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I have a few outlets that I don't want to be used by my kids. They are teens and the baby proof solutions will not work. I really don't want them to use it, not by accident, not because they forgot, or were lazy or any other reason!

I know I can remove the receptacles, cap the wires and put a solid cover over it. But I don't want to do that as someone might eventually need them.

So can I cover them without removing receptacles? I see it as no different than putting plastic baby proof plugs, only more teen proof. But want to make sure I don't miss something obvious (except better parenting skills) and do not inadvertently violate some electric code.

Thanks

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  • Depending on the circuit layout of the house, you could turn off a breaker. – JPhi1618 Jun 12 at 14:33
  • What level of security are you after? Will these children deliberately seek to circumvent your protection? (If plastic plugs won't do, what will? Screws? A padlock?) – isherwood Jun 12 at 14:41
  • @JPhi1618 sorry, this doesn't make any sense... How covering a receptical will affect anything whatsoever? – user102693 Jun 12 at 17:01
  • @isherwood Cover plate with the screws will do. Padlock will be an overkill, and plugs to tempting and easy to remove. – user102693 Jun 12 at 17:03
  • That was an alternative to covering the outlets. In some houses, each room is on a separate breaker, so you could turn off the breaker to only that room's outlets and have power everywhere else. If it's an older house, that's probably not the case. Just putting it out there as an option... – JPhi1618 Jun 12 at 17:07
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Locking Receptacle Cover

Use something like this locking cover: enter image description here

It has a hole for a padlock. Lock it when you're away. Unlock when you need it.

This particular one (and many others) specifically weatherproof for outdoor use since that is a common application - prevent your neighbor from using your electricity - but it will work fine indoors too.

This is also an in-use cover. So you could have a device plugged in even while this is locked. For example, you could have an appliance that should stay plugged in while keeping the other receptacle of the duplex from being used.

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  • thanks for the suggestion. I should have mentioned that I have 8 outlets I want to cover. These will look ugly in the bedrooms and probably more expensive than simple cover plates. I mostly concerned about some safety like does covering a receptacle will be of any safety concern: E.g. in case of receptacle being old and short circuiting or some electric fire happening maybe it is better for it to be exposed (with original plate) so it is noticed quicker. – user102693 Jun 12 at 17:05
  • I did not do an exhaustive search. I found a few and picked one. But I am pretty sure there are some that are smaller, designed to lock but not "in use" and not "weatherproof". – manassehkatz Jun 12 at 17:08

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