Loosening Sockets

Exercise. YOU DO NOT WANT LOOSE OUTLETS. They are a fire hazard.

It sounds like you are talking about electrical outlets. As Mike alluded to, tighter is better. I suggest you enroll in an exercise program at the gym. 8-)

Or have his kids do it for him. :)

A shot of silicon spray or even old fashioned grease or oil :-)

I think you really misunderstand the question or I have not stated it well for you. Let's take a power strip instead. I'm looking at one right now. It has 6 3-prong sockets for a a 3-prong plug. If I stick a plug into it, it's very difficult to get it out. This particular model is pretty decent about it. A solid pull will free the plug. On another such device, I just about have to take a plier and screw driver to a plug to get it out of the socket.

Did I use the word outlet? Look aga> "W. Wats>> Somehow the common 3-plug socket packages, say of 5-6 sockets, seem

I hope I don't sound too holier-than-thou, but I think this is just down to quality of springs. Over here in UK, the power strips are bigger and chunkier, so there is more area to grip, hence more gentle springs. The current is lower - anything over 13 amps is considered special - so the demand on the contact is probably less. Plus the general build quality is better than the stuff I saw in Walmart and Home Depot, and hardware stores. Talking to colleagues in USA, the concensus seemed to be that you can get really cheap stuff, but it is not good quality. For instance, in Walmart I bought a double wall outlet socket for 45c (plus a few c tax). The equivalent over here would be more like $5, and twice as large. One USA colleague said he'd heard from a Fire Protection guy, giving a safety lecture, that to reduce risk of fire, a) don't take plugs in/out unless necessary - to reduce usage b) replace the fitted, usually cheap, sockets in the kitchen with ones costing at least $3 each - to increase quality. hth Neil

Just becasue they are in a strip doesn't make them something else.