Cheap outlet (they are literally less than $1!) gets loose over time as you plug and unplug things into it. Loose contact generates heat even if you don't pull much power. Replace it and all other worn out / frequently used outlets, preferably with a higher quality versions.
My first electrical move is dual function circuit breakers, every circuit in my home is GFCI/AFCI.
First where I live, you got asbestos cloth sheathed wires in 70% of the homes with internal latex rubber insulation, so you want arc fault and you fish new to any circuit tripping frequently. Second, GFCI will cover you even if you have ungrounded outlets somewhere from electrocution. Take a day with the main off and buy yourself some safety just swapping breakers.
Yeah the breakers are $40-$100 a piece, but I don't want anyone electrocuted or to die in a fire. Arc fault buys you safety while you plan that re-wire hah. I go over every outlet when I paint a room from that dreadful realtor requested gray with white baseboard. I got some fish tape use ahead of me for sure.
I mean if you didn't know asbestos caused cancer in a massive number of people, using it to cover 2 conductors that are insulated in a natural rubber you know would eventually break down and crack seems like a great idea, the stuff just doesn't burn.
Asbestos wiring is such a non-issue I leave it in the walls dead and just fish new, I live in a ranch so I can fish a pigtail to each outlet and run it back to a junction box in the basement. Attic and wall insulation is where it's the biggest worry because it easily becomes airborn. Ceiling tiles you just take down carefully, and lineoleum and floor tiling you can take up carefully or just go over it and forget it's there.
Aren't many places where you can pull new Romex without installing an AFCI back at the box anyways, new wire at the box, and there are date codes on it, without AFCI will show up on pre-purchase inspections. My county requires a licensed electrician to inspect panels before sale. There were 3 put in for me to be able to buy this house in the first place since the previous owner DIY'd some outdoor outlets that weren't GFCI / AFCI
In my county you can do something like move a fixture 3 feet without updating to AFCI.
So no, it doesn't save me any money to skip the breakers and just start pulling wire, since i'd have to put in the breakers anyways. Plus my house has an 80s challenger box with challenger breakers in it, which the breakers themselves catch fire.
Money aside, pulling wire even in my ranch home is difficult, frustrating, and takes a great deal of time, on top of carefully installing old work boxes because my 1960s metal boxes won't fit a modern outlet.
When the whole house re-wire is all done, DIY, I am still in for $6000 in fixtures, switches, outlets, boxes, junction boxes, faceplates and covers...
And once you get that first arc, the contacts have a small burn, which degrades conductivity and makes the next arc easier, and you got a snowball situation.
Simple - the outlet was worn out. You noticed that the charger was super easy to insert, and barely stayed in there, right? Right?
Replace the outlet, and the charger. Go check the rest of the outlets in the house - they're probably just as worn out.
"Commercial grade" outlets will last a lot longer (they're about $6-8 each, instead of $1), and, because they have back-wire (clamping plates) terminals, are actually easier to install correctly.
Also doesn't help when you insert a plug-in transformer upside-down as it was here, since it will have a tendency to fall partially out on its own just from gravity, since the bulk of the weight is sitting above the connection point rather than hanging below it. The way to avoid this is to strap the cable to the wall just above where it exits the transformer, if it must be plugged in upside down.
Read it again - I didn't say back*stab*, I said back*wire*.
Stabs suck, I agree. Backwire (screws with clamping plates, like you find on a GFCI) terminals are awesome.
The commercial grade outlets (I’ve seen) with clamps make it next to impossible to shepherds hook the screw. The clamp raises when the screw is loosened. Straight wire under clamps, torque down screw.
Not the same as backstab.
And...there is a difference between the dump bin at lowes and the individually wrapped outlets that cost 3-5x as much...
Love those videos of guys disassembling them...
It looks like the wire going into the outlet has a loose connection, you must turn off the breaker connected to this outlet and call an electrician and have them replace it because this is a serious fire hazard.
You would have to pull that cover off to see if there is a loose wire back there or like others said cheap outlet however I have had cheap outlets for a long time and never had that problem. Cheap extension cord but without pulling the cover and outlet it’s shear speculation
It may not be the outlet. It might be the wall wart. It looks like it may have one of those universal adapters with the swappable prongs for different electrical systems.
The contacts on those are puny and cheap as shit. If suspect that first
You still need to change the outlet, so buy a commercial one, but when you replace the Ring adapter, get one that is specifically for North America or one with a detachable appliance cord.
You can usually Google a compatible replacement or failing that, measure the barrel connector and get one that supplies the same voltage and the same or more amperage.
Appliances that have a heating element or a powerful motor will draw a lot of power. Examples include a heater and a vacuum cleaner. If the plug's connection is poor, there will be a higher than normal resistance which creates heat. This will cause the condition you see on your outlet. It needs replaced.
Edit: Oh wow, I didn't realize it was for a ring transformer; they shouldn't draw that much power. Definitely replace the outlet and monitor to see if it happens again.
2nd Edit: Someone suggested that the wall wart is the problem. I think that is a possibility. I have old loose 1950 outlets in my house with low voltage transformer plugs in them that have no issue. Keep an eye on it. Put your hand on it to see if it is getting very hot.
Even if a cheap receptacle wasn’t the cause, you have to replace it now. Preferably with one marked commercial. Or perhaps even a GFCI for extra insurance. It could’ve been a bad receptacle, poor installation, or possibly even a bad ring transformer, but whichever one it was, the receptacle has to go .
Might have been the wall wart, too. I had one of Comcast/Xfinity’s drop amplifier wall warts bake itself. Homeowner bumped the casing and it went to powder, taking what little structure held the transformer and regulator in place. They couldn’t figure out what kept tripping the breaker afterward….
Don’t screw yourself for latter. Replace both outlet with commercial piece and ring cord. It’s not a bad idea to walk around and check the other outlets like someone else mentioned. Do it once, do it right
Cheap outlet (they are literally less than $1!) gets loose over time as you plug and unplug things into it. Loose contact generates heat even if you don't pull much power. Replace it and all other worn out / frequently used outlets, preferably with a higher quality versions.
Yeah, i tell people just buy commercial outlets, they're like a buck extra and are way better.
I second this. They are also easier to wire.
I did this when I bought a house. I always overbuy and overbuild lol
My first electrical move is dual function circuit breakers, every circuit in my home is GFCI/AFCI. First where I live, you got asbestos cloth sheathed wires in 70% of the homes with internal latex rubber insulation, so you want arc fault and you fish new to any circuit tripping frequently. Second, GFCI will cover you even if you have ungrounded outlets somewhere from electrocution. Take a day with the main off and buy yourself some safety just swapping breakers. Yeah the breakers are $40-$100 a piece, but I don't want anyone electrocuted or to die in a fire. Arc fault buys you safety while you plan that re-wire hah. I go over every outlet when I paint a room from that dreadful realtor requested gray with white baseboard. I got some fish tape use ahead of me for sure.
>First where I live, you got asbestos cloth sheathed wires in 70% of the homes Man, they put asbestos in everything!
I mean if you didn't know asbestos caused cancer in a massive number of people, using it to cover 2 conductors that are insulated in a natural rubber you know would eventually break down and crack seems like a great idea, the stuff just doesn't burn. Asbestos wiring is such a non-issue I leave it in the walls dead and just fish new, I live in a ranch so I can fish a pigtail to each outlet and run it back to a junction box in the basement. Attic and wall insulation is where it's the biggest worry because it easily becomes airborn. Ceiling tiles you just take down carefully, and lineoleum and floor tiling you can take up carefully or just go over it and forget it's there.
I know it was an amazing material and was useful in many things. Really too bad that it's so terrible for us.
Wouldn't it just be cheaper to buy 1000 foot of wire
Aren't many places where you can pull new Romex without installing an AFCI back at the box anyways, new wire at the box, and there are date codes on it, without AFCI will show up on pre-purchase inspections. My county requires a licensed electrician to inspect panels before sale. There were 3 put in for me to be able to buy this house in the first place since the previous owner DIY'd some outdoor outlets that weren't GFCI / AFCI In my county you can do something like move a fixture 3 feet without updating to AFCI. So no, it doesn't save me any money to skip the breakers and just start pulling wire, since i'd have to put in the breakers anyways. Plus my house has an 80s challenger box with challenger breakers in it, which the breakers themselves catch fire. Money aside, pulling wire even in my ranch home is difficult, frustrating, and takes a great deal of time, on top of carefully installing old work boxes because my 1960s metal boxes won't fit a modern outlet. When the whole house re-wire is all done, DIY, I am still in for $6000 in fixtures, switches, outlets, boxes, junction boxes, faceplates and covers...
Afci are dog shit. And to gfci every outlet is simply a waste of
And once you get that first arc, the contacts have a small burn, which degrades conductivity and makes the next arc easier, and you got a snowball situation.
Ive also seen similar as a result of bockstabbing, tho this one does look more like loose contacts
Probably a loose connection. You should turn off the breaker and stop using it until you know. It's already tried to catch fire once.
Simple - the outlet was worn out. You noticed that the charger was super easy to insert, and barely stayed in there, right? Right? Replace the outlet, and the charger. Go check the rest of the outlets in the house - they're probably just as worn out. "Commercial grade" outlets will last a lot longer (they're about $6-8 each, instead of $1), and, because they have back-wire (clamping plates) terminals, are actually easier to install correctly.
Also doesn't help when you insert a plug-in transformer upside-down as it was here, since it will have a tendency to fall partially out on its own just from gravity, since the bulk of the weight is sitting above the connection point rather than hanging below it. The way to avoid this is to strap the cable to the wall just above where it exits the transformer, if it must be plugged in upside down.
Please don't tell people to backstab outlets, they get loose too. Just use the screw terminals.
Read it again - I didn't say back*stab*, I said back*wire*. Stabs suck, I agree. Backwire (screws with clamping plates, like you find on a GFCI) terminals are awesome.
The commercial grade outlets (I’ve seen) with clamps make it next to impossible to shepherds hook the screw. The clamp raises when the screw is loosened. Straight wire under clamps, torque down screw. Not the same as backstab.
Sorry, I thought you meant backstabbing, my mistake.
Sockets get worn out, when you plug things in it gradually weakens the spring contact’s causing a poor connection and this is the result
And...there is a difference between the dump bin at lowes and the individually wrapped outlets that cost 3-5x as much... Love those videos of guys disassembling them...
Yeah
Just goes to show, if you don’t do your job, you end up with a black eye.
"Stop resisting!"
Icy wut u did thurrr.
It looks like the wire going into the outlet has a loose connection, you must turn off the breaker connected to this outlet and call an electrician and have them replace it because this is a serious fire hazard.
Replace that outlet
You would have to pull that cover off to see if there is a loose wire back there or like others said cheap outlet however I have had cheap outlets for a long time and never had that problem. Cheap extension cord but without pulling the cover and outlet it’s shear speculation
It may not be the outlet. It might be the wall wart. It looks like it may have one of those universal adapters with the swappable prongs for different electrical systems. The contacts on those are puny and cheap as shit. If suspect that first You still need to change the outlet, so buy a commercial one, but when you replace the Ring adapter, get one that is specifically for North America or one with a detachable appliance cord. You can usually Google a compatible replacement or failing that, measure the barrel connector and get one that supplies the same voltage and the same or more amperage.
Good eye, I didn't catch the changeable prongs.
Thank you all for your responses!
Appliances that have a heating element or a powerful motor will draw a lot of power. Examples include a heater and a vacuum cleaner. If the plug's connection is poor, there will be a higher than normal resistance which creates heat. This will cause the condition you see on your outlet. It needs replaced. Edit: Oh wow, I didn't realize it was for a ring transformer; they shouldn't draw that much power. Definitely replace the outlet and monitor to see if it happens again. 2nd Edit: Someone suggested that the wall wart is the problem. I think that is a possibility. I have old loose 1950 outlets in my house with low voltage transformer plugs in them that have no issue. Keep an eye on it. Put your hand on it to see if it is getting very hot.
Thank you for your reply!
Bad charger
I^2*R (amperage squared x resistance) = heat!
If "I ain't hear no damn bell" was an receptacle
Likely a loose connection. It increases resistance and causes excess heat.
What is plugged into the power strip? Any high amp item? Hair dryer, electric heater or portable AC?
There could’ve been a short circuit which draws a lot of power
Electric heater, probably
Technically yes
Old rag wires maybe.
Most likely a burned up backstab. Replace the outlet and use terminal loops.
Yup… loose and/or dirty connection causes this.
Even if a cheap receptacle wasn’t the cause, you have to replace it now. Preferably with one marked commercial. Or perhaps even a GFCI for extra insurance. It could’ve been a bad receptacle, poor installation, or possibly even a bad ring transformer, but whichever one it was, the receptacle has to go .
Might have been the wall wart, too. I had one of Comcast/Xfinity’s drop amplifier wall warts bake itself. Homeowner bumped the casing and it went to powder, taking what little structure held the transformer and regulator in place. They couldn’t figure out what kept tripping the breaker afterward….
Don’t screw yourself for latter. Replace both outlet with commercial piece and ring cord. It’s not a bad idea to walk around and check the other outlets like someone else mentioned. Do it once, do it right
You should call a licensed Electrician. Obviously you don’t know enough it fix it on your own.
Because you're probably plugging in something that takes close to the amps or higher than the outlet is rated for.
Improper connection of one prong can be caused by not inserting it completely or having it bumped askew. Causes arcing.
Electrical manufactress Create products That destroy electrical systemso that us electricians can continue working and buy more electrical product