Few things are more convenient than an in-wall smart outlet when you want to turn a lamp or small appliance on and off, and the devices have been around almost as long as smart switches. But you haven ...

A friend who was buying an older house was concerned about electrical safety and asked for my opinion as an electrical engineer. All of the AC receptacles (also called outlets) in the house were the ...

Q: I went to use my hairdryer in the bathroom, but I discovered some of the outlets have stopped working. My GFCI test button won’t push in when I try to reset it, but nothing has tripped in the ...

In this episode, Russ shows us a GFCI receptacle full of dirt. The receptacle is energized but, because of its state and lack of cover, which is a Sec. 406.9(B)(1) violation, Russ questions if it ...

Editor-in-Chief Ellen Parson and NEC Expert Russ LeBlanc discuss some of the most significant changes to the 2023 edition of the National Electrical Code. This episode looks at several revisions to ...

While standard receptacles typically use three wires -- hot, neutral and ground -- you'll occasionally find 2-prong outlets in older homes. Since this type of outlet lacks a ground connection, the ...

Q: We’re selling our house, and the buyer had an inspection done on it. The bad news is that our bathroom needs a ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) installed. It’s the only outlet in the ...