Side By Side Wood Outlets

An example, left, of the earliest outlets for home wiring systems, containing only two prongs for the positive and negative blades of a plug. This outlet was installed improperly, right. According to the electrical code, there must be a metal box around all electrical outlets. In this example, the wires are touching the wood of the baseboard, creating a potential fire hazard.

CREDIT: Photos courtesy of Underwriters Laboratories (UL)