I have had three child night lights blow out in the same plug immediately after plugging them in. Other lamps seem to work fine in this outlet and a simple tester shows that basic proper wiring reads correct. Should I be concerned that there might be some kind of power surge going on here? Wiring is only about seven years old but the house was built in the fifties. I’d appreciate any feedback. Thanks.
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at first, I thought this said, "Ethical question..."
I am not an electrician but my first suspician runs to checking on the nightlight. many of them are extremely cheap and made in other countries with lower standards than here. Try using one of the same in other recepticles in your home.
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A run of defective night lights is possible. Most of these units, especially the ones that come in packs of three or more, are cheap 'dockside' imports of questionable lineage.
The other common cause is that the receptacle is damaged or worn out. Particularly a possibility if the receptacle was a unit of marginal quality to start with. Not an uncommon situation with these devices selected by lowest bidder electrical situations.
You can usually check this by noting how a two-prong plug feels going in and how it sits once in. A cord cap should slide in against some resistance and the receptacle should firmly grip the prongs. In this case holding the night light steadily upright. When You withdrawal the plug it should take some effort.
You can also check the plug for discoloration, usually a darkening of the brass or chrome, indicating overheating. Often there will also be a smell or overheated metal, melted plastic, smoke or ozone from arcing. If the bulb flickers if you slam a nearby door or whack the wall this is a sign.
If the receptacle does not grip the plug firmly enough to hold the night light upright or if the lite falls out when bumped the receptacle likely needs replacement.
Why would this blow out nightlight bulbs? Loose contacts increase resistance and that creates heat. This heat can conduct up through the metal of the plug into the base of the socket where it damaged the seal holding the glass bulb to metal sleeve and keeping the bulb a relative vacuum. Once this seal breaks the bulb stops working.
Thanks 4LORN for that detailed answer. I'll take a look to see if there is anything like you described with the outlet and replace it if necessary. Appreciate your time.
Thanks for responding. I have the same nightlight -one of those safety first brand lights- in another outlet on the same circuit in my kids room. That has been fine. It seems to be only this one outlet that has blown three bulbs. That is what has me puzzled.
just change the receptical ...
good one's gonna run ya, what ... $3.50?
Better safe than sorry ... you'll have it changed faster than I typed this message.
Jeff
Buck Construction, llc Pittsburgh,PA
Artistry in Carpentry
Sounds good. Always a good idea to regularly replace any receptacles that seem worn. As noted they are cheap.
To any giving this a go. Please be careful and DO turn off the power first. Double check with a good test light.
While we're on the subject, I have the same problem but it alternates on 4 different plugs (different circuits too). House built in '64, no ground. Could this be a plug problem or a ground problem.
4LORN would be the better to answer ...
but it could be something loose in the panel.
or ... depending on how old all 4 plugs are .... maybe just 4 worn plugs.
I'm sure 4Lorn will agree with me here ... than even circuit breakers "wear out" over time too .... not that this would be your problem ... but another thing to keep an eye on.
when remodeling .... if I have to work off one circuit ... and there's a daily "power struggle" ... as in .. everyone and everything is plugged into what ends up being one circuit breaker ... and it's tripped about a hundred times a day ... I have the electrician replace it after all the other wiring is sorted out. Both my electrician and myself believe that the breaker have a limited amount of "trips" in them ... each one takes it's toll .... and for the cheap cost of replacing one ... why not leave the home owners a brand new one?
JeffBuck Construction, llc Pittsburgh,PA
Artistry in Carpentry
I am not sure, but i don't think that AL wire (specially with/grd) was used them, but it might have been.
But it could be back stab connections. Specially if those are daisy-chained. You plug something in an it wiggles and works for a while , then fails and possilbe the ones down stream. Pull out the plug and the receptacle move around enough to work for a while.
Just for fun I would put a voltmeter on those recepticles and see what you get.
bake
Check the voltage rating on the night light or better yet buy a good one...
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You should get a voltmeter and check the voltage on the outlet, several times during the day. I'm guessing that you may have some sort of open neutral problem.