[KAW1962]

My husband and I recently purchased a 16 year-old home. Great house, but we've noticed that when we plug anything into any of the electrical outlets, the plugs don't want to stay in firmly, they just hang there loosely. Is there anything we can do to remedy the situation?

[RickJ]

Yep. Just replace them: a very easy job for a do-it-yourselfer.

The prongs of the plug are held in by little "pincers" that just wear out over time.

[dherman1]

When purchasing the replacement outlets, look for ones that are described as heavy duty. They will last longer and are designed for repeated plugins.

They are typically more expensive and are not the "back-stab" style of wiring. Which is a good thing. Although, they may be called back wired. The difference is that the back wired style requires that the screw be tightened to secure the wire.

Make sure that the outlet's breaker (or fuse) has been turned off at the main panel first.

This would also be a good time to check that the outlets are grounded and have enough wire in the box to connect things. And, to clean up old work so that things are neat and tidy.

Black or Red wire to the brass screw and white to the silver (nickle) screws.

Good Luck, Dan