I ordered a fancy-schmancy outlet (http://fastmac.com/usocket.php) after reading about it in the New York Times. It took 14 months (!) to arrive, partly because it needed several modifications to bring it up to code. As a result, the unit is now larger than normal and does not fit into any of my existing electrical boxes. It is normal height, but 1â…ž” wide and 1 and 59/64″ deep.
They’ve updated their webpage to mention this new wrinkle: “The outlet requires a 16 cubic inch or larger single gang electrical box.”
Is this size of electrical box easy to find, at Home Despot for example? (Whether or not it fits into the existing opening is another matter.)
Janet
Replies
You may not find them at HD, but any electrical supply company will have it.
Typo! It is 1 7/8 " wide, not
Typo! It is 1⅞" wide, not 2⅞", and doesn't quite fit the ones marked as 1⅞. Its depth is 1 and 59/64".
Janet
Yeah, in the standard sizing there are boxes that's about 0.1" wider. But really, the width varies a fair amoun from one box style to the next, so the best thing to do is to take the device to HD or somewhere and try different boxes to find one that fits. Ideally you'd like an "old work" box, if you're replacing an existing box, but unfortunately those are apt to be a bit narrower than the others, with obstructions near the corners, so you'll probably need some sort of new work box, and then figure out how to retrofit it.
How is an "old work" box
How is an "old work" box different from a "new work" box? I remember seeing new work boxes of blue plastic, but have never used one.
Janet
Edit: Never mind! Forgot that I'd asked this question over a year ago. Haven't done much electrical since then.
Old vs new work boxes
Steel or plastic "new work" boxes attach directly to studs or ceiling joists via nail on brackets of several different descriptions - might be from the box side to the side of a stud or nailed through a tab to the face of the stud.
Plastic "old work" boxes rely upon the finished wall surface material (drywall or plaster) to anchor the box - they do this by tabs of some description which are tightened via screws which are visible and accessible with the box set in a hole in the wall.
Other steel old work boxes are anchored by tension created between tabs on the front of the box which rest against the finished wall surface and separate metal brackets which are inserted alongside of the box and then bent around the front of the box edge and folded back into the box itself. Know locally as "hold-its" - not really sure what the real name is.......
A new work box is used with the wall open - no finished surface in place.
An old work box is generally easier to use when the finished wall surface material is already in place.
Jim
Janet,
That is a fancy-schmancy outlet!
What seems to be the problem with the fit - is the device too wide or too deep?
16 cu in boxes are not all that big.
I suspect that the problem you are having is depth-related due to the funny bump outs and molded-in wiring clamps present in plastic boxes or excessive wire present in the existing boxes.
OR your home may be of the era when electrical boxes were steel and the boxes were formed with a diagonal slope at the top and bottom of the back of the box.
But, if it will not fit in any box you have, you will need to change the box in the wall.
Get back and I will try to help with a box style / manufacturer, etc.
jim
Not that useful.
Jim:
Fancy-schmancy? Yes. Useful? Not so much. Fortunately, I didn't pay nearly as much as the current price.
The first review I read said that it would streamline an outlet by eliminating "wall warts," i.e., adapters. Your USB device plugs directly into the outlet. Sounded convenient at the time, but I'd forgotten that almost all outlets are close to the floor. Your device might need to lay on the floor while charging (not attractive). Even if the cord were long enough to reach a table, you'd still have to get down to plug it in (no advantage over a regular outlet).
The only advantageous location for the fancy-schmancy outlet would be near table level. But except for bathroom and kitchen counters, are outlets ever installed that high on a wall? If you later rearranged the furniture so nothing obscured the high outlet, wouldn't it look wrong there, even if it is streamlined and fancy-schmancy?
Janet
Box dimensions
I wandered down and measured the boxes I have in inventory.
The steel boxes (Raco and Steel City) I have all measure 1-13/16" wide -- too narrow to accept 1-7/8" wide device.
The plastic boxes which I have (Carlon old work style, hard-shell and regular) are all wide enough to accept the device, but none of them will accept the required depth of 1-59/64" due to internal shoulders or built in wire clamps.
Be advised, I do not have every box made in my inventory (especially in plastic models).
What I did find in inventory that WILL work is as someone else suggested - 4x4x2-1/8" steel box with a 3/4" extension mud ring cover. Opening is a bit wider than 2" and this combination would yield a clear internal depth of about 2-3/4". Mud rings are readily available in 1/2", 5/8" and 3/4" extensions.
The problem becomes mounting this box - it will require wall surgery and repair.
On a positive note, this combination will fit in a standard 2x4 wall cavity!
As DanH said, I would take your fancy-schmancy outlet to HD, Lowes, local hardware store etc. and probably end up at a real electrical supply house -- start dropping your outlet into boxes until you find one that works.
Good luck!
Jim
Need 16 cu in box for Power2U wall outlet
I bought the Power2U outlets with 2 USB ports based on an ad in a magazine. After reading other reports in this forum on the "fancy shmancy" outlet with 2 USB ports, I've decided that retrofitting this Power2U outlet into an old wall box in my 50 year old house will be impossible, as none of the wall boxes have the required 16 cu inches. I wish the ad mentioned that requirement.
HOWEVER, my wife is having the kitchen redone. I'll just hold onto the two outlets, and ask the electrician to install them in the ktichen counter. They are not GFI, but can be installed downstream from a GFI outlet, and give me 2 USB ports in a very convenient place.
Jay in Alexandria
16 cu/in is a pretty standard box. That is the blue plastic Carlon box. Getting the old one out may be a trick tho.
If you have a box at the end of a run, (only one cable coming in) it might be easiest to get an old work box and cut it in next to the one you have. Just be sure you locate it in the same stud bay so you can fish over a short piece or Romex.
With the addition we did this summer I picked up a similar one of these in decora style. Tamper proof outlet on top with USB on the bottom. I installed it above a buffett and it was the same size as a regular outlet.