miamicanes
Active Member
Does anybody make in-wall power outlets designed for a "normal" single-gang or double-gang box that arrange the outlets themselves in alternative configurations to maximize their real-world usefulness in a world full of wall warts? For example...
* Single-gang, 3 outlets, Decora-style surround. Two-prong outlet in the middle, with 3-prong outlets above and below that are oriented 180 degrees with respect to each other (ie, grounds furthest from center). That way, you could plug in two typical grounded wall warts (one facing up, one facing down), or plug in two 3-prong plugs and a third two-prong plug.
* Extending the idea a bit, move the two 3-prong outlets a little closer to the middle, and flank THEIR ground leads with 2-prong slots, enabling one or two more things to be plugged in if everything is 2-prong, or enabling two 2-prong wall warts and a 2-prong accessory to be plugged in.
* Double-gang, 8 outlets. Four 3-prong outlets, one in each corner, ground leads located at the furthest point away from the center. Five more outlets... a trio like I described for the first two running down the center, flanked by a 3-prong outlet on either side.
In ASCII art, if "/" and "\" is a diagonal outlet (with ground hole closest to the corner itself), "v" and "^" are 3-prong (point towards ground), "-" is horizontally-oriented 2-prong, and "|" is vertically-oriented 2-prong, something like:
^
-
v
or
\ ^ /
|- -|
/ v \
I mean, this isn't really rocket science... they make screw-on adapters to do similar things... but it would be nice if someone made one that sits flush with the wall itself and does it right from the start.
Has anyone ever seen anything like this? The only explanation I can think of for the apparent total absence of anything like this at the wall-outlet end is that there might be a clause somewhere in the NEC that prohibits new wall outlets with even a single non-grounded receptacle, but leaves a loophole for aftermarket adapters. I'm adding a few new outlets in the living room, and I'm trying to avoid the need for 2->6 screw-on adapters right from day one if I can... but I also don't want to put more than an outlet every 2-3 feet, because then people will complain that it looks bad if I ever have to sell the house someday... so I'm tentatively putting a double-gang box every 30-36"
* Single-gang, 3 outlets, Decora-style surround. Two-prong outlet in the middle, with 3-prong outlets above and below that are oriented 180 degrees with respect to each other (ie, grounds furthest from center). That way, you could plug in two typical grounded wall warts (one facing up, one facing down), or plug in two 3-prong plugs and a third two-prong plug.
* Extending the idea a bit, move the two 3-prong outlets a little closer to the middle, and flank THEIR ground leads with 2-prong slots, enabling one or two more things to be plugged in if everything is 2-prong, or enabling two 2-prong wall warts and a 2-prong accessory to be plugged in.
* Double-gang, 8 outlets. Four 3-prong outlets, one in each corner, ground leads located at the furthest point away from the center. Five more outlets... a trio like I described for the first two running down the center, flanked by a 3-prong outlet on either side.
In ASCII art, if "/" and "\" is a diagonal outlet (with ground hole closest to the corner itself), "v" and "^" are 3-prong (point towards ground), "-" is horizontally-oriented 2-prong, and "|" is vertically-oriented 2-prong, something like:
^
-
v
or
\ ^ /
|- -|
/ v \
I mean, this isn't really rocket science... they make screw-on adapters to do similar things... but it would be nice if someone made one that sits flush with the wall itself and does it right from the start.
Has anyone ever seen anything like this? The only explanation I can think of for the apparent total absence of anything like this at the wall-outlet end is that there might be a clause somewhere in the NEC that prohibits new wall outlets with even a single non-grounded receptacle, but leaves a loophole for aftermarket adapters. I'm adding a few new outlets in the living room, and I'm trying to avoid the need for 2->6 screw-on adapters right from day one if I can... but I also don't want to put more than an outlet every 2-3 feet, because then people will complain that it looks bad if I ever have to sell the house someday... so I'm tentatively putting a double-gang box every 30-36"
