I've got a bit of a situation here. We're in the middle of a renovation, and the electricians still haven't finished everything. In the meantime, there's a receptacle with exposed live wires sticking out from the wall, and we're expecting some little kids to visit very soon. I'm looking for a temporary and SAFE way to cover this up until the electricians arrive. I attempted to shove the wires back into the wall and ended up getting shocked, so I definitely don't want to mess around with it. I've put wall plates on other outlets, but this one is still an issue. I need something that won't look pretty but will keep curious kids away and ensure safety. Any ideas? I'm fine with DIY solutions, just want to make sure it's safe!
3 Answers
Honestly, there's no safe way to cover live wires that can guarantee safety if you aren’t trained. Ideally, those wires should have been insulated properly before the contractors left. I really recommend calling an electrician to fix this—it's a quick job that can be done in 1-2 hours. The risk of fire or serious injury isn’t worth it. Plus, let the renovation company know they left things unsafe; that’s not acceptable!
By the way, if you can’t upload a photo here, you should check out Imgur to upload one and get some feedback based on visuals. It's a simple way to share what you're dealing with!
The best immediate step is to turn off the breaker to that outlet. Once it's off, wrap electrical tape around the exposed wires to cover the bare parts. After that, leave the breaker off for now. If it seems like you can manage without using that circuit, that's your safest bet until the pros can come.
If you turn off the breaker, you can safely cut the wires, cap them with wire nuts, and leave them in the box with a blank cover. That's a much safer temporary solution!