Could not find category for outlets so I am asking here. What would be good outlets to change too? I had hospital grade from Home Depot 20 years ago but left them when I moved. Is there any good outlets for about $20 U.S. anyone can recommend? I don't want to go crazy but get something better than what is stock on homes built in the last 4 years. Any suggestions would be great!
@snapsc -- regarding insurance coverage, I've been a commercial insurance broker for over 40 years. I know of no homeowners policy with an exclusion that voids coverage based on poor or faulty wiring.
It is common for people to confuse policy language with underwriting considerations. For example, if an inspection reveals bad wiring, the insurance company will probably turn you down and not issue a policy, or cancel/non-renew an existing policy. However, once the policy is issued and in force, coverage is in place until the policy expires or is canceled. The only way to void coverage at that point is if you commit an intentional act (like arson.)
Here's another example or policy coverage versus underwriting considerations -- drunk driving that causes an accident. Your auto policy will pay for the damage to your car and the damages & injuries you caused to a third party, even though drunk driving is against the law. However, after that, your insurance company will probably cancel you and many other insurance companies will refuse to offer coverage or charge a very high price.
After I installed my dedicated lines, I tested out a bunch of receptacles from the usual audiophile suspects: Oyaide, Furutech, Acme, Synergistic Research, Cardas, Wattgate, and a couple of hospital grade.
The best 3 by a good margin were the Furutech GTX-DG (gold), Furutech GTX-DR (rhodium), and Oyaide R1 (not the SWX series). My personal favorites were the GTX-DG and the Oyaide R1, but I can see someone needing more detail preferring the GTX-DR
Mechanically it’s what keeps the assembly firmly attached to the box no matter how much force you use to insert a plug.
Electrically It is what the ground conductor screw attaches to. The same strap then goes to the ground pins in the socket as well as the top and bottom tabs which ensure the box they are in is also grounded, if metal.
Note the difference between residential and commercial. In residential the strap is internal and towards the front, while in commercial it is wrapped around the back.
Try the experiment yourself. I'm willing to bet a $20 home depot receptacle will sound just the same as anything else on the market.
Why wouldn't it?? 20A, 12ga solid copper wire. I would far more concerned about quality of power coming from the line than a receptacle. Maybe take a look at the voltage sag at various times during the day and night from the public line. LOL I was sure surprised at that and I'm in a very populated area (10M+ people in a 30mi x 80mi stretch)
@romad, a few years ago there was a good run of threads related to the ins and outs of installing dedicated circuits, and because of those I learned something that I had done was violating code and may have nullified my home owners in the event of fire.
Anyway, I had put in some new circuits for dedicated lines and I used 12 gauge wire and 20A outlets, BUT I decided I would use 15A circuit-breaker to protect those circuits with as I felt that since a 15A CB should trip at a lower heat than a 20A CB I would be going the extra mile to protect those circuits. Which I still think is technically true, however I found out here that regardless of what size wire is used, the breaker determines what amperage the circuit actually is, and therefore a 20A outlet (which will accomodate a 20A appliance) on a 15A circuit (which is what I turned my circuits into by installing 15A breakers, despite the 12 ga wire) is a no-no.
Incidentally and in case anyone might be interested, here’s a rare comparison of several of the more popular “audiophile” outlets. It’s 10 years old but still interesting/useful today I think. Note that it includes a cryo’ed (not standard) Hubbell outlet.
Ferrous Steel... Just look at an audio grade outlet company's outlet, that have their outlets made to their specs. You won't see any steel used.
You don't have to spend big bucks for a good sounding outlet. Just buy one that has a non nickel plated brass back strap an non nickel plated brass contacts.
just a note not everyone lives in the same state let alone same country so check your local electrical codes.
Your probably going to want to be in code as your insurance company will definitely hang you out to dry if you have a fire and they find non-compliant outlets in your house.
Then there is the why bother if your house is only 4 yours old. I don't imagine the current outlets have lost their grip already. main difference to the hospital outlets if higher grip force on the plug, more robust, built to higher standards. Not much difference in the conductors etc. We don't generally plug and unplug our audio equipment multiple times a day so I don't see the need for them. your value may differ though.
The hospitals that I worked in used Hubble HG outlets , light switches and power plugs . I replaced all the outlets and switches in my house with Hubble and used Hubble HG outlets and switches on the circuit that my system is on , I also used an Audioquest outlet where I plug my amp into .
A peculiarity of the code is that 15A and 20A outlets may be used on 20A circuits. For this, the two types have identical quality and current capacities. Meaning there’s no point in putting in a 20A outlet in a 15A circuit, it’s not built better. Some makers even use EXACTLY the same conductors in both models, but different face plates to save money.
The theory here is that some circuits, like the kitchen counter, may need a 20A circuit to handle multiple appliances at the same time without nuisance tripping. So the circuit is 20A, but each outlet may have a 15A face plate. The outlets still have to be safe to use on the 20A circuit, so the construction is always the same. 15A outlets do not have thinner conductors.
However, no, you should not put a 20A plug on a 15A outlet as the T shaped hot pin indicates it is safe to use for 20A devices, like industrial vacuum cleaners.
Do not put a 20 amp outlet on a 15 amp circuit. 15 amp circuits have 15 amp breakers and 14 gauge wire. The 20 amp circuit has 12 gauge wire and 20 amp breakers. It the current outlet is only 15 amps it should not be replaced with a 20 amp one. (You can tell the difference between 15 and 20 amp outlets as the 20 amp version has a perpendicular slot off each ground connection -- looks like a sideways "T".)
So, lets get regulations out of the way first. Outlets in a home today must be tamper resistant. I don’t know of any "audio" grade outlet ( and I use the term sneeringly) which has this feature. Of course if you are retrofitting 1 outlet in an older home without kids you may not care.
The minimum I install anywhere in my house is the combined commercial/residential. Meaning they are ruggedized for commercial use but include the TR features for home. Lowe’s has 10 packs of Eaton’s for about $45.
As for hospital grade, Eaton, Hubbell and Leviton are good sources. Again, you should use hospital grade + tamper resistant to be fully code compliant.
I also use 90 degree hospital grade plugs which give me back floor space and if you turn them the right way you can put 2 in an outlet. The combination of the HG plug and socket is very tight.
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