The main purpose of a tamper resistant outlet is to keep kids safe. Tamper resistant outlets have spring loaded blocks inside of them that prevent a child inserting an object into the outlet (like you probably did as a kid) and getting shocked.
Tamper Resistant outlets have been required in homes since 2008 but just because your house doesn’t have Tamper Resistant outlets doesn’t mean you should hold off on upgrading.
Where should Tamper Resistant outlets be installed?
According to electrical codes tamper resistant outlets are required in every location in a home. Commercial spaces are a little bit different but we mainly deal with residential homes so will be talking about that.
If you’re looking to upgrade your house to tamper resistant receptacles to make it safer for kids start with all the outlets that they could reach, so mainly the ones just above floor level.
How do Tamper Resistant receptacles keep my family safe?
All tamper-resistant Outlets have special spring-loaded blocks inside of them that prevent the insertion of anything but an electrical plug. When the outlet senses a plug it will unlock the blocks and allow you to easily plug in your things just like normal.
How much are Tamper Resistant outlets?
If you would do it yourself or you can go pick up a tamper resistant outlet from a hardware store for a pretty reasonable cost.
If your home doesn’t currently have tamper-resistant outlets And you’re interested in upgrading your entire house to make it more safe most electrical companies have receptacle upgrade packages available. Check out our article here on pricing for home device upgrade packages to get an idea of what it should cost to do a full upgrade.
How do I know if my outlets are Tamper Resistant?
Wondering if you have Tamper Resistant outlets in your house already? It’s pretty easy to determine if your outlets are Tamper Resistant or not. Look at the face of the outlet, all tamper-resistant outlets will have imprinted on their face a little TR letter symbol to signify that it is Tamper Resistant.
Are Tamper Resistant outlets required in my home?
Yes Tamper Resistant outlets are required in all homes. This rule is for all new construction and additions so if you don’t currently Tamper Resistant in your house you don’t have to upgrade them. But as we mentioned before it’s a really good idea to make your house more safe and resellable by upgrading the receptacles.
Do Tamper Resistant outlets break more often?
Because there’s additional parts and tamper-resistant outlets there is a possibility that they will malfunction earlier than the classic style receptacle would. Now this is entirely dependent on the quality of receptacle you buy, of course you get what you pay for so if you buy the cheapest receptacles they are more likely to break. Quality receptacles and devices like most certified electricians will install will last longer and some electrical companies will guarantee the warranty on what they install and do a replacement for you if they malfunction.
Summary
Tamper resistant outlets are not only required now, they are necessary. If you do not have them in your home you should seriously consider upgrading to these safer receptacles.
Check out our website here to see what we offer and maybe book a quote to have some installed in your home.
