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MEXICOWANDERER's avatar
Sep 26, 2017

Found - A Decent Power Strip (power block)

Mexican house. Outlets are as rare as blue eyed iguanas.

Thankfully the electrical isn't wired with speaker wire. I see 12 gauge, more or less.

Kitchen. Large dining room table. 5-appliances, one socket.
I am going to change the switch + outlet to a spec grade duplex and ground it.

The power strip listed below is rated for 15-amps (total) and has a heavy feed cord. My microwave at this place is a puny 1,100 watt model. Aha! you scream. Hypocrite! The microwave has LOTS of added MOVs and TVSs inside on the circuit board.

Yes I need to play Chinese Fire Drill with juggling appliance operation.

And thick cord tiny conductor regular power strips ain't cuttin' it.

Add another wall receptacle? Sure. You can help. Bring your jackhammer.

Anyhoo, I thought I'd share my find...


AmazonBasics 12-Outlet Surge Protector, 4,350 Joule, 8-foot Cord
4.6 out of 5 stars 72 customer reviews
| 8 answered questions
Price: $18.99 Free Shipping for Prime Members
Get $70 off instantly: Pay $0.00 upon approval for the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Card.
In Stock.
Want it Thursday, Sept. 28? Order within 9 hrs 12 mins and choose Two-Day Shipping at checkout. Details
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com in easy-to-open packaging. Gift-wrap available.

12-outlet surge protector with 8-foot cord; ideal for high-end home and professional workstations
4350-Joule Surge-Protection Rating to protect sensitive electronics
1-year Warranty and $300,000 Connected Equipment Warranty
Outlets include sliding safety covers
Continuous duty electrical rating: 15A/125V/1875W
  • I've always had good luck with Tripp Lite. Not the cheapest option, but worth it in quality... They always have nice long and heavy cords too.
  • ...WANDERER ~ Thanks for sharing. Have been looking for one like that for a while. Just tired of lots of little 'strings'.

    Sounds like I had a house just about like that in CA 50-60 yr ago. Built in the '20's. Old Adobe. Elec. panel on West side of house full view of setting sun. Could not add up to more than X?X ~ 1 thing atta time i.e. Cooler; Iron; CoffeePot; a few light bulbs.

    Thanks again. K
  • The placing of a light switch exact center of wall between two doorways just amazes me. The answer of course would be...

    "The electrician did the installation during daylight."

    Like highway speed bumps placed in the shadows.

    "Well,you didn't want them to work, out in the hot sun, did you?"

    Tripp Lite has "good stuff" and they are overly aware of it.

    I remember the power company electrician years ago inspecting a new service drop to see a "to code" 100 amp service. His remark in English would have equaled "Well I will be damned"
  • Ron3rd's avatar
    Ron3rd
    Explorer III
    Mex, when you order off Amazon where do you have it shipped to?
  • MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
    The placing of a light switch exact center of wall between two doorways just amazes me. The answer of course would be...


    I've lived all over the USA and Bathroom Light Switches were always adjacent to the bath door inside the Bathroom.

    EXCEPT Massachusetts. There they were mounted next to the Bath door, outside the bathroom. (Typically in the hall.)

    This was done in every house I visited there.
  • Salti Dawg, that is the smart way to do it IMHO.

    My son-in-law and daughter were amazed when I connected an area light between the car port (has an eye to switch on a 5-minute light) and main entry door (around 60'). Used a three way switch although the traveler wire was somewhat of a pain to install.

    I ordered and am installing a BESTTEN 2 lamp aockets 3 receptacle wireless 2-remote kit off of AMAZON. The lamp sockets are limited to 20 watts LED, but the receptacles can pass 10-amps. Unlike a lot of Chinese chew & spit this package is of decent quality.

    I am holed-up in a rental house 75-miles south of the border for medical. I just received a copy of a bill for a 4-day USA hospital stay for a dual electrode pacemaker WOW! It's a five day trip for me to the border from Michoacan, and the hell of it is, I was a captive of the hospital until I was physically escorted out by a friend. Same holds true for an upcoming cataract surgery and bone transplant then followed by some more serious surgery on my spine.

    So that answers two questions: Why I can pick stuff up so easily from the USA, and what the heck I am doing here. The estimated bill if done in Mexico is well in excess of one million pesos.

    And when I leave the rental I am taking the Bestten system with me.

    One of the two remotes is 3M double sticky taped to the wall just inside the doorway to the kitchen.

    The new mool-TEEP-play (multiple -manifold) power distribution block will be set on one of two built-by-a-friend plywood kitchen tables. It will feed all the appliances.

    When I was young I learned the hard way about performing gross improvements to a rental in the USA...

    "Just look at the nice place we are renting to you! Your rent is being raised"

    In Michoacan, when little 5-year old Hermalinda throws a fit because of her three sisters and locks herself in the bathroom (depriving everyone else) I can switch off an exterior light switch and whisper "Boogie boogie boogie" through the door. Issue resolved in seconds. Great Idea Salti-Dawg!
  • SaltiDawg wrote:
    MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
    The placing of a light switch exact center of wall between two doorways just amazes me. The answer of course would be...


    I've lived all over the USA and Bathroom Light Switches were always adjacent to the bath door inside the Bathroom.

    EXCEPT Massachusetts. There they were mounted next to the Bath door, outside the bathroom. (Typically in the hall.)

    This was done in every house I visited there.

    You just described every nursing home and assisted care facility. :B

    "Hola MEX. Welcome to Hotel California. My name is Rico. I'll be your nurse."



    Amazon power strip linky
  • Screw Tubbs, and Sonny Burnett. Gimme whatzername. My mother insisted on living in an assisted senior facility. Jeezo the food was pure chow hall. Yaint seen nothing until you climb steps ten inches deep, the first one, six inches, the second nine, the third, seven, and the door threshold is eight inches from the edge of the step. The best steps are made on a sloping surface. Low side, maybe 15" high side maybe two. Keep your head down! Look where you walk!

    WHAM!

    An angle iron reinforced awning, six feet from concrete to angle iron tip!

    It ain't where it's at for unaware seniors down here. Oooo and dripping-oiled wet cobblestones! And 18" square missing sidewalk meter covers. Rust brown telephone pole guy wires. And drivers who stop for pedestrians only after they continue around a corner on a red light. Or a green light that leaves a peaton (pedestrian) in lane 5 then turns red. Pedestrians are novieros, insane taxi drivers are the toros. Noveieros or Novilleros, are apprentice bullfighters.

    Today I had a driver pass me on the right shoulder then jam on the brakes and wait for oncoming traffic. Type A personalities are quickly darwin'd northbound.

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