Have you run out of electric outlets?

fuzzybuddy

fuzzybuddy

SF VIP
Location
The Sticks, Northeast PA.
dilettante's post about electricity usage got me thinking. Years ago, we didn't have that much stuff plugged in. In most cases, after 8 PM, it was the fridge, a TV and a lamp.
And the reason I thought about this was I had to buy one of those plug in receptacles so I can plug in 6 things instead of two. I know you shouldn't use them all at once. But the thing is I have more stuff to plug in. And who doesn't need more recharging stations?:unsure:
Have you run out of electric outlets?
 

I have plenty Power sockets. My husband installed quite a few more in each room so we didn't have to use extension leads and adaptors... but I find now, that I still have to use one of these.. so I can plug my hair appliances in at the same time..
41b8WZtV29L._AC_.jpg
 

The big thing is your amp service. You should have 100A service for a small apartment or very small house. For a larger house, you will want 200A service. The gadget pictured above is probably safe since it appears to have breakers built into it.

The thing you do NOT want to do is replace your 15A breaker (or fuse) on circuits that have 14 gauge wire with a 20A breaker meant for larger 12 gauge so you can plug more stuff in. And if you go with a 30A on that 15A circuit, a fire is a very real possibility. I am not an electrician, but my son-in-law is and he told me this.
 
When I remodeled 25 years ago, I made sure I put in plenty of receptacles. Now there is power strips in almost every room. It's a good thing that I wired the kitchen with 3 circuits. She's running out of counter space with all the cooking gadgets they came out with.
 
Yes I have run out of outlets. I use power strips and still don't have enough outlets. The master bedroom is troublesome because I have Alexa, lights, phones, tv, clock radio, nightlights, etc. Two outlets are behind furniture and I don't want to use those to plug in a vacuum. I think I need another unsightly power strip.
 
Michael Z said:
The big thing is your amp service. You should have 100A service for a small apartment or very small house. For a larger house, you will want 200A service. The gadget pictured above is probably safe since it appears to have breakers built into it.

The thing you do NOT want to do is replace your 15A breaker (or fuse) on circuits that have 14 gauge wire with a 20A breaker meant for larger 12 gauge so you can plug more stuff in. And if you go with a 30A on that 15A circuit, a fire is a very real possibility. I am not an electrician, but my son-in-law is and he told me this.
Click to expand...
Not here.. the UK has a completely different wattage and circuit
 
We would if we didn't make use of power strips. My computer and associated devices, TV and Roku, counter top dishwasher and dryer and my instrument are plugged into power strips. I usually charge my phone and tablet using the power strip in the kitchen. My son's studio equipment, which consists of several pieces all are plugged into power strips. One benefit is that if there are storms and we want to unplug, we just have to turn off the power strip switches. But those strips are supposed to prevent power surges, thus avoiding damage to equipment.
 
The 1st house we lived in after moving to NC only had 4 outlets in the entire house... one for the fridge, another on the kitchen counter, 2 in the living room, and NONE in the bathroom or either bedroom. Pull chain lights in each room. The original part of the house was built before electricity was available, and the bathroom was an outhouse.
 
Yes, this apartment is 70 years old and the power outlets are woefully inadequate. Like you said Fuzz, there wasn't much to plug in back in the days when this place was built.
 
old medic said:
The 1st house we lived in after moving to NC only had 4 outlets in the entire house... one for the fridge, another on the kitchen counter, 2 in the living room, and NONE in the bathroom or either bedroom. Pull chain lights in each room. The original part of the house was built before electricity was available, and the bathroom was an outhouse.
Click to expand...
yes same here, when I moved into this house in 1980... It had one socket in each room... and none in the hall, top or bottom of the stairs... it made life very difficult. Ultimately my husband installed all new sockets and wiring in the house. I now have 5 doubles.. in the kitchen...2 doubles top and bottom of the stairs... the same with each bedroom... and the livingroom, has 4 double sockets. We thought that would be plenty, but now with all these electronic s we live with every day, I still have to have extension sockets... that's Crazy ..
 
I know my house was built to code and has outlets a certain number of feet apart. But it isn't enough either. I'll need to look into more gadgets.
 
fuzzybuddy said:
dilettante's post about electricity usage got me thinking. Years ago, we didn't have that much stuff plugged in. In most cases, after 8 PM, it was the fridge, a TV and a lamp.
And the reason I thought about this was I had to buy one of those plug in receptacles so I can plug in 6 things instead of two. I know you shouldn't use them all at once. But the thing is I have more stuff to plug in. And who doesn't need more recharging stations?:unsure:
Have you run out of electric outlets?
Click to expand...
No, but I had my electrician come back and install 5 more outlets and a second breaker box in my home.
 
Plenty of these for the US market too.

This one offers 4 3-prong and 4 more 2-prong AC jacks plus USB-A and USB-C jacks:
trond.jpg


Surge and overload protection seem to be pretty routine features.

install.jpg
 
Yes this old house is woefully short of outlets (60-70yo)
and in kitchen I have to unplug the refrig in order to use
the microwave !!!
 

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