On average, there are at least 50 outlets in your home. Each outlet comes in a variety of sizes, shapes, and serves a function in the area that it was installed. Are the outlets in your home the right one for the type of functionality you are trying to achieve? Here we will explain the most common uses for the outlets in your home, along with energy saving newer outlets that could be considered upgrades from your current outlets. All the outlets we will talk about in this article are designed to make your in-home experience more user friendly for the many devices we use on the daily.
The Most Commonly Used American Outlets You Will Find in Your Home?
You will find a variety of outlets that hold different functions for the appliances and gadgets you have in your home. The most common are 15 amp, 125volt, and the 2 wired outlets that are used for underground circuits. The two wired outlets are starting to become obsolete due to the safety concerns they pose. Here is a list of a few outlets and their role they play in your home.
· The 3 prong Outlet – These are a 15 AMP 125 Volt Outlet
You will find this type of outlet in almost every house. This outlet features Two long upper slots with a u-shaped upside-down slot that is used to ground your devices. This design is to help lower the risk of electrical shock, incase any of the wiring inside the outlet becomes loose.
· Switch Outlet Combo – The Multi-Tasker for your Appliances
This combination allows you to add more functionality for a single device. They are wonderful additions to children’s rooms, and for use with night lights. They also allow you the ability to add more switches and outlets to your home, without the hassle of more wiring.
· GFCI Outlets – Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter
These types of outlets are perfect for areas that are close to areas with high water use, such as bathrooms, basements, crawlspaces, wet areas of kitchens, and any areas outdoors you may use to entertain guests. They help prevent the electrical current from leaking, monitoring the flow by cutting off the power if there is any abnormal hazardous spikes in power. You can easily identify these types of outlets by location the 2 small buttons in the center labeled “Test and Reset” each of these buttons are normally different colors by being both black and red.
· Larger Outlets – 20 Amp, 250 Volt Outlets.
These larger outlets are normally geared up to support larger appliances like your washer, dryer, refrigerator, and the many other larger appliance that help make living in your home easy. These outlets are standard in appearance to your typical 15-amp outlet but offer a slightly different look. On these outlets, you will notice, a horizontal slot connected to the top left vertical slot of the outlet this helps support larger appliances.
· Smaller Outlets – 20 Amp, 250 Volt Outlets
The outlet’s design is not similar to the standard outlets you use for the many other devices you support in your home. The outlets offer a unique shape made specifically for air compressors and hobby shop equipment.
Newer Electrical Outlet Designs
In addition to the traditional outlets we talked about above, there is a variety of newer outlets that are designed to support many of the other devices you use everyday in your home. They are inexpensive and are easy to install by a professional electrician. These newer types of outlets offer additional functionality that the other types of outlets do not support.
· USB Outlets
If you and your family are fighting over the lack of USB ports for your mobile devices, these USB outlets offer additional functionality, that are a simple solution and easy to install in your home.
· Recessed Outlets
Add additional space to your home by installing Recessed Outlets to your home’s living space. By adding this type of outlet to your home will free up space by eliminating gaps between furniture, and on your walls.
· Tamper Resistant Receptacles
These outlets are a great addition to your home because they help protect your children. Most new homes require these outlets to be installed so the home is up to local and state code. These outlets offer the homeowner peace of mind because they feature a barrier to prevent children from inserting small objects into the outlet.
· Built- In LED Night Light Outlets
These outlets offer an alternative to providing nightlights for your children’s room and other rooms that could use lighting during night hours. They allow you to keep fragile nightlight components away from little fingers with this safe lighting alternative.
For all your Electrical needs, let the professionals at Downtown Electric and Lighting help you update your homes wiring. Call us TODAY at (719)-428-8245 to schedule your appointment for your estimate.
