There’s a lot going on behind the scenes when you plug your phone in to recharge. Electricity needs to be generated from a power plant or renewable energy source, and it then needs to be delivered to your house through the power grid.
But we still need a way to tap into this electricity once it’s made it to our houses, and that’s where electrical outlets come in. Electrical outlets allow us to plug in electronic devices and complete the long journey of that electricity that was likely generated at a faraway power plant.
There are probably dozens of electrical outlets in your house, and if you look around you right now, chances are good that you can see more than one electrical outlet nearby. But how much do we actually know about these important parts of electrical infrastructure?
Let’s take a moment to learn about electrical outlets — what they are, what different types of electrical outlets are out there, and how to practice electrical outlet safety.
What Are Electrical Outlets?
Starting with the basics, electrical outlets — also called wall plugs, sockets, and sometimes simply outlets — are pieces of electrical infrastructure that allow us to connect electrical devices or electrical equipment with the electricity that’s delivered to our homes or businesses.
Are There Different Types of Electrical Outlets?
Most of us are so familiar with electrical outlets and their use that we hardly think about them as we go about our daily lives. When we need to power a device, we simply plug the prongs into the electrical outlet, and voila! Power!
Fewer of us are familiar with the different types of electrical outlets (and yes, there are a variety of types of outlets out there). Let’s take a look at the most common types of outlets and get to know when, where, and why these different outlet varieties might be used, especially if you’re planning any home improvement projects.
125 Volt/15 Amp Outlets
Here in the United States, the most common type of electrical outlet delivers power that’s 15 amps and 125 volts. If you need a refresher on voltage and amperage you can read our guide to how electricity works.
If you just want a general idea of what volts and amps do, think of it like this analogy of water flowing through a pipe: Voltage is like the water pressure of the pipe and stays relatively constant, while amperage is like the flow rate (or in our case, electrical current) of water through the pipe and can fluctuate.
The majority of electrical devices here in the United States work best when drawing 120 volts of power. To accommodate this, the vast majority of electrical outlets provide 125 volts of electricity. (Side note: European electrical devices operate on 240 volts, so the electrical outlets there typically operate on 250 volts.)
The vast majority of electrical outlets operate on 15 amps, although we’ll go over why you might need a 20 amp outlet for certain electrical devices shortly.
Two-Prong Outlets
Older electrical outlets can only accommodate two prongs to provide power. Depending on where you live, these two-prong outlets may no longer be up to code, so if you’re planning renovations, you may need to update two-prong outlets in your home to the three-prong type of outlet that’s become more standard today.
Three-Prong Outlets
Three-prong outlets are today’s standard because that third prong is used as a ground wire to help ground the plug that you’re inserting into the electrical outlet. Ground wires are important because they can prevent electrical shocks if something fails in either the outlet or the device you’re plugging into the outlet.
125 Volt/20 Amp Outlets
Certain electrical devices require larger amounts of current to function correctly, and may need special 125 volt/20 amp outlets to function. These outlets often have a special horizontal prong to prevent you from accidentally plugging the wrong device into the outlet.
These types of outlets are most commonly used for larger appliances like refrigerators and washing machines.
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250 Volt/20 Amp Outlets
Certain commercial electronic devices (or devices imported from Europe) might require 250 volts and 20 amps of electricity. These devices are fewer and farther between, so the average American homeowner likely won’t need to worry about 250 volt/20 amp outlets.
USB Outlets
Some newer electrical outlets may include USB charging ports alongside three-prong outlets. These USB ports that are built directly into the outlet’s wall plate can be a nice feature in parts of a home or business where USB cords are used often to charge devices (think smartphone chargers).
Smart Outlets
Smart devices are all the rage these days, and it’s not hard to figure out why. Devices that can “talk” to one another or be monitored by an app can cut energy waste and in the process improve energy efficiency.
Smart outlets are typically WiFi-enabled and can be programmed to cut power off at certain times of the day or when not in use. These are a great way to help slay the energy vampires that lie in wait in your home!
GFCI Outlets
GFCI outlets are the type of outlet you probably haven’t heard of, but should definitely have on your radar. Here’s what they are and why they’re important.
GFCI outlets stand for ground fault circuit interrupter outlets (you can see why this is abbreviated to an acronym!). That sounds complicated, but here’s what you need to know: GFCI outlets will stop current flowing through them if they detect a hazard.
When this happens, the outlet itself will cut off power to the electronic device that’s using it. To resume normal use of the ground fault circuit interrupter outlet at this point, you’ll need to hit the reset button located on the GFCI receptacle.
Importantly, GFCI outlets can save you from the pain (and danger) of an electric shock.
Weather-Resistant Outlets
In some cases, business owners or homeowners might want to plug in electrical devices outdoors, or in uninsulated areas like a home garage. When this is the case, a weather-resistant outlet is needed.
These outlets are more heavy duty than your average electrical outlet, and come with some variety of weather-resistant cover, often plastic, that allows you to use this type of outlet without having to worry about the elements causing problems (or electric shocks!).
Tamper-Resistant Outlets
Our final variety of electrical outlets are great for homeowners with young children. Tamper-resistant outlets have spring-loaded covers built into the receptacle itself that can prevent young children from improperly using the outlet and causing an electric shock.
Think of a tamper-resistant receptacle, sometimes abbreviated to TRR, as an outlet that has plastic outlet covers (familiar to parents busy baby proofing their homes) built in.
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Are Electrical Outlets Safe?
If used correctly, electrical outlets are, in most cases, perfectly safe. Hopefully your own personal experience can confirm this: Electric shocks from electrical outlets are dangerous but rare.
If you’re concerned about electrical outlet safety in your home or business, consider investing in GFCI outlets or tamper-resistant receptacles to help reduce the risk of hazard. And if you’re installing an electrical outlet outdoors, make sure your electrician selects a weather-resistant receptacle.
Can You Be Killed by an Electrical Outlet?
The unfortunate answer to this question is yes: Electrical outlets can kill you. Fatal events related to electrical boxes like wall outlets are rare, but they still happen every year.
Electric shocks are dangerous. If you stick your finger or a metal object like a fork into an electrical outlet, you may experience one of these shocks yourself.
An electric shock can cause burns, headaches, seizures, or a loss of consciousness. In the worst case, an electric shock can induce a heart attack or send you into respiratory arrest, both of which can be fatal.
How Common Are Outlet Fires?
According to the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI), more than 50,000 fires happen every year in the United States due to electrical malfunctions, causing nearly 500 deaths and 1,440 injuries.
In a nation of more than 333 million people, these aren’t large numbers, but they’re still significant. To help prevent these fires, it’s important to install quality electrical outlets to code, or better yet to have them installed by a qualified electrician.
It’s also important not to overload an outlet — no plugging in more than one surge protector into a single outlet!
Never Look at Electrical Outlets the Same Way Again
We’ve talked about what electrical outlets are and the important function they serve in the modern home and business. We’ve also gone through the many different types of outlets, including why, where, and when each type of outlet might be used.
Most importantly, we’ve discussed the different ways you might use electrical outlets more safely, in order to prevent electric shocks or fires.
We tend to take electricity for granted as a given in our daily routines, but a lot of work goes into making sure that this power is delivered and available to us safely and reliably. That work starts at places where electricity is generated, but it extends all the way into the walls of our homes and businesses where our light switches and wall outlets are located.
If you’re interested in learning more about the fascinating (and often hidden) world of energy and electricity, you can read more at the Tara Energy blog.
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