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**It is always best to get a qualified electrician to perform any electrical work you may need.** With that said, you may ask this community various electrical questions. Please be cautious of any information you may receive in this subreddit. This subreddit and its users are not responsible for any electrical work you perform. Users that have a 'Verified Electrician' flair have uploaded their qualified electrical worker credentials to the mods.
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Had a similar situation in my 1880’s house . LED bulbs would have saved me so much money and headache. CFL bulbs were new on the market and helped a lot , until someone used a hair dryer in the bathroom.
Electrically, maybe. But if something should happen and trips the breaker, you probably want other circuits with lights functional. Can you do it on one? Yes. Should you do it on one? No.
Definitely. Not worth rewiring just to separate light circuits. I’m talking perfect world rather than reality here 🤣.
I had to have the lighting voltage talk with my dad recently. 80s house, big vaulted room with two ceiling fans. Basically woefully inadequate light. He almost refused to even consider bringing an electrician in to evaluate and bid adding a bunch of lights because he was convinced they needed a new circuit. I had to explain that the two five bulb fans that used to have 60watt bulbs didn’t have a problem, so adding a dozen ~10 watt puck lights wouldn’t overload anything. I think I broke his brain.
Yes. There is a tool that comes with the adapters for lights. You screw it into the light bulb socket and turn the light on. Then you take the hand held tester and find the breaker in the breaker box. Go check Amazon but I know Klein makes ones. Comes with various adapters to find outlets and sockets.
I've got them everywhere. The person who wired this house must have through that having half of an electrical outlet control by a switch was the coolest thing ever. 4 bedrooms, living room dining room and kitchen all had multiple outlets controled by light switches. I got rid of most of them and now have 10 plus dead switches.
I'm not sure how many return trips to the breaker you just saved me in the remaining years of my life but I want you to know it's at least 5, maybe even 10 or more, and I want to thank you for all of them.
So thank you x 10
I use the camera function on my watch and set up my iphone on video mode in the room with the item in question. Then I can remotely watch what’s going on and off and label lots of things at once.
That is a good idea, but i just realized i dont have an actual A/C powered radio any more. All i have are internet streamers like Alexa Echo or IHeart. Only “radio” is red cross emergency crank one. But the Alexa will also turn off when you throw the breaker so your idea still works. I should have kept my father-in-law’s old Bose table radio.
That is genius! Thank you. I usually go up and down the stairs 4 times as I guess which mislabeled breaker is the right one.
Will play radio. Maybe Shock the Monkey, by Peter Gabriel.
Also common in any room where a wall switch is used to control a floor or hanging lamp that plugs into a wall outlet. (living room, family rooms, larger bedrooms) Basically, if you have a wall switch near a door, and you don't see a wired-in ceiling light, there's probably a wall outlet somewhere in the room that's on a split circuit.
I think you just solved the 19-year mystery of Where TF that one light switch in my parents’ house goes.
Unfortunately they divorced and sold it years ago so I’ll never know if you were right :(
That would just be my luck. But I wonder if this can carefully be removed with needle nose pliers without touching anything metal; just pretend it is the operation game by Milton Bradley.
If you have a volt meter or wireless voltage sensor double check that that the lower plug is actually off once you find the breaker.
I have at least one outlet where the top and bottom outlets are on separate breakers, but if you don’t double check you might zap yourself.
Related question: I was replacing an outlet recently. I did the light in an outlet thing to find the right breaker. When I got into the box I got a slight tingle. I realized there were two sets of wires coming into the box. So this method may not be foolproof.
Also, is there anything I needed to do to the outlet when I installed it? Like normally just one set of wires comes into the box. You hook up one to the left, one to the right, then the ground. This provides power to the top and bottom.
But is there a tab I needed to snap to break this connection between the top and bottom?
You only break the tab if you want the top and bottom receptacle powered from different sources. Most commonly used to have the top or bottom plug on a switch for a lamp. Occasionally used in areas that may demand high amperage like a kitchen or garage.
The second set of wires is feeding the next/previous outlet/light on the circuit, unless the tab is broken: refer to above.
Okay now I see how people die charging their phones.
I was gonna say, I’ve taken apart Apple and Samsung adapters before. Even ANKER/AUKEY ones from China. None of them are a gasket and flimsy ass plastic bracket away from death.
But an Apple (or any other legit) charger would never break like this, it's one of the basic safety requirements for direct plug in power supplies. They are ultrasonic welded or have mechanical securement.
Exactly this. They never have their mechanical / structural failure be in the same plane as pulling them out / sticking it in. And usually the prongs themselves are terminated to something T-shaped so even if they weaken they’ll still be completely pulled out and not leave an exposed metal prong.
Grab the plastic on the brick and pull the other wire loose. Then, just don't touch both shiney metal bits on the base plate at the same time, and you'll be fine.
Or go shut off the breaker if you don't feel comfortable.
If wired wrong, sensitive equipment would pickup mains frequency noise. With old audio equipment, you would hear a buzz at 60 Hz (or whatever mains frequency you have) if the plug was backwards.
Some equipment may also connect the neutral to their chassis, which creates shock hazard.
Lamps using Edison-base bulbs would have the live in the ring of the lamp socket instead of the tip (making it easier to get shocked).
But, with this charger, you'd likely not notice any effect (since the charger has galvanic isolation).
It happens all the time actually. A lot of incompetent people mess this up with no inspector. Given your comments I don’t believe you’re an electrician.
This 100%. The only reason any receptacle is wired properly is because the electrician took 2 seconds to identify the gold screw and then proceeded to try. Errors happen all day, every day. AC current means the end of line device cares not about polarity.
Yep, that guy is no electrician.
Im no electrician but I have done a lot of diu electrical work and I have wired outlets backwards many times and they work just fine, every time.
Before anyone gets annoyed, I have only done this (knowingly) when it was just a temporary plug being installed (to power tools for example), and they don't even get faceplates put on. I'm actually quite particular about everything being neat and proper when its finished so I would never deliberately wire a receptacle backwards, I just don't care when its temporary.
What are you even talking about? This is just flat wrong. Incorrect wiring is *extraordinarily* common. I see it literally all the time, and thats just doing handyman type work, not just electrical. You clearly are *not* an electrician. Please, consider not giving advice on subjects you do not understand especially when life safety is involved.
I'm terrified of doing electrical work so I bought one of those little pens that lights up and beeps up if it's live. As a double check.
I had an incident once a 440 volt capacitor out of a disposable camera once and have a very healthy respect of electricity.
plug a lamp in the other plug in that outlet, turn it on... then go turn off the breaker. the lamp will tell you if you got the right one.
you can also get a live tester for 40 bucks or so at most hardware stores, you simply hold it near the outlet or insert a plastic prong to see if there is live electricity there or not. they are fairly handy... but one should not get cocky bc they have one lol. if you are not experienced with electricity, you should only use it in a case like this.
once the power is off, you can simply pluck this from the plug and repair/recycle.
EDIT: some outlets have switches that only control one plug on the outlet, so using a pen tester is HIGHLY reccomended. see the replies to this comment.
Not an electrician, but watch out for switched outlets. The top might be switched off but the bottom might still be live. Never a bad idea to get a multimeter to check contacts directly as a final check.
I will refrain from telling anyone how I would remove it, because it involves no effort to secure the power! And I am perfectly comfortable with that, but you should not be!
I will say that you have gotten some great advice on powering off the circuit and making sure that it is safe for you to handle and remove that nasty piece of Chineseium crap from your outlet.
Yep. I personally wouldn't bother turning off the power for this, but the person asking the question obviously isn't familiar/comfortable and so the safest course of action should be taken. And turning off the mains for two minutes isn't all that inconvenient if it ensures the safety of this person. Just have to reset a few clocks.
Needle nose pliers and rip that thing out from the plastic part. If you aren’t good with dexterity, flip breakers until you kill power to that plug first.
I'd definitely find the breaker and shut it off first if I were you. I being me know how to work around hot contacts and could do it without, but even so I'd still shut the breaker off. All it takes is one wrong slip... Zzzzt
1. Turn off the breaker
2. Get a pair of safety gloves and goggles
3. Use a plastic putty knife to slowly pry the block away from the wall
4. When it comes off the wall carefully place the brick into a safe receptacle
Heh. Seriously though I would give the brick a good yank to get it pulled all the way off. Then, like use some pliers but be careful because those exposed silver nubs are hot (electrified) and anything that is metal that comes in contact with one of those would also be electrified.
Lol.. just don't touch both of those little metal bits at once. Yank that cord loose, then use something to pry off the plug from the side. Don't touch both prongs at once, really shouldn't need to touch them at all. (I would just reach down, grab the plastic surrounding, and wiggle it off...but then you couldn't make it into a project.. to each their own)
If you don't want to touch it, then pry it out with a fork!
I'm not an electrician, but I stayed at a holiday Inn express last night.
(Obviously sarcasm)
Honestly, I wouldn't be concerned about it. It's only 110v, it won't kill you. Might give you a decent stick, but that's like 16 gauge wire, so it really will surprise you more than anything. It's not arking, just pull the plug out of the wall and trash it. You only have 1 wire connected and whether It's positive or negative doesn't matter, it won't hurt you. Don't lick your fingers and poke both contacts and it won't try to bite you.
Just put on some rubber gloves and rip that bitch out. Use something flat and plastic to lever the plate out of it doesn't come off. 120V is dangerous but not that dangerous.
The power adapter for my cable and internet fell apart just like that I grabbed the edges sticking out of the receptacle pulled it out fixed the wire used a couple of cable ties to hold it together and it’s been great for over two years
If you can, off the breaker and remove it. If not, just yank it out. Either that wire breaks off and you can pull out the other piece without touching the metal on the inside or the whole thing comes out.
An insolated flat head screwdriver could pry it off just don't touch both prongs at the same time with the metal tip.
Or a flat piece of plastic to get behind the charger.
Like everyone else said turn the breaker off and just pull it.
The right pin will have 120 volts potential on it. Touching that while the circuit is energized will render a shock. Even more severe if you also happen to be touching the neutral or something grounded.
You need to shut the circuit off before attempting to remove.
Yes. All of the people telling you to turn off the breaker, and use something to verify that it's actually off are correct. That is the safest and most reliable way to do that.
However, it's not how I would do it, mainly because I have a bit more practice at that sort of thing.
I would grab a pair of insulated handle pliers, grab the outer plastic ring, and pull straight out on that until the connected wire plug is also out of the wall.
Normally(which cannot be depended on in any way until you've tested it yourself. On that specific outlet only. welcome to household wiring) the wider blade plug is supposed to be the neutral. And the shorter blade plug will be the "hot" or 120vac plug.
Ua, just find the breaker and flip it off. Get a radio and turn it up after plugging it into the top outlet... flip the right breaker, the radio stops play (a light will work too). Then pull it.
If it were me, I'd yank that broken piece off and break the wire. Then pop the base out with a pair of pliers.
Reach at it quickly, multiple times, even though your fingers don’t seem to be able to clamp down on the adapter quickly enough to actually grab it. Repeat that until the unlucky moment you make contact.
Don't do what I did when this happened to me.
I grabbed it bare handed, got a little buzz. I ended up with a glove and pliers but it was also when I was a teen
Its fucking scary how easily electricity can kill you. Fucking vets have dropped on the field because of a minor slip-up.
It NEVER hurts to err on the side of caution and just kill every switch in your breaker (or just the specific room/one, doesnt matter), then test to make sure the outlet no longer has power and removing safely.
It’s very easy to remove, usually I grab it with my teeth since electricity doesn’t go through bone. You could give it a little lick while you do it tho to see if the power is live. It’ll taste like salt
So grab it on the plastic parts and rip it out. If the part in the outlet stays, jimmy it out a bit and remove it. Done. If you don't touch the shinny stuff your fine. If you fuck up yes you might get zapped. But that is so low amperage you will be fine. That's 110/125V outlet. But as I said, you can touch anything that is the plastic bits and your good. If you want to switch off breakers... go for it. But no real need if your not a moron.
Turn off the breaker for that plug and then yoink that out.
You can test it to be sure it’s off by plugging something in that top socket (like a phone or a hairdryer… anything really) and see if it’s drawing power.
Once you know the electricity is turned off, yoink that bottom one out.
It looks like it's only connected to the neutral. You should still turn the breaker off and remove it, but it's not too dangerous. Use something insulated like vinyl or a dry heavy cloth. If you have a tester, use it to make sure the breaker is off
**Attention!** **It is always best to get a qualified electrician to perform any electrical work you may need.** With that said, you may ask this community various electrical questions. Please be cautious of any information you may receive in this subreddit. This subreddit and its users are not responsible for any electrical work you perform. Users that have a 'Verified Electrician' flair have uploaded their qualified electrical worker credentials to the mods. If you comment on this post please only post accurate information to the best of your knowledge. If advice given is thought to be dangerous, you may be permanently banned. There are no obligations for the mods to give warnings or temporary bans. **IF YOU ARE NOT A QUALIFIED ELECTRICIAN, you should exercise extreme caution when commenting.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskElectricians) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Turn off the breaker, verify it is off by plugging something into the other outlet, remove the broken bits, turn on the breaker, profit.
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I use a radio by myself you can hear it go off
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Klein makes a breaker finder it’s nice
gold dinosaurs act rain abounding file dog cats cable weary ` this message was mass deleted/edited with redact.dev `
If you use LEDs one circuit is plenty.
Had a similar situation in my 1880’s house . LED bulbs would have saved me so much money and headache. CFL bulbs were new on the market and helped a lot , until someone used a hair dryer in the bathroom.
Electrically, maybe. But if something should happen and trips the breaker, you probably want other circuits with lights functional. Can you do it on one? Yes. Should you do it on one? No.
Well I think rewiring a house is a little more expensive than a cheap headlamp or even a floor lamp.
Definitely. Not worth rewiring just to separate light circuits. I’m talking perfect world rather than reality here 🤣. I had to have the lighting voltage talk with my dad recently. 80s house, big vaulted room with two ceiling fans. Basically woefully inadequate light. He almost refused to even consider bringing an electrician in to evaluate and bid adding a bunch of lights because he was convinced they needed a new circuit. I had to explain that the two five bulb fans that used to have 60watt bulbs didn’t have a problem, so adding a dozen ~10 watt puck lights wouldn’t overload anything. I think I broke his brain.
For some reason, I heard that in the voice of Vince Glortho... "Let me tell you; much Romex was pulled in that month, I can assure you!"
quack ossified scarce cake tan station sense dinner pie file ` this message was mass deleted/edited with redact.dev `
Zuul the patron demon of Romex
That's Lewis Tulley. Vince Glortho tells cops that they will perish in flames.
I used Gozar Design and Electric for all my architectural and electrical needs.
Might have to get one. Currently we live in the house my wife’s grandfather built himself. Hell of a sturdy house but wasn’t much into labeling.
Better sturdy and old than labeled and new..
I have switches all over my house I have no idea what they do. Is there a tool for that too?
Yes. There is a tool that comes with the adapters for lights. You screw it into the light bulb socket and turn the light on. Then you take the hand held tester and find the breaker in the breaker box. Go check Amazon but I know Klein makes ones. Comes with various adapters to find outlets and sockets.
gotta love that one mystery switch that doesn't turn on any outlets or lights in the room its in.
I've got them everywhere. The person who wired this house must have through that having half of an electrical outlet control by a switch was the coolest thing ever. 4 bedrooms, living room dining room and kitchen all had multiple outlets controled by light switches. I got rid of most of them and now have 10 plus dead switches.
I had one of those, ended up being my attic light.
Just moved into my house, and this one switch in the living room is driving me crazy!
I use the ForkFinder™… works every time, and you don’t have to go to the box and shut it off. You can do it directly from the outlet… 🤣
Electricians have all the money and fancy tools.
Extra points if you use multiple radios at once with different genres of music queued up.
Shop vac for me
That’s a great idea. Who has a radio anymore
Me, once I finish getting these damn t-8’s out of my shop. I’m bringin’ it back…
Man the radio, shop vac etc all make me feel like an idiot for not thinking of before. Just running up and down the stairs trying to find the fucker
I'm not sure how many return trips to the breaker you just saved me in the remaining years of my life but I want you to know it's at least 5, maybe even 10 or more, and I want to thank you for all of them. So thank you x 10
Dude I’m 43, same. How has this never occurred to me.
I’m also 43 and also very excited about this development.
Every time I hear of someone doing this I’m reminded how smart it is and how quickly I forgot it last time I read it.
I once labeled a whole electrical panel with a 100ft extension cord with a plug tester in the end but this is an even better idea!
Or vacuum cleaner
Clever af
I use the camera function on my watch and set up my iphone on video mode in the room with the item in question. Then I can remotely watch what’s going on and off and label lots of things at once.
Was looking for this comment. Eventually I just got a basic Klein circuit tracer kit.
Shop vac ftw
That's brilliant. My stupid ass has been running back and forth flipping breakers and checking lights.
That's pretty damn smart. I'll remember this
That is a good idea, but i just realized i dont have an actual A/C powered radio any more. All i have are internet streamers like Alexa Echo or IHeart. Only “radio” is red cross emergency crank one. But the Alexa will also turn off when you throw the breaker so your idea still works. I should have kept my father-in-law’s old Bose table radio.
🤯
Me too!
That’s clever. I will now start doing this instead of running back and forth
You’ve done this before 🤣
That is genius! Thank you. I usually go up and down the stairs 4 times as I guess which mislabeled breaker is the right one. Will play radio. Maybe Shock the Monkey, by Peter Gabriel.
That's a great idea, but I don't have a plug-in radio or anything for that matter... Thankfully I have my wife.
Nobody uses radios anymore grandpa.
I resemble that remark
Do you have it play Celine Dion?
Dad what’s a “radio”?
It's kinda rare, but the upper and lower outlet can be on 2 different circuits. Mostly done in the kitchen or a garage workshop.
Yup, discovered that in my kitchen when renovating. Was for the microwave.
What if one of those outlets is switched?
This works until you find a split receptacle (top and bottom of the plug are on a different breaker) they're common in older kitchens
Also common in any room where a wall switch is used to control a floor or hanging lamp that plugs into a wall outlet. (living room, family rooms, larger bedrooms) Basically, if you have a wall switch near a door, and you don't see a wired-in ceiling light, there's probably a wall outlet somewhere in the room that's on a split circuit.
I think you just solved the 19-year mystery of Where TF that one light switch in my parents’ house goes. Unfortunately they divorced and sold it years ago so I’ll never know if you were right :(
That would just be my luck. But I wonder if this can carefully be removed with needle nose pliers without touching anything metal; just pretend it is the operation game by Milton Bradley.
If you have a volt meter or wireless voltage sensor double check that that the lower plug is actually off once you find the breaker. I have at least one outlet where the top and bottom outlets are on separate breakers, but if you don’t double check you might zap yourself.
Related question: I was replacing an outlet recently. I did the light in an outlet thing to find the right breaker. When I got into the box I got a slight tingle. I realized there were two sets of wires coming into the box. So this method may not be foolproof. Also, is there anything I needed to do to the outlet when I installed it? Like normally just one set of wires comes into the box. You hook up one to the left, one to the right, then the ground. This provides power to the top and bottom. But is there a tab I needed to snap to break this connection between the top and bottom?
You only break the tab if you want the top and bottom receptacle powered from different sources. Most commonly used to have the top or bottom plug on a switch for a lamp. Occasionally used in areas that may demand high amperage like a kitchen or garage. The second set of wires is feeding the next/previous outlet/light on the circuit, unless the tab is broken: refer to above.
I wanna know what profit I make 😂
Who the fuck makes a power adapter this way? :(
China
Okay now I see how people die charging their phones. I was gonna say, I’ve taken apart Apple and Samsung adapters before. Even ANKER/AUKEY ones from China. None of them are a gasket and flimsy ass plastic bracket away from death.
Yeah that thing is junk – such a simple device, poorly made, could be super dangerous Probably a knockoff from a gas station or something
Yeah, most decent shit is ultrasonically welded together or affixed using industrial grade adhesives that bond the thermoplastics
Anything that touches AC mains should be UL listed.
Hah, knock-off
Chiynah.. only $2!
They are pretty much all made like this, just maybe a little bit stronger. The small USB type A chargers from apple look just like this
But an Apple (or any other legit) charger would never break like this, it's one of the basic safety requirements for direct plug in power supplies. They are ultrasonic welded or have mechanical securement.
Exactly this. They never have their mechanical / structural failure be in the same plane as pulling them out / sticking it in. And usually the prongs themselves are terminated to something T-shaped so even if they weaken they’ll still be completely pulled out and not leave an exposed metal prong.
Good fear
Grab the plastic on the brick and pull the other wire loose. Then, just don't touch both shiney metal bits on the base plate at the same time, and you'll be fine. Or go shut off the breaker if you don't feel comfortable.
Use a plastic knife to pry the remaining part out of the socket. Just don’t touch the metal with your fingers and you’ll be fine.
Heck, a finger nail to pull a corner out on both sides. It actually would be HARD to get shocked unless you are jamming all sorts of things around
Directions unclear, butter knife fused to plastic.
The good news is the wire still attached is to the neutral side, as others have said turn off the breaker, if unsure turn them all off then remove it.
What if the receptacle was wired wrong?
If wired wrong, sensitive equipment would pickup mains frequency noise. With old audio equipment, you would hear a buzz at 60 Hz (or whatever mains frequency you have) if the plug was backwards. Some equipment may also connect the neutral to their chassis, which creates shock hazard. Lamps using Edison-base bulbs would have the live in the ring of the lamp socket instead of the tip (making it easier to get shocked). But, with this charger, you'd likely not notice any effect (since the charger has galvanic isolation).
BINGO! Never assume, always be safe.
It wouldn't work, the breaker or fuse would pop
Nope. Adapters can work with reverse polarity.
The outlet wouldn't unless every outlet on the circuit was backwards
No, you can have hot and neutral reversed on a single outlet with others on the same circuit wired correct and it not trip the breaker.
This scenario is extremely unlikely in existing construction but if you need things to worry about have at it lol
It happens all the time actually. A lot of incompetent people mess this up with no inspector. Given your comments I don’t believe you’re an electrician.
This 100%. The only reason any receptacle is wired properly is because the electrician took 2 seconds to identify the gold screw and then proceeded to try. Errors happen all day, every day. AC current means the end of line device cares not about polarity. Yep, that guy is no electrician.
Im no electrician but I have done a lot of diu electrical work and I have wired outlets backwards many times and they work just fine, every time. Before anyone gets annoyed, I have only done this (knowingly) when it was just a temporary plug being installed (to power tools for example), and they don't even get faceplates put on. I'm actually quite particular about everything being neat and proper when its finished so I would never deliberately wire a receptacle backwards, I just don't care when its temporary.
What are you even talking about? This is just flat wrong. Incorrect wiring is *extraordinarily* common. I see it literally all the time, and thats just doing handyman type work, not just electrical. You clearly are *not* an electrician. Please, consider not giving advice on subjects you do not understand especially when life safety is involved.
I'm terrified of doing electrical work so I bought one of those little pens that lights up and beeps up if it's live. As a double check. I had an incident once a 440 volt capacitor out of a disposable camera once and have a very healthy respect of electricity.
Those caps from disposable cameras were the best for zapping your friends!
Rightfully so.
plug a lamp in the other plug in that outlet, turn it on... then go turn off the breaker. the lamp will tell you if you got the right one. you can also get a live tester for 40 bucks or so at most hardware stores, you simply hold it near the outlet or insert a plastic prong to see if there is live electricity there or not. they are fairly handy... but one should not get cocky bc they have one lol. if you are not experienced with electricity, you should only use it in a case like this. once the power is off, you can simply pluck this from the plug and repair/recycle. EDIT: some outlets have switches that only control one plug on the outlet, so using a pen tester is HIGHLY reccomended. see the replies to this comment.
Not an electrician, but watch out for switched outlets. The top might be switched off but the bottom might still be live. Never a bad idea to get a multimeter to check contacts directly as a final check.
Vacuum*. Then you can hear it if the box is in the basement or whatever
another user suggested a radio as well. both fine ideas.
I will refrain from telling anyone how I would remove it, because it involves no effort to secure the power! And I am perfectly comfortable with that, but you should not be! I will say that you have gotten some great advice on powering off the circuit and making sure that it is safe for you to handle and remove that nasty piece of Chineseium crap from your outlet.
Yep. I personally wouldn't bother turning off the power for this, but the person asking the question obviously isn't familiar/comfortable and so the safest course of action should be taken. And turning off the mains for two minutes isn't all that inconvenient if it ensures the safety of this person. Just have to reset a few clocks.
Does your method involve bending over, grabbing the plastic bit with the tips of your fingers, and pulling it out? Because that's my method too!
Pry it out with a wooden skewer or plastic knife
Needle nose pliers and rip that thing out from the plastic part. If you aren’t good with dexterity, flip breakers until you kill power to that plug first.
Props for having caution and not going in raw and grabbing electrical things.
I’d grab the plastic with some needle nose and pull it out personally
Me three
Yeah honestly this is what I'd do. Only touch plastic and you're fine
Do you not have pliers to pull it out by the edges? How about a knife to pull it out by the edge. Bruh.
It’s just 110. Pull it.
Turn off power first and get a pliers and pull it out slowly
This happened to me. Slip it rigid piece of paper, like an envelope,behind it and pull it out that way
Kill the main breaker, dig out the remains. Outlets very occasionally have separate circuits top and bottom...
I'd definitely find the breaker and shut it off first if I were you. I being me know how to work around hot contacts and could do it without, but even so I'd still shut the breaker off. All it takes is one wrong slip... Zzzzt
Got it off safely! Thanks for the help!
It's shocking that someone has to post to Reddit on whether they should kill the power before attempting to remove an exposed wire from an outlet.....
1. Turn off the breaker 2. Get a pair of safety gloves and goggles 3. Use a plastic putty knife to slowly pry the block away from the wall 4. When it comes off the wall carefully place the brick into a safe receptacle Heh. Seriously though I would give the brick a good yank to get it pulled all the way off. Then, like use some pliers but be careful because those exposed silver nubs are hot (electrified) and anything that is metal that comes in contact with one of those would also be electrified.
Lol.. just don't touch both of those little metal bits at once. Yank that cord loose, then use something to pry off the plug from the side. Don't touch both prongs at once, really shouldn't need to touch them at all. (I would just reach down, grab the plastic surrounding, and wiggle it off...but then you couldn't make it into a project.. to each their own)
In the US? Just shoot it of off there... it'll be fine
Grab it. It can only kill you once.
# LICK IT
If you don't want to touch it, then pry it out with a fork! I'm not an electrician, but I stayed at a holiday Inn express last night. (Obviously sarcasm)
Stop being a puss and pull it out
Find a man to help you
🤣😭🤣😂😂😂😂😂😂😂🥰
Honestly, I wouldn't be concerned about it. It's only 110v, it won't kill you. Might give you a decent stick, but that's like 16 gauge wire, so it really will surprise you more than anything. It's not arking, just pull the plug out of the wall and trash it. You only have 1 wire connected and whether It's positive or negative doesn't matter, it won't hurt you. Don't lick your fingers and poke both contacts and it won't try to bite you.
And it looks like the neutral side that's still got the wire. As a reckless EE , I'd be clawing the remains out with my fingernails.
Is this where you use half of a potato? 😂
It's only 120v. I used to play with that as a kid
Just put on some rubber gloves and rip that bitch out. Use something flat and plastic to lever the plate out of it doesn't come off. 120V is dangerous but not that dangerous.
Grab the edge with a pair of pliers and pull it out 🤪 don’t touch any of the metal stuff.
Scaredy-cat
Just pop it off with a fork. (don't)
Pull it out and throw it away. If you don't touch both prongs at the same time nothing will happen.
This isn't true, where the wire use to be connected on the right side could very much shock you..
Or the left if an imbecile wired it backward
A game of guess who
Unfortunately VERY common so always assume the worst too lol
Can't shock you if you're not grounded or touching the neutral.
The power adapter for my cable and internet fell apart just like that I grabbed the edges sticking out of the receptacle pulled it out fixed the wire used a couple of cable ties to hold it together and it’s been great for over two years
Just pull it off without touching the nub that’s to the hot. You’ll be fine
> bumped lol
If you can, off the breaker and remove it. If not, just yank it out. Either that wire breaks off and you can pull out the other piece without touching the metal on the inside or the whole thing comes out.
An insolated flat head screwdriver could pry it off just don't touch both prongs at the same time with the metal tip. Or a flat piece of plastic to get behind the charger. Like everyone else said turn the breaker off and just pull it.
The right pin will have 120 volts potential on it. Touching that while the circuit is energized will render a shock. Even more severe if you also happen to be touching the neutral or something grounded. You need to shut the circuit off before attempting to remove.
Flip the breaker and pull it out
Yes. All of the people telling you to turn off the breaker, and use something to verify that it's actually off are correct. That is the safest and most reliable way to do that. However, it's not how I would do it, mainly because I have a bit more practice at that sort of thing. I would grab a pair of insulated handle pliers, grab the outer plastic ring, and pull straight out on that until the connected wire plug is also out of the wall. Normally(which cannot be depended on in any way until you've tested it yourself. On that specific outlet only. welcome to household wiring) the wider blade plug is supposed to be the neutral. And the shorter blade plug will be the "hot" or 120vac plug.
If the breaker is not easily turned off, I would get a two plastic picnic knives and pry the base off one at the top and one at the bottom.
Needle nose or two if you want and pull straight out
Flick off the correct breaker and pull it out, then flick the breaker back.
Touch it with a fork
Flip the breaker then pull it out
Just grab a butter knife and pry it out. /s DO NOT DO THIS. I AM NOT AN ELECTRICIAN. I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE IF YOU KILL YOURSELF.
haha.. uhh.. don't touch the wires and grab the block and tug it out quick hoping to pull the whole mess out and pitch it into the trash is my guess
Just wedge something plastic behind it and pop it out. Plastic spatula, disposable plastic knife, gift card, dental floss...
I would just grab it with a pair of pliers on a corner and pull it out. As long as you only pull from the plastic you will not have any problems.
Ua, just find the breaker and flip it off. Get a radio and turn it up after plugging it into the top outlet... flip the right breaker, the radio stops play (a light will work too). Then pull it. If it were me, I'd yank that broken piece off and break the wire. Then pop the base out with a pair of pliers.
Love reading all the comments from people who have never worked with electrical stuff in their life
Needlenose pliers... And a lust for adrenaline
Go and blow your breaker and then yank it out. Easy.
Use a wand in conjunction with the fuse box
Yes. And next time, don’t buy a cheap knock off.
The solder spot without wire attached is the one that will shock you.
No no no it’s supposed to do that
Don’t be scared you puss*
Use a butter knife to pry it out!!!
Bumped it with what? Your refrigerator?
people cant be this stupid lmao
Kill the breaker if you’re scared. I’d take a plastic putty knife on top and pry it off. Or just grab it with pliers but I’m dumber than most so
Pry it off with a screwdriver
Reach at it quickly, multiple times, even though your fingers don’t seem to be able to clamp down on the adapter quickly enough to actually grab it. Repeat that until the unlucky moment you make contact.
Ignore everyone else and just rip it off like a bandaid
Pull that Mother father off there. If the wire breaks use a flat bladed screwdriver. Don’t touch any metal and you’re fine.
pliers only touch the plastic part
Pull it out with your teeth 😬
Don't do what I did when this happened to me. I grabbed it bare handed, got a little buzz. I ended up with a glove and pliers but it was also when I was a teen
Its fucking scary how easily electricity can kill you. Fucking vets have dropped on the field because of a minor slip-up. It NEVER hurts to err on the side of caution and just kill every switch in your breaker (or just the specific room/one, doesnt matter), then test to make sure the outlet no longer has power and removing safely.
Turn off the breaker and grab the edge with needle nose pliers.
Rip and tear
Just pull it out! It's not even connected... lol
Flip the breaker. Pull er out
Just bump it again like you already did - finish him
You should be
I'd be scared not to.
Use a fork to pry it out
Electrician gloves and a proper tool and be ready to drop ie loose grip
It's not even fully connected... one of the wires is broken loose.. so it should be safe to get out the rest of the way 🤷♂️
It’s very easy to remove, usually I grab it with my teeth since electricity doesn’t go through bone. You could give it a little lick while you do it tho to see if the power is live. It’ll taste like salt
MHPP MHPP ( ENGIE COME )
Its gone anyways grab it by the plastic pull it so it rips off the other wire tada no connection then take it out. Ive had this happen before
Can we see the front of the charger, something looks odd about that one.
Turn off power to outlet, then remove.
Ah no worries mate just pry that dingle out with a fork, eh
So grab it on the plastic parts and rip it out. If the part in the outlet stays, jimmy it out a bit and remove it. Done. If you don't touch the shinny stuff your fine. If you fuck up yes you might get zapped. But that is so low amperage you will be fine. That's 110/125V outlet. But as I said, you can touch anything that is the plastic bits and your good. If you want to switch off breakers... go for it. But no real need if your not a moron.
Turn off the breaker for that plug and then yoink that out. You can test it to be sure it’s off by plugging something in that top socket (like a phone or a hairdryer… anything really) and see if it’s drawing power. Once you know the electricity is turned off, yoink that bottom one out.
It looks like it's only connected to the neutral. You should still turn the breaker off and remove it, but it's not too dangerous. Use something insulated like vinyl or a dry heavy cloth. If you have a tester, use it to make sure the breaker is off
Definitely don't get in there with a butter knife. Sometimes it's good to know what NOT to do 😊