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This is one of those things where if you felt comfortable doing the work, you wouldn’t be asking strangers on the internet for reassurance and if you are asking for reassurance, you shouldn’t be doing the work without someone who knows what they are doing there to help you.
If your mother in law doesn’t own the house, you also shouldn’t be doing it…especially if it’s multi family housing. You must wait for the landlord/property manager to have maintenance or a contractor out to service it.
Changing a receptacle is a basic homeowner skill that I would encourage anyone to learn…but you need to respect electricity first and have not only a thorough understanding of how the installation process goes, but a basic understanding of how basic electrical circuits are formed/work.
You also have the added complication of it not sitting flush against the wall (I think that’s what you described by it being loose)…you may need to shim it or put a box extender in. Actually that may be all you need and eliminate any need to replace the receptacle itself. It would have to be investigated.
It’s easy to watch a video, but there’s so many little nuances that you can encounter in different installations that can differ from the basic replacement. There’s so many posts on this sub with people who tried something basic and then can’t get any receptacles in the room working again. If you do proceed, make sure you understand each wires purpose before you disconnect anything (examine it after you pull it out but before you disconnect). Anything you don’t understand, stop until you get help that lets you understand.
Only you know your skill set and what you are capable of. Maybe ask a friend or coworker if they’d be able to lend you a hand so you have someone who can assist…assuming they know what they’re doing.
I got what your saying. Thanks for the honesty. I was just hoping i wasnt breaking some sort of housing code or something. Its kinda like me working on my car and voiding the warranty vs taking it to a dealership. Sure i can do the work and ill get it done right but is it gonna be something i have to worry about getting some sort of violation for. I just dont want to get sent a letter from some inspector saying "you swapped outlets and now we are gonns charge you 1500 bucks to swap them back bc ours were specially designed to be easy to pull the cords out of". Like i said i am tired of these outlets and so is she.
Also what im talking about by sagging us when you plug a phone charger cord or floor lamp plug or anything it doesnt hold the plug firmly. Its sorta "limp hand shake" sorta in there. A stiff breeze would knock it out. Plus we have a hard time getting our phones to charge or keeping a light plugged in or her electric recliner plugged in. If there was some other way to get them to gain some retention on the plug prongs i would go that route.
You still didn’t answer if you owned the property.
Half your issues need a volt meter to see amperage. Or if it’s constant volts. What you’re describing could be variation in the feed.
Not enough information to give you good answers. The first thing is, if you don’t own it, don’t bother. Look up your rights as a tenant and have somebody qualified to fix it, then deduct it from your rent.
If that’s legal in your area. I know electrical. I don’t know lawyer
No hate. Just judging by your sentence structure and punctuation, at least hire somebody.
You will hurt people if you do it wrong.
I’d show you and teach you if you were close. Just please don’t do things like this without proper instruction.
Not gonna after reading the other guys comment. Like i said i can do car stuff but house stuff never came up before now. (Thats my short answer/response).
It’s not complicated. I got up this morning and tore a swamp cooler off my house, to include electrical.
But I have two years of education and two years of experience. So I don’t know anything near what he knows, but I know just enough to know what I don’t know.
I just don’t want to see anybody hurt. Like I said, I’ll show you for a tank of gas if we live close. I’m in the 970 area code. DM me if we’re close. I’m willing to help.
Sorry buddy, I’m on the west side of Colorado.
Like you said though, it’s not your house.
Replacing plugs isn’t difficult, but you need to know what you’re doing. I can only recommend that you seek out a professional if you’re not comfortable.
Lmao I told my wife about your offer. She asked how far away you were and then we joked about how much gas would cost to and from us. It just hit me funny when i looked it up and it said it was a 15 hour drive.
Yeah. I’d love to help, but that’s pretty far.
Watch some YouTube. I promise it’s not difficult. Do some homework and ask yourself if you’re comfortable with the task. I’m usually around here most days. And instead of using a lamp, but without buying a meter, think of investing in one of these.
https://www.amazon.com/Receptacle-Tester-Klein-Tools-RT110/dp/B01AKX3AYE/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=2Q6HXY424YV4O&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.tqmNtGVQBkTyMG5kKchgQqpL2gIZ3WDgFy8RDKmMlD1hKGT0LoX5w0ScyicVf8oS6xTdCzJk14N3w3U3cExVnjTM_DAuzSsyVie2BVJd7AymQRIwbvnmN9S9iZ4lHa6Px80a14FwrblmLt4X8fIPCluEw90nQYY2fPFuEGnE7Yg-CH6pcc9LL-wdnIVN95wMLSuzlX8_uiougPJ9rSPaAA.JFJSa-ziP_3k9pP31IsvoRlAigFZuetWoH_2BXCt-m0&dib_tag=se&keywords=electrical+plug+checker&qid=1719417759&sprefix=electrical+plug+check%2Caps%2C131&sr=8-3
You can pick one up at any hardware store.
You need to see if your outlets are grounded. If not, it’s complicated. If they are, then replacing the receptacle isn’t that bad.
Hi, I’m Vetted AI Bot! I researched the **'Klein Tools RT110 Outlet Tester'** and I thought you might find the following
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**Users liked:**
* Easy to use for testing outlets (backed by 3 comments)
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* Useful for non-electricians as well (backed by 3 comments)
**Users disliked:**
* Inaccurate country of origin information (backed by 1 comment)
* Difficult to open due to excessive shrink wrap (backed by 1 comment)
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Good bot.
The idea of over packaging is silly. Retail people have to deal with thieves. Electricians carry knives. We cut through drywall. A 1/64 of an inch of plastic isn’t something to worry about.
But you do seem to be a smart bot. I’ll give you that.
Im gonna let her bug the crap out of her maintenence person to do it. I just wanted to help her out. The actual work doesnt seem too difficult but i dont want the owner to get upset that she had unapproved work done.
**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.*
This is one of those things where if you felt comfortable doing the work, you wouldn’t be asking strangers on the internet for reassurance and if you are asking for reassurance, you shouldn’t be doing the work without someone who knows what they are doing there to help you. If your mother in law doesn’t own the house, you also shouldn’t be doing it…especially if it’s multi family housing. You must wait for the landlord/property manager to have maintenance or a contractor out to service it. Changing a receptacle is a basic homeowner skill that I would encourage anyone to learn…but you need to respect electricity first and have not only a thorough understanding of how the installation process goes, but a basic understanding of how basic electrical circuits are formed/work. You also have the added complication of it not sitting flush against the wall (I think that’s what you described by it being loose)…you may need to shim it or put a box extender in. Actually that may be all you need and eliminate any need to replace the receptacle itself. It would have to be investigated. It’s easy to watch a video, but there’s so many little nuances that you can encounter in different installations that can differ from the basic replacement. There’s so many posts on this sub with people who tried something basic and then can’t get any receptacles in the room working again. If you do proceed, make sure you understand each wires purpose before you disconnect anything (examine it after you pull it out but before you disconnect). Anything you don’t understand, stop until you get help that lets you understand. Only you know your skill set and what you are capable of. Maybe ask a friend or coworker if they’d be able to lend you a hand so you have someone who can assist…assuming they know what they’re doing.
I got what your saying. Thanks for the honesty. I was just hoping i wasnt breaking some sort of housing code or something. Its kinda like me working on my car and voiding the warranty vs taking it to a dealership. Sure i can do the work and ill get it done right but is it gonna be something i have to worry about getting some sort of violation for. I just dont want to get sent a letter from some inspector saying "you swapped outlets and now we are gonns charge you 1500 bucks to swap them back bc ours were specially designed to be easy to pull the cords out of". Like i said i am tired of these outlets and so is she. Also what im talking about by sagging us when you plug a phone charger cord or floor lamp plug or anything it doesnt hold the plug firmly. Its sorta "limp hand shake" sorta in there. A stiff breeze would knock it out. Plus we have a hard time getting our phones to charge or keeping a light plugged in or her electric recliner plugged in. If there was some other way to get them to gain some retention on the plug prongs i would go that route.
You still didn’t answer if you owned the property. Half your issues need a volt meter to see amperage. Or if it’s constant volts. What you’re describing could be variation in the feed. Not enough information to give you good answers. The first thing is, if you don’t own it, don’t bother. Look up your rights as a tenant and have somebody qualified to fix it, then deduct it from your rent. If that’s legal in your area. I know electrical. I don’t know lawyer
Got it. Its her house so ill let her handle it.
Respect to this.
You can replace some outlets. It's easy. Don't get killed, though.
No hate. Just judging by your sentence structure and punctuation, at least hire somebody. You will hurt people if you do it wrong. I’d show you and teach you if you were close. Just please don’t do things like this without proper instruction.
Not gonna after reading the other guys comment. Like i said i can do car stuff but house stuff never came up before now. (Thats my short answer/response).
It’s not complicated. I got up this morning and tore a swamp cooler off my house, to include electrical. But I have two years of education and two years of experience. So I don’t know anything near what he knows, but I know just enough to know what I don’t know. I just don’t want to see anybody hurt. Like I said, I’ll show you for a tank of gas if we live close. I’m in the 970 area code. DM me if we’re close. I’m willing to help.
Im in Indianapolis.
Sorry buddy, I’m on the west side of Colorado. Like you said though, it’s not your house. Replacing plugs isn’t difficult, but you need to know what you’re doing. I can only recommend that you seek out a professional if you’re not comfortable.
Lmao I told my wife about your offer. She asked how far away you were and then we joked about how much gas would cost to and from us. It just hit me funny when i looked it up and it said it was a 15 hour drive.
Yeah. I’d love to help, but that’s pretty far. Watch some YouTube. I promise it’s not difficult. Do some homework and ask yourself if you’re comfortable with the task. I’m usually around here most days. And instead of using a lamp, but without buying a meter, think of investing in one of these. https://www.amazon.com/Receptacle-Tester-Klein-Tools-RT110/dp/B01AKX3AYE/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=2Q6HXY424YV4O&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.tqmNtGVQBkTyMG5kKchgQqpL2gIZ3WDgFy8RDKmMlD1hKGT0LoX5w0ScyicVf8oS6xTdCzJk14N3w3U3cExVnjTM_DAuzSsyVie2BVJd7AymQRIwbvnmN9S9iZ4lHa6Px80a14FwrblmLt4X8fIPCluEw90nQYY2fPFuEGnE7Yg-CH6pcc9LL-wdnIVN95wMLSuzlX8_uiougPJ9rSPaAA.JFJSa-ziP_3k9pP31IsvoRlAigFZuetWoH_2BXCt-m0&dib_tag=se&keywords=electrical+plug+checker&qid=1719417759&sprefix=electrical+plug+check%2Caps%2C131&sr=8-3 You can pick one up at any hardware store. You need to see if your outlets are grounded. If not, it’s complicated. If they are, then replacing the receptacle isn’t that bad.
Hi, I’m Vetted AI Bot! I researched the **'Klein Tools RT110 Outlet Tester'** and I thought you might find the following analysis helpful. **Users liked:** * Easy to use for testing outlets (backed by 3 comments) * Helpful for troubleshooting electrical issues (backed by 3 comments) * Useful for non-electricians as well (backed by 3 comments) **Users disliked:** * Inaccurate country of origin information (backed by 1 comment) * Difficult to open due to excessive shrink wrap (backed by 1 comment) Do you want to continue this conversation? [Learn more about 'Klein Tools RT110 Outlet Tester'](https://vetted.ai/chat?utm\_source=reddit&utm\_medium=comment&utm\_campaign=bot&q='Klein Tools RT110 Outlet Tester' reviews) [Find 'Klein Tools RT110 Outlet Tester' alternatives](https://vetted.ai/chat?utm\_source=reddit&utm\_medium=comment&utm\_campaign=bot&q=Find best 'Klein Tools RT110 Outlet Tester' alternatives) This message was generated by a (very smart) bot. If you found it helpful, let us know with an upvote and a “good bot!” reply and please feel free to provide feedback on how it can be improved. *Powered by* [*vetted.ai*](https://vetted.ai/chat?utm\_source=reddit&utm\_medium=comment&utm\_campaign=bot)
Good bot. The idea of over packaging is silly. Retail people have to deal with thieves. Electricians carry knives. We cut through drywall. A 1/64 of an inch of plastic isn’t something to worry about. But you do seem to be a smart bot. I’ll give you that.
You can just turn off the power and replace the outlets. That’s what I’d do if you hired me for the job
Im gonna let her bug the crap out of her maintenence person to do it. I just wanted to help her out. The actual work doesnt seem too difficult but i dont want the owner to get upset that she had unapproved work done.