Pardon my ignorance and terminology...

I have a coffee maker with a 3 prong plug on it. But because the two flat prongs are the same size, the gfci outlet in my kitchen won't let it in. It will accept plugs where one of the flat parts is wider than the others. Is this typical? Is fixing my issue as easy as buying some adapter from Home Depot to accept the existing plug and plugging that into the wall?

(I was able to somehow get it plugged in once, but it clearly didn't go easily and I can't get it back again. All outlets in my kitchen are the same way.)

I think it's actually an outlet issue, not plug. Been experimenting some more since my post.

One of the more vexing things that a 'global economy' and 'gray marketing' can entail, is getting fixtures meant for a specific nation's power requirements "mixed" in with another's.

If you examine the outlet in "smiley-face" fashion--grounding socket down, the wide slot ought to be to the left. Installed NEC-fashion--ground pin up--the wide slot is to the right.

If not, you have an "odd" fixture.

Capn, NEC doesn't address the pin up/down argument. The handbook actually has discussion to that effect.

My guess here is the tamper resistant feature of the receptacle. To prevent the toddler or dared teenager from shoving a paperclip in it and getting bitten, there are tabs that must be pushed to one side inside the receptacle. This is only accomplished by inserting a plug with two intact prongs. They can be finicky, especially when new. I have several in different places around the house that I constantly fight with. Look at the face of the plug and see if you see a tab blocking the opening or if you can see the brass terminals inside.

Tab is blocking the receptacle. I think it's just this one outlet after all. The others are finicky, but this particular one is damn near impossible. I'll probably just get it replaced.

Oops, my error. Probably from keeping the Handbook closer to hand than the actual NEC (unless I need a doorstop, or to make a niece taller at the table).

All of which is correctable buy just installing plugmold along the bottom edge of the upper cabinets run of GFCI breaker. (Getting the electrical r/i right so that the lighting circuits are separate can be, ah, 'fun' though <sigh>.)

Instead of replacing it, get a three or six tap adapter to plug into the finicky recep. It should have the wider terminal. Fight with that one time and leave it in. You can then plug in appliances to the adapter.

we talking about a polarized plug here? I though a non-polarized plug will fit into a polarized receptacle, but not vise versa.. sounds like OP has this situation (a polarized plug).. so, I'm confused.

"Oh, you mean the holes?"

quote:

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I though a non-polarized plug will fit into a polarized receptacle, but not vise versa..

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Correct. In this case, the plug isn't catching the shutter real well.

Shows how tamper resistant receptacles work.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_6w-DM7zTE;t=0m30s