug in electrical devices. It was only 8 years later that I came to realize these plugs and their purpose. Once I saw your disassembly of one did I come to realize my approach to plugging in was wrong. Since then plugging in has been much easier. Not perfect but definitely easier. Thanks for the thorough explanation.
I recently finished a new sub panel install in a detached garage as a diy project. I Decided to add a new circuit with six outlets at workbench height. The Inspector wouldn't approve the final inspection until I put the TR outlets in. Kind of silly given the location.
My question is if this was truly done for safety by the NEC or just another way to make a few bucks by the manufacturers?
There have been cheap plastic outlet plugs available for years to solve this problem. Anyone with kids has used them and any homeowner can put them in without any skill. I'd venture to guess more of those are in use than TR outlets and are likely just as effective, if not more so because of their ease of use and availability.
Anyway, thanks for the great videos and content. Your channel helped a ton with my project and after changing out the outlets the inspector was happy. Keep it up!
It is a money grab between manufacturers and corrupt politicians, like AFCI. Next time don't call for a permit, why would you pay to have someone give you a hard time? I am a GC and many building inspectors miss clear violations and get hung up on certain "issues" some of which meet code!
Two things at work here:
(1) Kickbacks by manufacturers getting stuff made mandatory in order to sell higher cost crap.
(2) Protecting out-of-control kids since parents no longer teach them things like how to stay alive without being in a bubble.
MY SUGGESTION: Forget tamper resistant receptacles and the like, and take the stupid warning labels off products. You know the ones - labels on appliances warning not to use in bathtub, pool, or whatever. It would be best to JUST LET STUPID WORK ITSELF OUT.
I tried to research this issue when I ran into TR's for the first time. What I found was most childhood electrocutions fell into a few categories. Most were either malfunctioning appliances, construction problems, or older kids hitting lines with a ladder they were carrying unsupervised. TR's would help with none of that. I found that very small children presented at hospitals with shocks on a fairly regular basis, but were typically released without treatment, since they often only contacted the hot and did not have a good path to ground (through carpet or wood or socks or whatever). While I'm sure TR's have prevented some of that, I haven't found any data on TR's having been able to prevent, or actually preventing any fatal electrocutions in children. I think they're still too new to know, but I suspect they may increase other dangers involving electrical shock hazards, since people are putting a lot more force into their outlets and potentially damaging wire insulation. An outlet "failing" due to a worn TR shutter entirely may result in inappropriate use of extension cables etc. So is the cure worse than the disease here?
yeah screw TR's, if ppl really care about shocks just put a GFCI on each circuit. bit more money but way safer and much less hassle day to day
You are definitely right. Just finishing up renovation at my house. And already planning on switching them out.
We have a home daycare and I have installed tamper resistance outlets in most of the standard outlet locations throughout my house. Yes, some seem to be problematic, but most work fine. Previously, I found that the safety covers were too difficult to remove when that outlet was needed and were easily lost, broken, or not replaced. An unprotected outlet is a huge deficiency for a daycare and can cause you to be shut down.
I totally get it. I bought one of these tamper-proof outlets by mistake, and after I installed it and tried to plug something in, I couldn't. It was frustrating to me as a DIY'er... Thinking that either I had messed something up, or had purchased a faulty product. Well, long story short, I won't be buying the tamper-resistant receptacles Because they are a pain in the butt.😬
7:04
You're absolutely right about the design functionality and it's lacking thereof. From a customers point of view, it is my number one complaint that I receive. As from an electrician's standpoint of new construction homes 🤔 trying to keep the costs down and forced to put in the cheapest Eaton brand. Thanks for sharing the video.
The electrician who wired my shop said that he had to put in TR receptacles. They totally suck. I have to fight to plug anything in. I don't know if it's the brand or what. All I know is that they are difficult to use and they may get replaced here shortly. I've been zapped by 120 quite a few times and I'm still kicking. Stop looking at my twitching eye! 😁
😂
NEC does not require them if located 5-1/2 feet above the floor, which might be the case in a shop.
😂😂😂
I have gotten a shock by light socket when I was a kid, small shock from replacing a ceiling fan , and struck by lightning..thankfully I'm still kickin
@Bert Hongo The electrician was following the NEC Codebook 406.12. That basically requires them everywhere, but as Kamerashy stated, they are located 5-1/2 feet above the floor.
Replaced all my outlets with Leviton TR outlets this summer. Bought in bulk on Amazon. I have young kids so safety is my priority. I have no issue with them so far. Most things stay plugged in. For ones that are plugged in/out regularly they don’t have any struggle. Will see how they do over time.
September 2021 we were replacing old outlets in a place that was a recent purchase for us to retire to.. We had to buy 6 or 8 of the TR design outlets to finish the project. A few home improvement stores we visited were out of stock of regular decora 15amp outlets. No estimated arrival time of stock. The TR outlets are a PITA to use
Only if they are buying cheap contractor grade TR Outlets which do not function well....... If you purchase quality TR outlets they function flawlessly! TR Outlets are not deeper than a non-TR outlet...
I have installed them almost everywhere per code. They are not that bad. Just wiggle the plug side to side a little when you plug it in. My daughter was the one that put a chain of paperclips in each side years ago. She hot a big surprise.
Ditto...code here requires it so I installed them. A little wiggle lets the cord go right in. Rarely have any issues unless someone had badly bent the prongs on the plug and they're no longer aligned.
You can do the same if you push in two paperclips at the same time. The child that does this could end up in cardiac arrest. Wiggling them in can cause the prongs to bend. This has already happened to me several times. You can buy outlet covers to make the outlets safer.
I've found inserting the prongs using a downward angle and then wiggling it up and down works better.
Just got done upgrading my house with Eaton Arrowheart TR outlets and the shutter system has worked great and have no problems plugging anything in. The Eaton GFCI outlets however can be pretty tough with TR I've noticed.
I agree with you and installed about 40 of these in a remodel recently. The Eaton Arrowheart TR’s are working fine and haven’t presented any issues with excessive tightness. NFPA NEC 2020 explicitly requires TR receptacles.
I replaced some probably 20 year old regular outlets in my house that were very loose. One small tug and the plug falls out, which was very annoying when using things like a vacuum cleaner. I replaced them with TR outlets and I actually like they're very tight and snug, they feel more secure and they eventually get more loose over time so its not as difficult to plug in stuff now. Overall, I think they're nice and if they're safer to use, especially with kids, why not!
I had the exact same reasoning. Added a couple outlets in a bedroom-turned-office where my copiously large MacBook Pro wall wart was consistently falling out. It's been snugly in the new leviton TR outlet for months now without issue.
plugs are securely held because the receptacle is new. has nothing to do with the TR function. A new standard receptacle would be just as tight.
The struggle of plugging something in is the reason I usually stay away from them. I think installing them in a kid’s bedroom or playroom would be a the reason I would install them.
Unfortunately building code in residential areas now requires any outlet that is below 5 ft from the ground must use tamper resistant outlets. It really sucks! I am no electrician, but remodeled my basement two years ago and the building inspector required us to use those. It is so hard to plug into them that we have broken a few of the outlets. Really makes me feel good about how safe they must be. I'm sure a kid could easily injure themselves messing around with a broken outlet.
@@billyoung8118
Nope, they couldn't.
If they don't touch both wires, they aren't grounded well.
Not being grounded is why birds can sit on bare high voltage lines.
Dry wood, carpet, and vinyl are horrible conductors. So you don't get much of a shock.
That's why almost no one gets electrocuted by plugs in America.
They get electrocuted by damaged cords and shorted out appliances. These let you "touch" both wires at the same time, giving the electricity a complete path to ground, through your body.
@lordgarion514 the cover of the plate was actually broken, cracked. The kids seeing that could easily pry it off and play with whatever's inside. I'm not talking about the cover that's screwed over the outlet, I'm talking about the plastic on top of the outlet itself, what the plug pierces through to hit the conductors inside. That makes it very possible kids can get hurt. FWIW I have a B.S. in electrical engineering and am extremely knowledgeable about current flow.
1:38 because they suck to plug into haha
All the TR outlets I have encountered have been so frustrating to use I ended up replacing them.
It really sucked for me because I had an electrician redo my cabin before I moved in then replacing all toe GFI etc because they were so hard to use. Reminds me why I bought a cabin in the woods where I can build what I want not what some overpaid corrupt government official want.
Stop buying cheap contractor grade TR Outlets which do not function well....... If you purchase quality TR outlets they function flawlessly! TR Outlets are not deeper than a non-TR outlet...
At two minutes into the video my reason is...my kids are grown up and I don't need to worry about this.
A friend visits your home with a small child. They come to help you with something in the kitchen leaving the child alone for a short time. During that time child finds something like a metal knitting needle and ... You can guess the rest.
If a TR outlet is difficult to use then it’s either badly designed, badly made or damaged.
@@srfurley I tell everyone with kids that enters my house "this is not a child proof house" so they have a clear understanding to watch their kids.
You never know who might live in your house in the future
I have an old house and had a bunch of loose outlets. I went with commercial tamper resistant outlets on everything, I think I ended up using just over 24 outlets. I had at the time a 3 year old now going on 7. Lets just say they've worked very well with her shoving things in the plug's and even pulling out the child proof cover's. Little hard at first but a few plug in's the resistance to insertion is a lot less. I used leviton outlets with nylon wallplates, just basically because there's a home depot not even a mile down the street. This kid figured out most of the child proof stuff sold with ease but those TR plugs, they got beat up and never failed to protect.
I hate those things. Was trying to help my dad out at his house with a GFCI outlet. The GFCI tester wouldn't even go into the outlet to test it. And the electrical tester I use wouldn't go into the hot side to even test it since it needs both prongs going in at the same time. Terrible.
I accidentally bought them for my shop I recently rewired. I thought these black receptacles would look cool. Hate those things!! I got to change em out.
No clue why the first one didn't go in.
But the second sounds like an idiot stick. They don't need to be inserted to work. Just remove the cover and get it near the wire.
@@lordgarion514 I was trying to test several outlets quickly.
@@todd2456
Not gonna lie, it's better to test everything before you cover it all up.
Learned that the hard way when we had a GFCI bad from the factory.
When my daughter was little, I swapped a bunch out for tamper resistant that were low on the wall and easily accessible by her. This is because those little child safety caps can be pulled off easy. I caught her once playing with an outlet, that was reason enough for me to change them. If I had to replace them again, now that she is grown up, it would be with a non tamper resistant version.
socket to 'em
Honestly, how many people here have ever been shocked by a standard outlet by sticking a foreign object in there? I've never heard of it happening. I'll stick with the standard outlets because the price point of TR is not worth preventing the thing that I've literally never heard of happening. If you want to childproof it, just use those plastic outlet covers.
it's a nice learning moment! if they survive, they won't do it again! (if they do, well, they deserve it)
I love tamper resistant outlets and I purchased them due a previous video on this channel. They have worked well in my house.
I forgot these things existed. Haven't seen one in a decade at least. They are horrible. That plug needs to be square to the wall within a nanometer or it will jam. Everyone should just learn why not to jam stuff into electrical outlets by doing it once or twice.
I agree, let Darwin do his job. Sometimes with all these "They protect the kids" devices, we are ending up in a future like Idiocracy.
@@BrewMiester they're safer, why is that a bad thing?
@@michaeldunham3385
And why is making something that's not really dangerous, safer such a good thing???
330 million people in America, almost none of the outlets are protected, and yet basically no one gets electrocuted by the plugs.
They get electrocuted by damaged cords and defective appliances that are plugged in, not by the plug itself. You really do need to touch both wires to get electrocuted, touching one wire zaps you and makes your arm tingle and go partially numb for a few minutes at most. unless you're standing in water.
Hell, cars are VERY dangerous
I bet you don't advocate making their top speed 20mph to make them safer......
And yes, 20mph is plenty fast enough.
Interesting video. It would be helpful to mention that there is a specific way to insert a cord into a tamper resistant plug. For a two pronged cord, lay the two prongs on the lower edge of the plug at a slight angle with the cord end tilted down. Then just roll the plug into the outlet. Unfortunately, you have more difficulty using a three prong plug.
I've used Leviton. I find they tend to be a problem the first couple of uses. I also find that the problem, in general, tends to go away as users get used to going straight in with both prongs simultaneously. I've also run across some plugs that have, not just 2 different width prongs, but 2 different length prongs. They don't have to be off by much before the TR outlet won't let the plug in. I find that holding the plug slightly loosely as I start it in helps by allowing the plug to shift in my hand when the prongs make contact with the shutters, aligning the plug for a more, straight in alignment. I then tighten my fingers and push.
Couldn't have described it better. I use the same plugs, haven't had many issues...but there's always that 1 plug that you just can't get something plugged into.
One thing I found with Levitons is if you don't plug-unplug regularly they get stiff and sometimes need replaced. I've had to replace ones hardly used after 5 years or so and after unplugging my dishwasher, which had been plugged in for a looooong time I couldn't get anything to plug in there again.
I may be in the minority but I love these things. I've replaced about half the outlets in my house and used the tamper resistant ones in my son's room and ran them through a GFCI outlet where it came into the room. I can't mess around with no safety around this kid. A few weeks after I got all his outlets switched over he tried sticking a paperclip into one. He wasn't able to. I don't keep paperclips in the house because I've really got no need for them so I have no idea where it came from.
Anyway, I'm really happy tamper resistant outlets exist and I love them.
I haven't had much issue with the Eaton commercial grade tamper resistant outlets. I have kids and don't mind spending $5 a pop for them. My most hated product in home electrical is the arc fault breaker. I've rarely had issues with GFCI breakers and outlets, but arc faults are horrible!
Arc fault breakers are notorious for nuisance tripping. Totally feel your pain on those.
@@esl4058 yeah, refrigeration compressors in window air conditioners.
The homes most likely to need arc fault breakers are older homes and yet those are the ones least likely to be upgraded with AFCIs. New homes are required to have them and who knows if they will actually work 50 or 60 years from now when the connections throughout the house start to loosen up.
@@janderson8401 well, that's the point, for them to trip of there is a loose connection. Not to nuisance trip every time a window AC cycles in 80 degree weather.
@@nicholassmerk
But it's known they have a problem with brushed motors sometimes.
I bought my house a year ago and replaced every outlet in my house with Leviton TR since most were worn out and I've never had an issue. Just put it in straight, slightly wiggle left to right and it goes right in.
Some places have code requirements for TR outlets for any new or retrofit applications. So yes, you can replace them with a non TR for yourself but if you need to call an electrician to do the work for your garage/attachment/new construction they have to go with TR outlets. BTW I found that you can "break" them in and just plug-unplug a quickly few times and afterwards they work just fine.
Agreed- there is a "break-in" effect where they shutter action becomes much smoother, at least in the ones I have.
In many cases we have removed all TR after inspection for customers
I only use the TR's if that's all I can get. I'd rather spend more on a better quality outlet, than have to spend the same amount on a TR.
I use the TRs in places easily accessible to small children - floors, baseboards, walls, behind large appliances... but the the standard ones in places where the little ones could not reach (kitchen backsplash, bathroom outlets above the vanity...). So far, so good!
I have just replaced an old outdoor outlet with a TR one, thinking it was a good idea. I regretted it right away even before plugging anything into it. I tried to test it after installation with a voltage tester, the kind that has a plastic tip. Since it is necessary to "open" both the hot and neutral "gates" at the same time, I could not put the probe in deep enough to sense the current. I'll replace it with a non-TR one when the weather becomes warmer and when I can work with the caulking. I'll never touch the TR outlets again.
We call the single prong testers "idiot sticks", and you don't need to plug them in for them to work.
Just remove the cover and get it near the wire. Doesn't even need to physically touch, just be close.
The trick is to plug something in (eg a cell phone charger) about 75%of the way, then test on that plug that is now making contact with the receptacle contactor. You can also use your tester directly on the plug ends at the same time.
@@erikkarling2176
If you're testing for power using a cell phone charger, you can just connect the phone to the charger.
If you add a new circuit greater than 6 ft. you are required to use TR Outlets! Let someone get hurt in your home with an item that you should have purchased diffectly by code and see what your homeowners insurance does if they is a liability issue...
@@michaelholliday100 Before critising, perhaps you should take more care reading my post.
I renovated our entire basement building 2 bedrooms, office with 7 plugs, and a complete 11.1 home theater room with 2 separate 20A plugs all using tamper resistant.
A box of 10-15A, bought before covid, I think I paid ~$16 for each. I have now issues with them. The 20A one's I bought were Eaton's, obviously more expensive. Rest I believe were Leviton.
Easy to wire, square tamper resistant not wildly expensive really than the cheap round crappy one's we grew up with. I see no issue's with them. Sometimes you have to stuggle a bit to get plugged into a new outlet that hasn't been used before, hence tamper resistant. Lol
When I was expecting my first child. I looked into those TR outlets. But it was the cost. For the price of 2 TR outlets I got a 50 pack of the plastic plugs that insert into the plugs. And for the baby room I just put heavy furniture in front of the outlets.
The first time I bought a TR receptacle, it was a Legrand with two USB connectors. The biggest problem I have with that was that the shutters were extremely stiff, it's like it was designed to expect a ground pin to be inserted. If if was just the two blades, it was tough, but if the ground pin was included, it seemed a bit easier to insert.
However, when I replaced a few GFCIs with an Eaton/Cooper TR GFCI, those seemed to be a lot easier to use. Almost like they knew that not every plug is going to have a grounding pin. My mom, however, had some trouble plugging things into it, only for me to observe that she's been inserting them at a slightly awkward angle than what she had thought. Once I pointed out her actual issue, she readjusted, and adapted.
The residential grade Legrand TR receptacles are pretty glitchy, I find I have to really jiggle a plug to insert it, which is mildly annoying. I'd have a pretty hard time justifying its replacement with another TR receptacle, I would probably use a non-TR Legrabd commercial receptacle. I agree they're the best and I live 1/4 mile from Menards lol
I use them. Remodeled our kids bedroom and the playroom with the TR outlets. It's a peace-of-mind situation. Plus it's not that big of a deal on cost. The work great for us.
I recently replaced all the (backstabbed) outlets in my house with residential grade Leviton Decora tamper resistant outlets. I get the 10 packs from Home Depot. I occasionally have a little struggle when plugging something in, but I can't say it's been an issue in general. Maybe that brand is one of the good ones?
The price difference isn't nearly as much as the ones in the video either. $13.48 for standard, $19.98 for TR. That's 50% more, not 250% more like the commercial outlets in the video.
I built my house with these, have had good luck.
I just installed these too. I like them, and actually don't notice anything when plugging something into them.
I bought the same. I've never noticed any increased difficulty using them, and the price difference was similar and I say negligible when it comes to safety. I'm not understanding people's issues with these, I guess.
Same here and haven’t had any of the issues that the people in the comments are saying they have/had with TR outlets. Leviton is the way to go 👍🏼
Never had an issue with them. I learned from an electrician friend of mine to angle the plug downward at the outlet openings and kind of roll the plug in. Rather than trying to go straight in as normal. Super easy.
I’m replacing the forty year old backstabbed receptacles in my house and I actually went with the commercial grade decora ones from Legrand. I had to order them from an electric supply shop because nobody around me carries them, so I only ordered enough for one room because I wanted to test them before doing the rest of my house specifically because of how bad the TR mechanisms are at a friends house. I installed the first room and was quite surprised at how well they work, there’s almost no extra resistance and I probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the Legrand TR receptacle and any other non TR receptacle. The next day I went back to the shop and ordered enough for the rest of my house.
Thanks for your videos by the way. They’ve been extremely helpful when it’s come to the finer details of swapping my receptacles and switches that can easily be overlooked.
Are you aware that the Contractor Grade are the lowest quality. Don't buy cheap contractor grade TR Outlets which do not function well....... If you purchase quality TR outlets they function flawlessly! TR Outlets are not deeper than a non-TR outlet... Let someone get hurt in your home with an item that you should have purchased diffectly by code and see what your homeowners insurance does if they is a liability issue...
From what I see, TR outlets are required by code. NEC 406.12: All 15 and 20 amp receptacles in seven common areas (including dwelling units) shall be listed tamper resistant receptacles. (paraphrased) Meaning - if you touch it as a project, it need to be up to code. Existing receptacles do NOT need to be TR. In my projects. I install TR outlets to be code compliant. They are quirky but they work.
Backwards progress! Normal outlets just plain work, not kinda janky work. Too much government!
When I was about 7 years old I did exactly what he describes and got a good jolt. I never did it again, but had I not reacted as quickly as I did, that decision may have been made for me on a permanent basis. This seems like a good idea that addresses a real problem (as opposed to so many so-called safety features that are really just Darwin candidate lawsuit prevention), it just needs some work to improve the design.
When I was growing up I got a pretty good jolt trying to unplug a big wall wart adapter, fingers slipped and grabbed both prongs while they were still party inserted. TR outlets require a lot more force not only when inserting the plug, but also while removing it. So they prevent one way of electrocuting yourself at the cost of making a different way of electrocuting yourself more likely lol
This is literally an anti-darwin mechanism. Remember darwin isnt just checking the child but also the parents. Theres alot of parents that shouldnt have kids, and this is preventing one of those checks. A good parent would install the plastic covers, a bad parent does nothing.
@@fctoashton No serious adult should be conflating natural selection, which humans have bypassed for several centuries, and any safety methodologies designed within a single lifetime, to reduce possibly lethal accidents. Seatbelts, along with modern auto design changes, halved the fatalities, which were once equal annually, to the entire American deaths in the entire Viet Nam war -about 55,000.
Cynical, self-centered, self-righteous prigs believe they and their families, unique above all others, have a "right" of privilege, to flaut any law or restriction they find inconveniencing, believing their superiority makes them better arbiters of what regulations need apply - until they suffer a consequence, and sue everyone within arms reach, for damages.
So that what is the resistance I had to face on one of the plugs that o had in my rental. I never heard of them but unique product. I probably voted yes before I saw the one you took apart. I probably pass on and would not install. I hated every time I used it. Amazing video. Thank you for sharing
My college apartment had these tamper resistant outlets and every time I tried to plug something in it felt like I was one step away from breaking the outlet. It was always so difficult to plug anything in.
I feel like those plastic covers work far better for keeping children from messing with them. At least when I was a kid it was a bit of a challenge to remove them.
Tamper resistant outlets are also proper use resistant, that's why I don't use them.
Faced frustration with a tamper resistant outlet in an AirBnB (or similar, don't remember for sure) I had for a few days. I took a key, lined it up, gave it a good whack with my shoe, and no more problems. Even tho it was in the "long" (neutral) side I did wrap a sock around the key before pulling it out. 😁
Legrand’s TR outlets are my favorite. They work well, are good quality and it’s not difficult to plug something into it. Not to mention the “protective doors” are black and you can’t tell it’s TR by looking at it.
Depending where you live and your local codes you don't have a choice.
Here in Ontario, Canada provincial code states that after a certain date, all new and updated duplex outlets are to be Tamper resistant.
I'm in Ontario and all of mine are getting replaced. I'm putting all regular receptacles in and I'll be buying a case of them to put away for replacements in case they stop making them. My kids are smart enough not to shove something into a receptacle and if one of them does it anyway, that's just my wife's side coming through. "Honey, pick Sparky up and give him a cookie."
Do like the AFCI and install them for the inspection then immediately replace them with functional equipment.
@@randomvideosn0where and probably invalidate your insurance
@@michaeldunham3385 Has nothing to do with insurance. Older homes are not part of the new code. New homes require them. You am not required to retrofit older homes.
TR receptacles are a great idea. However, some of them are plug resistant. I use Leviton but Legrand is pretty good too. I don't have any bad brands. They're all pretty good. I have a 3 year old niece and a 12 month old niece and I babysit them a lot and so, I absolutely must have TR receptacles for sure! I plug and unplug equipment constantly and the TR is a must for me. My dad's RV had cheap quality receptacles and I replaced them with TR because I have 5 step nieces. I admire the idea behind the tamper resistance receptacles. I have to have them because of my 7 nieces total. A power cord is just going to hang there. Clock is just going to stay plugged in 24/7. An alarm system is too going to stay plugged in 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, 12 months a year, and so forth. But a lamp on the other hand, we've all done it, I've done it, I do it every time I shut off my metal halide fixture, all finished using it, reach down and jerk the plug to turn it off. I do it to my Christmas tree all the time, I do it to my metal halide light when I turn it off...unplug it to turn it off. I do it to my central vacuum powerhead to turn it off. But, no one ever remembers to reinsert the plastic caps, I don't. Well, when the receptacles are uncovered, that puts small children at risk. That's why I absolutely depend on tamper resistance receptacles. In fact, TR receptacles are all I buy because of my nieces. I had a ceiling mounted receptacle for a garage door opener go bad and I just threw up a tamper resistance receptacle because that was what I had on hand. That should illustrate how much I depend on tamper resistance receptacles because I babysit my nieces a lot and I love my nieces very much. So, naturally I am very protective of my nieces and I only buy tamper resistance receptacles for that reason.
When I was two I stuck a key into an outlet. Ended up in the emergency room and still have a scar on my thumb. Would have been protected by one of these outlets, even though they are inconvenient.
Thank you, I wondered why on the new outlets I have, it is almost necessary to hammer plugs into them. The resistance to insertion is painfully difficult on some of them. I have a couple of new outlest that I cannot use because I cannot plug in devices.
Yeah, this exact issue is why so many people dislike TR outlets.
I use Leviton receptacles, and Home Depot has them at same price 10 for $50. They have a metal shutter on one side. Their design works well easily sliding a plug into them.
TR receptacles are a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Plastic plugs or protective cover plates with sliding doors work fine. These are very easy to swap out when your children or grandchildren are old enough to know better (may vary by child).
LOL, I just replaced 112 outlets in my house. I use the Eaton commercial grade outlets, that run about $1.98/ea in 10-packs. No WAY would I pay an additional $330 for unreliable tamper resistant outlets in a house that has 2 adults and 2 dogs.
Unreliable?
@@michaeldunham3385 Shutters jamming or breaking. The electrical side is going to be as reliable as the same model without TR.
@@JCWren never had a problem with shutters breaking or jamming
A 250% price premium is absurd. And TR is a shining example of government making all of our lives much worse to nanny-state parenting.
Same thing as backup cameras on sub-compact cars. They install a compliance camera that you can't see clearly anyways and now everyone is distracted by touch-screen BS in cars instead of real buttons.
I've found that most people don't like the TR recpts because they are difficult to use. Unfortunately, whenever something becomes part of "code", the price of the product becomes unnecessarily exorbitant. And, their required use becomes more ubiquitous. Take GFI and AFI protection, for example. Just as you state, they may serve a purpose, however limited, but their use and installation multiplies with every code cycle. It's almost as if the code making panel is comprised of manufacturer reps forcing the new expensive products on the public. This is usually at the expense of the public or installing contractor as they become the unwitting R&D for these products; especially when they fail.
Guess who the "experts"are on the board panels suggesting changes......industry insiders and investors
Indeed. Over the past few years, GFCI and AFCI & now TR are required on almost everything in the home. It looks like it is mainly a profit-driving measure.
Only if they are buying cheap contractor grade TR Outlets which do not function well....... If you purchase quality TR outlets they function flawlessly! TR Outlets are not deeper than a non-TR outlet...
20 seconds in... Residential electrician here... If you have problems plugging in a certain thing into a TR outlet, take a fine file to the edges of the prongs on the thing you're trying to do and create a sharper point to try and push the shutters open on the TR outlet. I hope this made sense, to all those out there that are trying to make simple home repairs. Peace and love from South Florida.
I bought a pack of 50 TR outlets on amazon for less than the cost of buying 20 standard outlets at Lowes. I generally prefer them just for how difficult it is to accidentally unplug something from them. Then again, I'm changing out the 40 year old receptacles in my house for new ones, so it only made sense to go for the better bulk deal. At the end of the day, they don't really have any cost difference unless you buy exclusively from brick and mortar stores.
I hope you like changing out broken TR receptacles
Bootleg Chinese most likely, or stolen from somewhere if legit.
What you really want are called spec or hospital grade outlets. They tend to cost a bit though.
Those bulk packages are junk... Only if they are buying cheap contractor grade TR Outlets which do not function well....... If you purchase quality TR outlets they function flawlessly! TR Outlets are not deeper than a non-TR outlet...
Landlord detected
Anytime I have any issues requiring a lot of force plugging in a standard plug or even some 12V accessory plug in a car "cig lighter" outlet, I apply a bit of di-electric grease to the prongs. Makes a huge difference.
I got a tamper resistant outlet but cant plug in anything. its like had no hole
The only reason I won't get them is not price. Tamper resistant plugs always bind when I try to shove anything in, especially in the dark.
I taught my children the hard way
Agreed.
Also, Darwin is a tough filter.
By electrocuting them?
I put outlet covers that have a sliding cover that stops anything from being inserted that I used when my daughter was a toddler. Those are less complicated, don’t bind as easily, and have a lower price difference than standard covers when compared to tamper resistant plugs.
It had not even crossed my mind to replace all the outlets with TR, and I am already in the process of replacing all outlets (old outlets are old, standard, ivory with backstab connection, new are commercial grade, white, decora, and obv not backstab). I guess in my mind, it would make sense if we had little kids, but we don't.
I've been flipping houses for almost 8 years. We replace all outlets and switches.
I've never seen an outlet that you didn't have both the screw connections and the holes to stab.
Not old or new. They all have both.
@@lordgarion514 They have both, but old outlets let you use 12 gauge with backstab, and newer ones only let you use 14 gauge.
As an electrician we only use temper resistance outlets . And when it comes time to plug test every outlet it is rare that we get through a house with no problem plugging in our GFCI testers. You would think it's because we were in a rush but no. Rushing would only cause unnecessary where on my tester Not to mention it would almost guarantee that it's not going to go in. With that said it's become a game of will it go in smoothly or will I have to waste 10 seconds fiddling with pointless shutters. Now that I'm thinking about it I'm curious if while passing them out aka standing in the center of the room tossing them toward the box. Is causing the shutter mechanism issues. You should do drop tests to see what average of tossed tamper resistant receptacles mess up versus non tossed. . I think I'm going to try and see if that makes a difference at work but you should do it for us
As a kid I used to handle all the tamper resistant items in the house, then when I was 5, I asked my parents why they got everything too difficult for adults to use... 🤦... One of those early moments of realization..
You’re too enamored with Legrand receptacles. If you’d have tried Hubbell TR receptacles, you’d know that they DON’T use SLIDE SHUTTERS for TR but instead TRAP DOORS that PUSH OUT OF THE WAY like swinging doors WITHOUT ANY BINDING or EXCESSIVE FORCE. You also neglected to tell that, since at least 2008, NEC 406.4(D)(5) REQUIRES replacement grounding-type receptacles MUST be TR receptacles.
Hey Brian, thanks for the feedback and I actually did go to the local supply house and picked up a fairly high end Hubbell GFCI with the trap doors to take a look but noticed Hubbell seems to use the shutters on some of their models and trap doors on others. Hubbell make great stuff just a little less available as compared to Leviton, Eaton, and Legrand.
The plastic plug caps are really cheap for the few years you need to protect your outlets.
Yeah, not a bad option for sure
We got the plastic plugs when our son was born (his 23rd birthday was today)and the same plugs are still there and working fine.
They just look silly, and can be removed.
Don’t know about where you live, but those child safety outlet covers are actually not up to code in my area! The reason is, if you have a looser fitting (possibly older residential grade) receptacle, your child can easily pull them out of the outlet! I remember pulling quite a few out myself when I was little!
Children can easily remove those plastic plugs-definitely a false sense of security there.
I think the most hated would be a FPE electrical panel, lol. I actually like the feeling of plugging something into a TR outlet.
Right? They feel so much more solid.
@@quinnbattaglia5189 They feel like junk when the plug refuses to go in. Buy quality outlets if you want a solid feel without the headache of these things.
@@randomvideosn0where seriously? I'm amazed that those without the shutters are still legal
I almost bought them to redo my basement (13 outlets), but you nailed it, price and jamming told me no!
Replaced all my wall outlets with Leviton Decora TR... sometimes they work well, sometimes they give me grief even with the same plug. I don't find myself plugging and unplugging stuff that often, as something like our vacuum is now rechargeable, and the dock stays plugged in, so the safety factor with a Toddler in the house is a no brainer. Tried those safety cover plugs first but they caused more curiosity and tempted my kid to fiddle with the outlets more. When I do my kitchen outlets, I'll steer clear of the TR for most of them as the safety risk is much lower.
I also updated my house with Leviton Decora TR, and they've been pretty easy to use and operate reliably the very few times I ever need to plug something in. I suspect a lot of the frustration folks are experiencing is due to poor-quality outlets that only meet the bare minimum standards. I did pay through the nose for them, though, can't deny that.
@@JohnVance I didn't think the residential grade were that bad when bought in 10 packs, sure more than the cheapo builder grade.. Kitchen will get commercial those add a few more bucks.... It's the screw less wall plates that get you.
In our areas, central Arizona, the dust ends up clogging the shutter on the TR receptacles. I’ve never found them to be that much safer, similarly the tamper resistant medicine bottles.
I always use tamper resistant outlets when I do replacements. I've never had a problem with them. An extra $2 per outlet isn't going to make or break a budget for any of my projects.
It's not the price, it is the fact that they're a pain in the butt when you use them. If you don't get the prongs lined up absolutely perfectly they won't go in. You spoke of budget and projects, so I assume you're a contractor. Ask your previous customers how they like them after using them for a few months. I'll think you'll be surprised at their answers.
When you are struggling to get something plugged in to one and your finger slips and touches the prong, how much safer is that? These things are junk pushed by corrupt politicians and the corporations that will profit from them, same as AFCIs, same as a Nissan Versa having a backup camera. Then people wonder why housing, cars etc keep getting more expensive.
@@WillNeverforgetmypasswordagain I have them in my home and I’ve never had a problem. I haven’t gone back and asked specifically about them on other jobs but I’ve not had any complaints. I replaced every outlet with them in a building used for a kid’s track out camp. Having kid-safe outlets (and GFI on the first outlet after each breaker) was an obvious need on that project. It was also a code requirement. It’s been years but I think I used Eaton child-resistant outlets. Maybe I just had better luck with the brand I used.
I’d attribute any problems with these things as a symptom of a larger problem. Most products in general just aren’t made very well these days. Manufacturing has mostly moved offshore and the only consideration is how cheaply things can be produced.
@@Lew114 Judging by everything else we've found in the house, I'd guess ours are the cheapest they could possibly have found.
@@randomvideosn0where Geez, I'd like to give you ten 'likes' for this comment, but can only give you one. Think of it as ten.
Since I live in a different part of the world with other outlets (Schucko) I must say I was surprised that those non-tamper-resistant outlets are still allowed. The only outlets that are not tamper resistant that are allowed are those already installed, afaik. There is one exception. The 3-phase sockets have no tamper resistance, but those are never installed indoors where children are supposed to be, but rather in a garage or an industry. (I have a 3-phase soccer in my garage. I can use it to charge my car with a portable "wallbox".)
@Phillip Banes Of you think that it should be allowed to install dangerous equipment where kids are supposed to live, then we can only agree to disagree.
Honestly the US plugs are a bad design. A child could still easily partially pull out a plug TR or not and touch the prongs and get shocked. I see this as a more likely scenario than a child inserting something into a receptacle even though it does happen.
Indeed that is how I received my worst outlet shock as a child. The plug was stuck partially out, and my finger slipped down behind while I was trying to pull it out.
@@Sylvan_dBinteresting that North America never adopted insulated sleeves on the pins like European plugs do.
Not to mention the contacts come loose over time
As someone with kids, I started with a mix of tr outlets and the plastic covers for existing outlets. I eventually just replaced the first outlet in each chain with a gfci outlet. For the two kids rooms (which sadly is on one breaker) I replaced the breaker with an cafci one. That's how much I hated the TR outlets and the plastic covers.
As a former child, I can tell you that most of the likelihood of a kid tampering with an outlet has to do with the kid. I am not saying TR receptacles aren't a valid product.
I don't recall ever trying to insert anything into an outlet. But On probably 2 occasions I purposely touched both prongs of a plug while it was partially inserted in the outlet, to know what it felt like. After the novelty of the brief "vibrating" sensation lost its allure, so did any further attempts.
Much later, we used the plastic inserts when our kids were young. They could have easily defeated them, but never were interested in trying.
My mother frequently told the tale of how as soon as I could crawl, I'd make my way to where her vacuum was plugged in, and unplug it. She had to pen me up to finish the job. Experimentation has continued for decades since (with more electrical shocks, plumbing accidents, auto mishaps, ... than I can count).
I have TR all over from various brands and they all work with a little wiggling. Worth the safety. Not that big of a deal. Not perfect but if it just slows down an accident then worth it imho. By the way, anywhere grandkids are close to outlets, I put the clear plugs in also, so they have to do two things to get in trouble. Pull out the plug and then insert something.
These are junk, great to give the option for section 8 landlords but the code should not be mandating what I do in my house.
They have these in the house we just bought. I will be changing them all out in the spring. I can't stand them. Let the kid stick the fork in the outlet. He'll be fine and he will never do it again. Let children explore and learn and stop mollycoddling them or we're going to end up with a bunch of losers who are afraid of everything and allergic to everything. Oh wait, we already have two generations of those people. edit: I have a huge family with over 100 when my side and my wife's side all come over at the same time. None of the kids have ever put anything in an outlet. I've never heard of a kid doing it, other than on television.