What Should You Do?
If you encounter an outlet that appears to be glowing, don’t touch the outlet or remove the cover plate to investigate while it’s energized.
If it is safe to do so, stop using anything connected to the receptacle.
If you know which circuit supplies the outlet and can safely access your electrical panel, turn off the corresponding circuit breaker.
Then contact a qualified electrician to inspect the receptacle, wiring, and connections.
Don’t Try to “Test” It Yourself
This isn’t the kind of electrical problem where it’s worth experimenting.
Don’t:
- Remove the outlet cover while the circuit is energized.
- Touch exposed wiring.
- Keep plugging appliances into the outlet to see what happens.
- Spray anything around the receptacle.
- Ignore a burning smell or crackling noise.
- Assume replacing only the wall plate will solve the problem.
Electrical problems can exist behind the visible portion of an outlet.
