Have you ever been arranging your living room and wanted a side table and lamp in a certain spot but then found out that the electrical outlet doesn’t work? You think it’s not really a big deal, you’ll just use another outlet in the room. Believe it or not, just brushing off the fact that one electrical outlet doesn’t work could put your family in serious danger.
When electrical outlets are left not repaired or worn out, it could definitely pose safety concerns – even when they are unused. Loose connections, whether it be wiring connections contained inside the electrical box (wires to the outlet) or if the outlet wiggles when you insert a cord, could cause heat and arcing from increased resistance. This could also result in melted cords, receptacles, or wiring conductor insulation – which are ALL fire hazards.
If your receptacle isn’t working, does that mean that there isn’t any power going to it? Absolutely not. Your outlets are all connected by wiring and junction boxes. The connections between two receptacles could indeed be “hot”, even though there is no power to the outlet you’re trying to use – it’s still a FIRE HAZARD!
Get those stubborn receptacles checked and repaired before one day, that side table and lamp you were trying to put in the certain place no longer exists due to fire damage.
Here is a visual of what I’m talking about when I say the receptacle is still hot even if it isn’t working.
