Thanks Eric, never knew these existed, ordering some soon!
Rigid outlets for Heavy cables
Many fans of high end power cables end up with very heavy cables plugged into very tight outlets in less than new outlet boxes. Whatever your choices in outlets and cables are you may find that you already have loose or recessed outlet problem, or are worried about the tabs on the outlet and drywall not lasting for many insertion cycles.
If you’ve ever replaced an old outlet with a fresh hospital grade outlet and felt it get mushy or make crackling sounds (from the drywall breaking) when you tried to insert your fresh cable you know what I’m talking about, or if you have some outlets which are proud of the face and some which are recessed this post is for you.
Hubbell makes a wall plate called Flush-Fit ($8 for 3)which is available from Amazon or Lowe’s (probably others).
I also use these little plastic screw spacers in some situations, where the metal plates won’t fit or for plain old light switches and outlets where I’m not expecting heavy duty use or where I have multiple outlets / switches in a single box. They are surprisingly effective and available at almost any hardware store.
I’ve used both while re-doing all the outlets and switches in and out of my home. I can recommend them from personal experience. Also, they make your outlets and switches look fresh because of the clean flush-fit result.
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( 😆 ).
@mitch2 well at least Sonore is upfront about the origins of their plates so any buyer considering them can rationalize the price just reflects a 100% tax for avoiding purchase of a small personal 3D printer ( 😉 ). |
OMG, I have been looking for ages to find something that brings the outlets forward from the box. I have a bunch of add on outlets and poor do-it-yourself construction in this house that we recently purchased. Often times the metal plates don’t do the trick because the drywall doesn’t fit close enough to the outlet box. What I have been using to bring the outlet itself forward and fit flush with the outlet cover are the clear plastic mirror holders that used to be used in the 1970’s to hold unframed mirrors. They don’t conduct any electric charge, but come in varying thickness. But these spaces your have identified are the bomb! I order a pack and will start fixing all my funky outlets. My power cables were really sagging in the outlets so I bit the bullet and bought the Shunyata cable cradles. Yep, pricey, but I could not find anything that worked. At least THAT problem is solved. Thanks Erik |
@pgaulke60 You are welcome. If you find any back-stabbed outlets while you do you should probably replace them too.
Protip: When you fold those plastic tabs you end up with one side open and the opposite closed. Put the closed side up against the body of your outlet and the open towards the screw. That way the plastic tabs and screws are held in place while you reinstall the outlet. Otherwise it feels like you need 4 hands. |
- 40 posts total