Whatzit called

[DonTx]

Normally when I find floor outlets there is a brass cover plate and a piece of foam around the receptacles.

Today's home had the brass coverplate but once you flipped up the receptacle covers, the terminal screws on the outlet were not covered.

What should be in place to protect a person from getting zapped? Does the foam piece have a name other than "foam piece around the receptacle?"

[Brian G]

I haven't seen the ones with the foam piece yet. They used to just have the little individual flip-doors, and the face of each outlet was all you could see or touch without removing the big cover. That made too much sense, they must have changed it. []

Brian G.

[Jim Katen]

Originally posted by Donald Lawson

Normally when I find floor outlets there is a brass cover plate and a piece of foam around the receptacles.

Today's home had the brass coverplate but once you flipped up the receptacle covers, the terminal screws on the outlet were not covered.

What should be in place to protect a person from getting zapped? Does the foam piece have a name other than "foam piece around the receptacle?"

I've seen the ones with brass covers that flip up and ones with screw-on brass covers. Recently I've seen plastic versions. In each, there's a faceplate that prevents touching the nasty parts.

I've never seen one with foam. (Maybe it's a Texas thang.)

If I had to make up a name I'd probably call it a "protective gasket."

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[rivwal]

These brass electric receptacle floor covers (single and double) formerly had a paper "gasket" between the back of the cover and the receptacle. I think "GASKET" is the word you are looking for. These gaskets were formerly a black tar-paper like material and were changed to a foam material in the late 60's or early 70's, if my memory hasn't slipped too far. They were meant to try to keep out water/wax/shampoo, depending on the floor surface, when these floors were being cleaned.

Thanks, John Walsh

[DonTx]

Thanks John and everyone else.

Amazing, the new home I inspected today had a plastic face plate below the brass one. First time I've seen one like this.

Also, since I've been thinking about it a little more, the foam piece that I generally see below the brass plate is just like the foam piece that goes under the outdoor cover plates. Probably one and the same.