Our Metal Switchplate Slipped Between The Coffee Maker Plug And The Outlet.
Needless to day there were lots of sparks and the breaker
tripped. There is still a little burn mark on the outlet. We are
all avoiding this outlet now. I went as far as resetting the
breaker (after the coffee maker was unplugged and the metal
faceplate was changed to plastic). I'm still nervous about plugging
anything in there, but it's the only outlet we have in this area.
Can we safely use it?
First things first, I don't like giving advice on something like
this without being able to check the device myself. From what you
said it appears that the metal plate made contact with the hot side
of the circuit via the hot blade on the plug completing a circuit
between it and the third wire ground. the direct short circuit
between the hot side of the receptacle and the ground wire is whar
caued the sparks and the circuit breaker to trip. Going on the
beses that you were able to reset the circuit breaker, I feel it's
safe to say that no damage was done to the receptacle internally. i
would say that it's safe to use it.
Test it this way:
Turn the breaker off.
Plug the coffee maker or something else in the receptacle.
Turn the circuit breaker back on.
If the circuit breaker doesn't trip and the device functions
normally, the receptacle is safe to use.
If the outlet still works, turn off the power again and remove
the mounting screws on the outlet and turn it over so the ground
prong is above the 2 flat prongs. This way the cover will hit the
ground and not short the circuit. Otherwise, replace the cover with
a plastic one.
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