New Styles of Electrical Plugs Are Safer

You can increase your safety and protect your appliances from abuse by replacing old and worn electrical plugs and receptacles with newer styles offering extra safety features and conveniences.

Maintenance Technology magazine says that to secure a plug that might be easily knocked out of the receptacle, a straight-blade plug with a locking screw can be used. This type of connection is especially important for appliances such as refrigerators, where the result of an accidental disconnection can mean real trouble.

An angle plug should be used when you want to place furniture or an appliance closer to the wall. An angle plug lays flat against the wall instead of protruding from it. As for receptacles, isolated ground receptacles should be used whenever sensitive electrical equipment such as computers require a pure, noise-free ground. Surge suppression receptacles help protect electronic equipment from damage caused by transient voltage spikes.