What would cause screws on receptacle to become red hot?

There are three major causes of hot screws on a receptacle.

1.. Overcurrent: Receptacles are usually rated at 15 amps, occasionally 20

amps. If the circuit breaker feeding it is too large or faulty, the receptacle

could overheat due to the loads it is feeding.

2.. Loose screws at the receptacle. This condition leads to arcing at

the receptacle and evetually, fire.

3.. Copper contamination. Carbonization or crystalization can occur on the

conductors at the screw terminal. This can usually be cleaned up with

emery cloth.