Changing outlets
Has anyone changed their regular AC outlets to the ones that also include USB outlets? If so what brand and how do you like them?
Forum Discussion
I installed a combo USB/recept. last year. I used a Leviton device with a 3.6 amp DC rating. Some have a low rating. Some USB devices have a high draw and it's better to just go ahead and install a higher rated one so you won't have to worry about it.
These devices are deeper and bulkier and require a box with adequate depth and cubic capacity. I used one of the Carlon PVC boxes as posted above, and even then it was a tight squeeze. I mounted the box in the sidewall of the wardrobe closet and the wall wasn't thick enough. I pulled the plywood off the inside wall of the closet and furred it out an inch and re-installed the plywood.
Def. a worthwhile mod. DW has two phones and a Verizon mifi hotspot and I have a phone also so that's 4 USB outlets needed. I also previously installed a USB charging station next to the dinette table. Can't have too many USB outlets these days. The combo outlets are cheap. I could have bought one on the internet but found the best deal at the local HD.
"Standard" back/side wired recepts. aren't superior in themselves and can just as easily fail. The problem with the self-contained devices ("SCD" for short) is that they can be improperly installed at the factories and badly enough to overheat. Below are a couple of examples I found in two previous TTs where the wires were pushed onto only half the stabs. A potential fire hazard. A special tool (around $200) is required to push the wires in and you can see in one photo this wasn't done. SCD devices (and they're NOT called speedboxes) are used by the millions in mobile homes and they're not a problem, and the difference is a major difference in quality control and inspections.
SCD devices and standard receptacles have to meet the extreme requirements of UL 498 and SCD devices have to be able to withstand 40 amps cycling during testing. NFPA 1192 only states that electrical installations must comply with NEC art. 551. The NEC will have a reference to UL 498.
These devices are deeper and bulkier and require a box with adequate depth and cubic capacity. I used one of the Carlon PVC boxes as posted above, and even then it was a tight squeeze. I mounted the box in the sidewall of the wardrobe closet and the wall wasn't thick enough. I pulled the plywood off the inside wall of the closet and furred it out an inch and re-installed the plywood.
Def. a worthwhile mod. DW has two phones and a Verizon mifi hotspot and I have a phone also so that's 4 USB outlets needed. I also previously installed a USB charging station next to the dinette table. Can't have too many USB outlets these days. The combo outlets are cheap. I could have bought one on the internet but found the best deal at the local HD.
"Standard" back/side wired recepts. aren't superior in themselves and can just as easily fail. The problem with the self-contained devices ("SCD" for short) is that they can be improperly installed at the factories and badly enough to overheat. Below are a couple of examples I found in two previous TTs where the wires were pushed onto only half the stabs. A potential fire hazard. A special tool (around $200) is required to push the wires in and you can see in one photo this wasn't done. SCD devices (and they're NOT called speedboxes) are used by the millions in mobile homes and they're not a problem, and the difference is a major difference in quality control and inspections.
SCD devices and standard receptacles have to meet the extreme requirements of UL 498 and SCD devices have to be able to withstand 40 amps cycling during testing. NFPA 1192 only states that electrical installations must comply with NEC art. 551. The NEC will have a reference to UL 498.
