HELP please. When I plug or unplug something in a couple plugs in our house I see "sparks". HELP, is this dangerous and if so, what do I need to do?

THANKS

Yes this is probably dangerous due to the fact that sparks aren't usually a good thing.There may just be a bad plug or possibly loose wiring at the receptacle. If the wiring is made of aluminum, this is very common as it has a tendency to expand and contract more than copper wiring. In either case, if you feel it is something that you can fix, just be sure to locate the proper breaker or fuse and turn it off before investigating the problem. If not comfortable with doing the repair yourself, hire a licensed electrician to do the job. It may be a little bit of an expense, but getting shocked a couple of times will make it seem well worth it!

In all likelihood, what you are witnessing is called "arcing". It occurs when an electrical conductor, the prong on your electrical plug, is brought into close proximaty to a source of live electrical power, the live conductors in the outlet. As the plug is withdrawn from the outlet, the continuity of the flow of electrons (electricity) is broken, resulting in the display of electricity you are witnessing. Since electricity is, in reality, invisible, what you are seeing is superheated, electrified molecules of air, made so by the electrons of the electricity, being conducted from air molecule to air molecule, which shows up as "arcing", or jumping across the gap between the the two conductors, until the gap between them is too wide for the electrons to bridge.

Generally, the cause of such visible arcing is that something hasn't been shut off before pulling the plug on the appliance. If there is no current flow through the appliance, or tool, etc., as would be true if the switch has been turned off, then there should be no arcing, so get into the habit of turning off all electrical devices prior to unplugging them. And, pull on the molded plug, not on the wire.

If, on the other hand, the arcing is to the grounded box, or anywhere else other than what is described above, then you have a serious electrical problem, in that the electricity is flowing to where it is not supposed to go. This is potentially life-threatening, either from the possibility of an electrical fire, or from an electrocution. If this is what you are seeing, then do not delay in getting it looked at by someone with appropriate qualifications.

ARBY,

Based on the fact that you ask if this was dangerous I see that you have little or no experience with electrical wiring and associated components.

To answer your question: YES! This is dangerous. There are many possible reasons. Stop using those outlets and the product that you were plugging into them. Immediately call an electrician before you have to call the fire department.

I have experienced this with older receptacles that are severely worn and carbon coated from poor contact with plugs.Generally a new receptacle properly installed and tested cures this. Be aware that receptacles that exhibit this behavior should never be used for Computers or other digital equipment as the resulting arcing will damage digital equipment.

while what has been previously said is true, no one mentioned that it may be just static electricity that you are seeing, as you ask this in the middle of what is the heating season for most of the US. to err on the side of caution is always best, so yes, i agree with those who said call an electrician. you might want to buy a relative humidity gauge to check for moisture and another thing that may be happening is that whatever you are using, especially high wattage appliances such as irons, coffee makers, hair dryers that are still ON will give a little spark when unplugged, so turn such items off before you unplug them. even static electricity is not a good thing to have around computers and/or other sensitive equipment, but this is where i would start, unless these sparks are also entwined with popping noises. best of luck

I had a few of these plugs in my home. My home is about 30 years old. I replaced the plugs/switches with new ones, just to be on the safe side. No problem now. I recently found two more and will be changing them out too. plugs/switches are inexpensive and can be purchased at any home supply store or hardware store. They come with instructions but if are not comfortable with changing them out yourself, ask a handy neighbor or call an electrician. Good luck!

WJ Parker is right. I'm a retired NAVY electrician & think I'm qualified to give my 2-cents on this subject. 1-thing not mentioned is the possibility of a "loose connection" which will almost always will give you the same symptoms. Loose connection could be located on the side of the receptacle/outlet where your black and white copper conductors are attached. This can be easily fixed by an inspection and tightening the screws with a flat head screw driver or replacing the outlet altogether since they're very inexpensive. Second source is a loose connection inside the molded body of the outlet itself. After a while things get a little loose inside and will cause the same symptom. Either way replacing the outlet is your best bet. I wouldn't spend anymore $ on specialty tools like relative humidity gauge. If you need help just sound off and we'll give you a hand. Licensed electricians can charge you an arm and a leg sometimes...