When purchasing materials for your home wiring project, there
are some key facts that you must know in order to ensure that you are purchasing
the correct items - things like proper size (generally wattage, amps, volts,
wire size, type, etc.), using the proper terminology, differences between
manufacture types, and more. Knowing this information upfront will save both
yourself and the home improvement store clerks some time and frustration.
Sandy and I are very familiar with this topic, as we are the
ones that have to ask the pertinent questions when people come in to our
lighting and electrical supply store looking to purchase their electrical
materials.
I wish that I had a nickel for every question I’ve heard
asked of the store clerk, or have answered myself while shopping for material
either at the local hardware store, or in the electrical aisle of the home
improvement box stores. More often than not, the customer either pulls out
a cell phone to try and get the proper information, or leaves the store to
return home to gather more information.
Sound familiar? If so, you should find this series very
useful.
We’ll start with a standard duty receptacle in your
home. Not a lot to know here, however a great place to start. Here’s
the basics:
Its NOT a Plug - its a
Receptacle!
Normal utility grade
outlets for household use are a 125V 15A straight blade receptacle (NOT a
plug!) Many people refer to a receptacle as a plug. A plug is a male
cord end that you insert into a receptacle. The NEMA (National Electrical
Manufacturers Association) configuration and designation is a NEMA
5-15.
What style of receptacle do you need?
The most common is a standard style duplex receptacle (Figure 1). The
other likely choice would be Decora, or decorator style (Figure 2). These
are the rectangular shaped receptacles that use the same cover plate as the
switches in the same style.
What color do you need?
The most common in older homes is ivory. Within the past several years,
white has taken over as the standard. However, most manufacturers are
expanding the number of different colors available, and you can get light almond
(very close to ivory), brown, black, blue, and red, just to name a few.
If you are replacing several outlets, this may be a good time to consider
upgrading all of the outlets, or one room at a time, especially if this is a
part of a redecorating or renovation project!
What price should you pay?
You may find a range of $0.50 to $15.00! Why the difference you
ask? The cheapest way to purchase the replacement will be in a job pack or
contractor pack consisting of 10 or so devices packaged together. You will
pay more for the same device individually, and you also may see a heavy-duty
receptacle that could be up to $10 - $15! These are specialty outlets that
could be isolated ground receptacles (will likely be orange in color as shown in
Figure 3), or commercial or spec grade receptacles. A device of this
quality may be considered for either a shop or garage receptacle that may be
used frequently to plug in power tools or other heavy loads, or possibly in the
kitchen, but remember that you can replace a lot of the standard grade
receptacles for the price of one spec grade receptacle, so economically, it may
not be worth the price difference.
