Burned outlets

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Dsg319

Dsg319

Senior Member
Location
West Virginia
Occupation
Wv Master “lectrician”
Why only one side? Loose plug connection?
I need a hundred characters…………….how’s yours Friday going? Dang still need more characters. ….. ahh there we go
 

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ptonsparky said:
Chicken or the egg?
Was it the cord end plugged into it that caused the issue or was it the loose screw on the device?
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The terminations on the device seemed good. I guess it would have to be the cord end or as someone else said the inside contacts.

This was for a commercial refrigerator though and should have only ever been plugged in and out a few times throughout its life.
 
Springy metal weakens with heat, which loosens contact, which causes more heat, and it snowbsalls over time.
 
Might sound crazy, but consider checking voltage drop. Saw something similar and after some investigating the electrician tested the voltage drop under load and it was extreme. I don't remember exactly but I think it was a 30-40% drop when under load, he used a hair dryer. I think ultimately it was a POCO issue.

Someone with way more knowledge than me can verify this might be the problem, or politely explain to me why I ain't got a clue. Thanks in advance for any education, always ready to learn more.
 
Joe.B said:
Might sound crazy, but consider checking voltage drop. Saw something similar and after some investigating the electrician tested the voltage drop under load and it was extreme. I don't remember exactly but I think it was a 30-40% drop when under load, he used a hair dryer. I think ultimately it was a POCO issue.

Someone with way more knowledge than me can verify this might be the problem, or politely explain to me why I ain't got a clue. Thanks in advance for any education, always ready to learn more.
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If the voltage drop is concentrated in the outlet due to a resistive connection, resistance = heat, so yes. If the Vd is in the wiring, then the heat would be distributed over the length of the wire, so probably not.
 
Have seen this type of burn quite often in restaurants.

120v commercial toasters for instance seem to cause this very issue.

Spec grade receps help but in a couple years seem to end up in a near condition.
 
Notice that the outlet shown by the OP is a 20A device. The "T' shaped neutral slot has an extra set of contacts for the 20A plug, this also make better contact on that side of the outlet so there is less chance of loose connection on that side.
 
I can post pic tonight if I remember. The terminations were neat and spot on. But even the screw terminal for the ungrounded conductor seemed to have heat damage it was darker than the other.
 
one of the stranger problems I came across was, an inside cat that was peeing into a wall receptacle behind a sofa. Aside from the smell, it shorted killed power in two rooms.
 
acrwc10 said:
one of the stranger problems I came across was, an inside cat that was peeing into a wall receptacle behind a sofa. Aside from the smell, it shorted killed power in two rooms.
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The cat was lucky that it was not grounded.
 
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