Where to buy new power outlets? (1 Viewer)

[Jay_Via]

For a dedicated theater room, will your normal run of the mill Lowes/Home Depot outlets work, or is it best to buy outlets of a higher grade? Ive only got 4 outlets in the room, so i dont mind spending a little bit more than the .50 cent ones at the local Lowes.

If it is better to buy different ones, where can i get them?

Thanks
Jason

 

[Paul Padilla]

Solid connections and grounding should be all you're looking for and that should be doable with the cheapest of outlets. I've replaced a lot of them in my house because plugs just don't fit tightly, but as long as they're UL approved, I can't see an outlet making any difference.

 

[Jay_Via]

thanks for the reply paul. I will have all new electric in the room (separate 20A circuit) and just wanted to double check.

Thanks!
Jason

 

[chris_everett]

Lowes (at least here) has two grades of "basic" outlets. I always buy the more expensive one, as the cheap ones seem to lose their "grip" on plugs over time.

 

[Adam Gregorich]

If you are installing a 20AMP dedicated circuit get a 20AMP outlet to go with

 

[John Titan]

Go to an electrical supply house (most sell to cash customers)and ask them for "SPEC" grade outlets. These are the better ones.

Check HD and Lowes again I'm pretty sure I've purchased them there before.

 

[RickRO]

Not to hijack the thread but I was wondering if any of you know where or if there is such a thing as a "Shallow" junction box? I was trying to get away from 2x4 walls where a "new" wall was not necessary such as a outside concrete wall in my basement and was looking for a box to fix 1x3 or 2x2's not much luck finding such a critter.

RickRo

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Yes, Lowes and HD sell spec-grade outlets.

Jay, in between the spec and residential grade outlets are commercial grade. They typically cost a couple of bucks apiece. Basically, any of the higher priced outlets you see at the stores will be better than the 50c ones.

Rick,

I think I have seen some shallow boxes from time to time. However, the problem you’re going to have is that there won’t be room behind the outlet for the excess wire, especially if you connect the outlets daisy-chained (a wire in, and a wire out). You’d pretty much have to home-run each outlet to even have a chance of it working. You might be able to cheat by using open-backed boxes designed for low-voltage, but you’ll run into code problems there.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[Leo Kerr]

Home Depot often has ~1" deep blue plastic boxes. They're very nice for use, but they're a major pain in the [neck] to actually do any work in.

Leo