prevent electrical plug from wobbling loose?

[bob]

Thanks to all who replied.

It's a business, and I don't know what quality receptacle they have. It is a good idea to try other receptacles to see if it stays. However, I suspect, like many of you, she won't be able to convince the owner to change out the receptacles. In fact, I don't think she would even try. Although I do most electrical work (replace switches, receptacles, etc) at home, I'm not going to rewire their stuff.

The electrical outlet is right under a counter. Here's a sketch:

The plug doesn't fall out of the receptacle; it was just very loose fitting before I bent the prongs. In her own words the plug made a "zzz" sound once in a while and the clipper stopped momentarily. I interpret this to mean arcing.

Some of the ideas posted may help. If she doesn't mind an extension cord, I could try to find a 3-prong extension cord with a firm gripping receptacle end.

The hospital grade receptacles is a good suggestion, not necessarily to fix her problem, but a good thing to know in general. I see there are also hospital grade extension cord, but the plug seems to take up alot of space. Is there a local chain stores I can walk in to check these out or are they mail order only?

Another idea is to zip tie a metal ring a foot away from the plug and hang the ring on a screw-in hook on the wall. The hook would absorb the cord weight and movements yet it is easy to unplug and move to another station.

[Vic Smith]

Here.

or here

[Stormin Mormon]

That really does sound unsafe. I'd not be happy to work in such a dangerous location. Are the clippers grounded, at least? Three wire plug?

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

.

It's a business, and I don't know what quality receptacle they have. It is a good idea to try other receptacles to see if it stays. However, I suspect, like many of you, she won't be able to convince the owner to change out the receptacles. In fact, I don't think she would even try. Although I do most electrical work (replace switches, receptacles, etc) at home, I'm not going to rewire their stuff.

The electrical outlet is right under a counter. Here's a sketch:

The plug doesn't fall out of the receptacle; it was just very loose fitting before I bent the prongs. In her own words the plug made a "zzz" sound once in a while and the clipper stopped momentarily. I interpret this to mean arcing.

Some of the ideas posted may help. If she doesn't mind an extension cord, I could try to find a 3-prong extension cord with a firm gripping receptacle end.

The hospital grade receptacles is a good suggestion, not necessarily to fix her problem, but a good thing to know in general. I see there are also hospital grade extension cord, but the plug seems to take up alot of space. Is there a local chain stores I can walk in to check these out or are they mail order only?

Another idea is to zip tie a metal ring a foot away from the plug and hang the ring on a screw-in hook on the wall. The hook would absorb the cord weight and movements yet it is easy to unplug and move to another station.

[hrhofmann]

You are on the right track!!

[The Daring Dufas]

I doubt you have rewired as many hair salons as I have or repaired any commercial hair dryers. ^_^

TDD

[The Daring Dufas]

Any time I installed electrical outlets in a beauty shop, I always ask the owner how often the outlet will be used. I don't waste money on an outlet for a lamp in the waiting room unless a vacuum cleaner will be plugged in there every day. The workstations always get the highest grade outlets the owner can afford. ^_^

TDD

[DerbyDad03]

If the receptacle is arcing, any business owner that ignores it is just plain nuts. Any employee that wouldn't tell the business owner/ manager is also just plain...oh wait...she's your friend...I'll be polite.

Let's put it this way. If I worked in a shop and a receptacle was arcing or my electrical equipment didn't stay plugged in securely, I'd try my equipment in another receptacle to determine the root cause.

If it turned out to be the receptacle, I'd let the owner/manager know as soon as possible. I'd mentioned the possibility of a fire or injury to staff or customer. As I said, any business owner that ignores a situation like that just plain nuts.

[The Daring Dufas]

If you do a strain relief, use a spring attached to the outlet and a clip on the cord. An extension spring similar to a screen door spring works well. It doesn't have to be that long just have a loop in the cord a bit shorter than the spring. It keeps a lot of jerking motion off the plug. ^_^

TDD

[Stormin Mormon]

Can't just replace the recepticle?

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

.

You are on the right track!!

[Stormin Mormon]

I fixed a wire on a pizza oven, one time.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

.

I doubt you have rewired as many hair salons as I have or repaired any commercial hair dryers. ^_^

TDD

[Stormin Mormon]

At church, the vac cleaner sockets get pounded, but the sockets in class rooms last almost forever.

At home, my toaster socket expected to last forever, but the socket for the battery charger will be much less so.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

.

Any time I installed electrical outlets in a beauty shop, I always ask the owner how often the outlet will be used. I don't waste money on an outlet for a lamp in the waiting room unless a vacuum cleaner will be plugged in there every day. The workstations always get the highest grade outlets the owner can afford. ^_^

TDD

[krw]

A very bad plan. If the outlet is loose, this will be also. It's a fire waiting to happen and you just helped it.

Yeah, that's a cheap way to urn your house down.

[gregz]

If the thing does not have a cabled ground fault, have another twist lock outlet installed, and on the cord, else have a locking fastener installed to support the cord, or even a hook. Your not really supposed to pull on cords, they will go bad. How about an extension.

Greg

[clare]

Replace the worn out outlet.

[Ed Pawlowski]

But it adds up. If you are building a $750,000 house, you can save maybe 25 bucks!

[Ed Pawlowski]

Hairdresser? Scissors? I use a towel.

[Stormin Mormon]

Interesting way to remove hair.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

.

Hairdresser? Scissors? I use a towel.

[Stormin Mormon]

You been having a seance, and channelling Walmart?

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

.

But it adds up. If you are building a $750,000 house, you can save maybe 25 bucks!

[Robert Green]

Is that all you've got? What does that have to do with *anything* here except perhaps your ego? You suggested an expensive solution without knowing nearly enough details to make that decision

I will explain again, because it doesn't seem you understood.

The problem with "replace all outlets immediately" solution, as DerbyDad noted, is that no one ran any tests to confirm that the outlet was defective in any way. We just don't know.

I based my comments on the increasing number of plugs I see coming from overseas that have flat, undimpled blades that ANY outlet has a hard time holding. If there was truly an outlet problem, we might have been told that everyone has this problem. But it seems limited to the clippers this one hairdryer uses.

Even *you* probably wouldn't rewire a salon on the say-so of hairdresser/employee. In suggesting a rewire you pretty much failed to consider an employee isn't in a position to make that decision. Even worse, her suggestion that her boss had the place originally wired with bad outlets could blowback very badly on her. Not many bosses like that kind of technical advice - from a hairdresser.

What if he did the suggested rewire and it turns out that the same (perhaps defective) plug fell out of the new outlets? Would you charge him for all the work that you did that he didn't need doing? Is *that* really a good solution to this problem?

As DerbyDad suggested, a little investigation is in order before anyone declares an expensive rewire is necessary because one hairdresser's clippers don't stay firmly in. A $1.42 outlet extender *designed* to clamp down on the plug blades is a pretty cheap solution that worked for me in a similar situation. My barber uses 6 outlet power strips to accommodate all the various clippers he uses. I doubt his aesthetics would be horrifically compromised by the use of a 3 way outlet extender despite opinions to the contrary.

-- Bobby G.

[The Daring Dufas]

I'm glad you're such an expert on all things electrical. ^_^

TDD