A decroative " In Use Cover"

I have distinct memories from when I was 2 or so, approaching an outlet with a spoon. I stuck it in the cold side before my mom grabbed me. My first expression of love for electricity. When our daughter was a toddler, my wife bought a bunch of these inexpensive plastic plugs that go in to outlets. I think that they were made by Safety1st. They are not easy to remove, I remember cursing them whenever I had to plug something in. Ten years later, I'm still finding them in out of the way outlets. My daughter never got shocked, however, she never developed an interest in electricity, either, so I'm not sure if it was worth it......

Sounds like you should hire an electrician. Why risk the lives of you, and your family, just to save a few bucks?

The "LEXAN" cover is not going to last in the typical homeowner enviroment. It is going to break. It is better to have a Qualified Electrician install tamper-resistant type of receptacles that are now required by the NEC in new residental installations.

There is a built in protective device, the plug itself.....

when properly plugged in there is no danger, regardless of ground orientation or wallplate material. if the plug is not properly retained then the receptacle is worn out and needs to be replaced.

electrical devices are a wearable item and will need replacing. also, there is nothing like a quality device made with quality materials. problem is you won't get it at the home center for $0.38, you will have to be willing to pay a little for it.

the cool thing about electricity is that it lets you know when you are doing something wrong.

I admire your interest in the electrical field but must caution you that what looks like an innocent switch or receptacle has the potential of causing great harm if not handle properly. I must advise you the seek an opinion of a license electrical contractor to look at your needed repairs and to perform a few test and determine the integrity of the wiring. I do not agree that you should be doing this your self.

Why would you go with some random cover that looks ugly? What's wrong with the tried and true tamper proof receptacles that are mandated by code?

If the public has become so dysfunctional that they need to have this cover due to the inability to insert electrical plugs, then truly what is really needed is a protective shield alright, but placed over something else - not receptacle outlets- to prevent dysfunctional people like those who have a need for such a device...

Great idea!!! I'm now 68 but when I was about 8 my baby sister stuck a bobby pin in an outlet. Vaporizes the bobby pin, blew the fuse, (No breakers in those days), and gave my sister a nasty burn on her hand!!! She never did do it again!!!

I got a big problem with the "in use covers" used outside. From my experience least half of them gets broken within half year of their installation. Most people don't know how to open them and just yank them off. Then they stick so much on the outside.... Good idea gone wrong, not sure what was more dangerous, the occasional plug in the old covers or the 70% plus "while in use" without any cover. This seems to just be a glorified "while in use" cover for interior use. I can see these breaking even faster inside a home where furniture gets moved and things get plugged in and out a lot more often than outside. As far as ground up, down thing.... that thing about putting the ground up so if something shears down on it it'll hit first the ground.... silliest logic I ever heard. Anyone realize the mechanics and material and events involved for the something to fall RIGHT in between the plug and the cover, WITHOUT yanking the plug completely, just enough to rest in between? I think there's a better chance to win the lotto twice in a row before that will happen.

The NEC does not address it. However, NEMA shows for it to be installed with the ground up. I'm convinced that the reason we started to install it upside down, because it looks like a "smiley face."

Hugh

While we all hope to to eliminate the chances of any injuries to children, I suggest that the electrical industry has had an outstanding record. While much has been made of the incidence of child injury due to electrical outlets, according to the CPSC, the annual rate of child electrical injury is 2400, of which 15% are due to placing foreign objects into outlets, or about 360 kids per year. Most of injuries are caused by faulty appliances or cords. By comparison, 155,400 children were treated for toy-related injuries, which results in as many as 11 fatalities annually.

To combat this "epidemic" problem, we have instituted code changes effecting installations in every home. While I don't mean to sound sarcastic, it occurs to me that the best safety device has always been parental vigilance and teaching; despite having watched me do electrical work around the house, none of my four kids has ever been hurt by an electrical mishap, which I suspect has more to do with stern warnings and watching than tamper-resistant outlets, which were unavailable until recently. Yet, I still wonder what warning a parent might give to give a three-year old regarding a toy; whether parents should be be armed with chemical test kits to find those coated with lead or containing toxic compounds which surprisingly find occasional entry into the toys we buy. Maybe we could limit kids to something safe - like paper and crayons or sidewalk chalk (whoops! found lead in those, too, didn't we?)

We will eventually reduce that figure of 360 as TR outlets become more prevalent, and perhaps the industry will invent devices to prevent the remaining 85% of child electrical injury. In our efforts to make the world completely benign to the curious explorations of children, though, some aspect of environment will go unrecognized. Another child will be hurt in some manner unanticipated; more rules and standards will be instituted. However, I would suggest that teaching and adult supervision is always the best, as the world is a dangerous place; a child able to recognize and avoid danger is much better off.

if you install the recept with the ground up an someone steps on the grounded cord there is a chance the equipment ground will slip out and you lose your equipment ground connection - if the ground is down and this incident i just mention happen again your equipment ground on the cord will stay intact with the recept and not slip out i feel grounding suoercedes in this situation