Switches and Receptacles

We use them every day, but we don’t think about them much. This is a good indication of the reliability of switches and receptacles. A bathroom light switch, for example, might be clicked on and off 10 times a day (depending on the size of your family). That’s a few thousand clicks each year, and the switch keeps going and going. If only our computers and operating systems were that reliable. A switch controls the flow of electricity between a source and an end device such as a light fixture. In a standard modern light switch, a metal arm inside the switch connects the two screw terminals to which the black, or hot, wires are connected. In the “Off” position, this arm moves out of the way and cuts off the flow of electricity along the conductors.
Receptacles don’t face as much mechanical wear and tear as a switch undergoes. A common house receptacle is called a duplex receptacle because it can accommodate two plugs. The metal connector between the screw terminals is fixed in place, unlike the movable arm in a switch. Each prong of a plug is held in place by two pieces of spring metal to maintain a solid electrical contact.
Both switches and receptacles can wear out, especially the original ones in an old home.