Post by autumnmist on Sept 18, 2021 14:13:49 GMT -8
We lost power for several days; I disconnected everything, per utility instructions, and also so everything wouldn't come back on simultaneously. Disconnected the frig and stove, (gas powered with electrical connection apparently just for the clock) and left them off until I could get the frig scrubbed down and cleaned up, as the melting food created quite a mess and I had to clean up little by little b/c of back issues. (Still working on the freezer in the basement; that's a bigger task.)
This is an old, old house, (built in 1950) with old outlets. The frig and stove share an outlet. When I got them both plugged in awhile ago I checked to see they were in well, and stable. I noticed a slight wiggle in the plugs when I did this, and the panic set in. I can't unscrew the outlet to see better what's happening b/c the prior owner painted over it, and it would take a lot of work to get that down now. I've changed light switches before, but never outlets, and I don't even want to try changing one anyway. I just wanted to see if anything was loose.
I'm worried about the slight "wiggle" in the outlet. The plugs are stable, but I obviously can't tell the situation of the outlet itself since the whole plate is painted solidly and sticks to the wall. I will call my electrical contractor on Monday, but I'm worried about "stray" electricity (I don't think that's the correct term though). And I have no idea how long the outlet has been this way; I've never checked the plugs before other than to make sure they're operable as I don't disconnect and reconnect them unless there's a power outage or I move the frig out for thorough cleaning underneath and behind it.
Basic question: should I unplug the stove and frig until I can get an electrical contractor out? I do plan to have separate plugs installed when I call that contractor for a lot of other work, but that work isn't going to be done for a while (need to clean some big areas so they're more accessible.)
Thanks very much for any suggestions (and I apologize for not responding the last time I asked a question; I don't recall why but something else was going on that diverted my attention.)
This is an old, old house, (built in 1950) with old outlets. The frig and stove share an outlet. When I got them both plugged in awhile ago I checked to see they were in well, and stable. I noticed a slight wiggle in the plugs when I did this, and the panic set in. I can't unscrew the outlet to see better what's happening b/c the prior owner painted over it, and it would take a lot of work to get that down now. I've changed light switches before, but never outlets, and I don't even want to try changing one anyway. I just wanted to see if anything was loose.
I'm worried about the slight "wiggle" in the outlet. The plugs are stable, but I obviously can't tell the situation of the outlet itself since the whole plate is painted solidly and sticks to the wall. I will call my electrical contractor on Monday, but I'm worried about "stray" electricity (I don't think that's the correct term though). And I have no idea how long the outlet has been this way; I've never checked the plugs before other than to make sure they're operable as I don't disconnect and reconnect them unless there's a power outage or I move the frig out for thorough cleaning underneath and behind it.
Basic question: should I unplug the stove and frig until I can get an electrical contractor out? I do plan to have separate plugs installed when I call that contractor for a lot of other work, but that work isn't going to be done for a while (need to clean some big areas so they're more accessible.)
Thanks very much for any suggestions (and I apologize for not responding the last time I asked a question; I don't recall why but something else was going on that diverted my attention.)