Foo - Me needs help from you electrician type folks...again

But this time, it's not such a big problem - I think.


We just painted our place and wanted to replace all the outlet and light switch plates with matching plates of antiqued brass. We found several web sites that sell these in various configurations, including solid, uncut "blank" plates (http://www.switchplatesuperstore.com/mild-antique-brass-steel-switch-plate-1-blank.html) - we're buying one of those to cover a disconnected radio aerial some of you may recall we found in our apartment.

What we Cannot find - anywhere, and yes, we've looked, sent emails to inquire, etc etc - is one of these in brass, or any other design/material:

http://i862.photobucket.com/albums/ab181/Southern_Yankee_Photos/Outlet/002.jpg

Doesn't anyone still sell these????

If no one has one of these, would we be best off buying a blank and having a machine shop punch a hole of the proper size within it? We actually need two of these little bad boys.

you could drill that hole with a hole saw. Cover the blank plate in masking tape and drill away, if you can find a hole saw of the appropriate size. Any machine shop could do this easily.

That's what I was thinking , J - and we still have the old plate to use as a template.

I was just kinda shocked that this is so hard to find; they still sell single 220v receptacles - so why not the cover plates?

or you could order this in brass

http://www.levitonproducts.com/catalog/model_83004.htm?sid=68F6329246E22306C2D49C4ACEA95908&pid=1208

btw, how hard was that? i found it in 5 minutes. you owe me $24

But this time, it's not such a big problem - I think.


We just painted our place and wanted to replace all the outlet and light switch plates with matching plates of antiqued brass. We found several web sites that sell these in various configurations, including solid, uncut "blank" plates (http://www.switchplatesuperstore.com/mild-antique-brass-steel-switch-plate-1-blank.html) - we're buying one of those to cover a disconnected radio aerial some of you may recall we found in our apartment.

What we Cannot find - anywhere, and yes, we've looked, sent emails to inquire, etc etc - is one of these in brass, or any other design/material:

http://i862.photobucket.com/albums/ab181/Southern_Yankee_Photos/Outlet/002.jpg

Doesn't anyone still sell these????

If no one has one of these, would we be best off buying a blank and having a machine shop punch a hole of the proper size within it? We actually need two of these little bad boys.


Any decent electrical supply store will carry them or can find them for you. Sometimes it's best to patronize the brick-and-mortar retailers. ;-)

Have you checked a brick & mortar establishment? I'm pretty sure our local hardware store has those.

they still sell single 220v receptacles - so why not the cover plates?

That thing you portrayed in post #1 is not a 220v receptacle...or, if it is, it's not up to code! 110V, 20 amp would be my guess. What are you plugging in to these outlets?

Sorry, Bob, that is actually not our photo - just grabbed that off the web to illustrate the layout of the plate. We had three such plates - a dedicated 220 line and a dedicated 110 (both situated near windows for ACs) and the afore-mentioned radio aerial.

That thing you portrayed in post #1 is not a 220v receptacle...or, if it is, it's not up to code! 110V, 20 amp would be my guess. What are you plugging in to these outlets?

Heh, good point. :-) Looks like a NEMA 5-20 T-slot: http://www.stayonline.com/reference-nema-straight-blade.aspx

or you could order this in brass

http://www.levitonproducts.com/catalog/model_83004.htm?sid=68F6329246E22306C2D49C4ACEA95908&pid=1208


btw, how hard was that? i found it in 5 minutes. you owe me $24

Well, we really wanted antiqued brass finish...but I still appreciate all your hard work - can I pay you in beads?

So did you follow my link above and order some brass plates or not? Do I have to order them for you to? If so, could you post your address and credit card number in here?

Any decent electrical supply store will carry them or can find them for you. Sometimes it's best to patronize the brick-and-mortar retailers. ;-)


Have you checked a brick & mortar establishment? I'm pretty sure our local hardware store has those.

We've only looked at Home depot stores in our area so far....there are a few Mom & Pop B&Ms nearby, tho we looked online b/c we didn't think those stores would have anything but the plain jane white style. (Not to mention, we're buying about 2 dozen plates, at which point a little discount helps). I'll drop by and give them a look.

Or find an electrical supply store in your town and go there and buy everything from them, one stop service.

Well, we really wanted antiqued brass finish...but I still appreciate all your hard work - can I pay you in beads?

Go ahead and order it today. By the time you finish in this thread and make up your mind, it will be antique....

Could you swap out the receptacle for a standard stacked one? Then you could use a normal plate. (A normal fancy one, I mean)

Can't you just get some brass metalic spray paint and spray paint them all? Might look a little whacka-whacka-puffa-puffa Reuben-tastic, but at least they'd all be the same and probably wouldn't cost as much as buying new covers for everything.

Or find an electrical supply store in your town and go there and buy everything from them, one stop service.+1. Who makes the antique brass plates that you have now? It's almost certain that they sell blank plates and they probably sell the exact plate you're looking for. A real supply house will have their catalog.

Important note: There are different hole diameters for round 15A, 20A, & 30A plugs. Make sure you're getting the right size!

Here we go again.

This weasel never paid his bill from the last job we helped him on.

I encountered a similar problem with a designer plate that was not available with the correct opening. I bolted the discarded plate to a blank plate through the mounting holes and milled it out with a router and top mounted bearing bit. It took about 10 minutes.

What kind of outlet is that?? Some Canuck thing eh? Why not replace the SINGLE outlet gig with a double outlet gig and be normal?

You said the outlet was to just cover an old deal so I presume it is not hooked up to anything.

What kind of outlet is that?? Some Canuck thing eh? Why not replace the SINGLE outlet gig with a double outlet gig and be normal?

You said the outlet was to just cover an old deal so I presume it is not hooked up to anything.

I don't think he's Canadian,just cheap.

He's a Yankee not a true blue Canuck. Don't try to blame this one on us.

Just put some furniture in front of it.

I'd reply with quotes, but I'm a busy man, so the answers to preceding posts are (in no particular order): yes, no, maybe, sex, poop, 220v, 400 watts, sinew, LOL and ahhh, shut yer bloody cake hole!

I'm going to take a wild guess here:


Just put some furniture in front of it.poopI... suppose you could put the toilet in front of it, if that fits your general décor.

Lol

You can't swap a single like that out fora double. The 1990's code update requires some dedicated outlets for items like washer, refrigerator, microwave, garage door opener, sump pump, etc. Mainly large inductive (motor) loads.

update - we finally got stuff all wired in and the outlets/switches sorted out, so I just ordered two of the Grainger single plates (http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/HUBBELL-WIRING-DEVICEKELLEMS-Wall-Plate-4D157?Pid=search) for our AC plugs.

Those suckers are $10+ apiece - but since nobody else seemed to carry them we bit the bullet and bough the two we needed. We figured we'll get the matching brass plates for the rest of the place from a a cheaper web site, as this stuff adds up quickly when you're buying so many at once (we're replacing all the old plates, which were mis-matched, paint-splotched, and in some cases, bent or cracked).


We found this place (http://www.decorativehardwarestore.com/Antique-Brass-Steel-Toggle-Switchplate_p_39359.html), which has brass plates for about $2-3 apiece; doing our whole place would run about $50, less tax and shipping.


This place (http://www.switchhits.com/product/antique-brass-switch-plates/Finish-Color-Brass-Switch-Plates) otoh, has what they claim are better quality, heavy duty brass plates - since the average price is more like $10 apiece, I am guessing they might be more in line with the ones we bought from Grainger....but does anyone know if the quality does indeed make that much difference? The total bill from this place (before tax and S/H) is more like $220 - ouch.

I don't mind paying the extra if it's really worth it. The more expensive site makes reference to cheaper inferior plates sold in places like Home Depot. They claim theirs are cut and finished better; it would be nice if both sites gave a weight for the plates so you could compare, but naturally they do not.

I even suggested buying the cheaper ones for the outlets and ones we don't look at so close up, and the better ones for the light switches since you see those and touch them regularly, but my wife pointed out the finish might not match (bad enough the Grainger ones are shiny brass, we wanted antique brass to match other stuff already here, so we'll just hope those two Grainger plates oxidize quickly!).

Does anyone know whether it's truly worth it to shell out an extra $7-8 per plate for thicker more professionally cut plates?

I wouldn't worry too much about thickness. But I don't think I would buy the shiny brass, as they may be clear coated to avoid discoloration. Maybe you should just get the right ones up front.

Buy one of each to see if the more expensive ones are worth it.

That's what I was thinking this morning, Mikey - thanks. To check the overall quality and also to compare the colors with the Grainger plates and the doorknobs we already have.

Btw, we had to replace two light fixtures (there are others but this is all we can afford for now). We wanted a matching antique brass fixture in one room, and again, found it nearly impossible to locate one. Finally did , but it was a lot more than we wanted to spend and it's on back-order till September! I must have bad luck with interior decorating...

Although the DR light looks great so far. Quite an improvement over what was there the last 12 years!

The outlet covers should be historicly correct and made of hardwood like the electric contractor used in 1860 to match the woodwork.

That's what I was thinking this morning, Mikey - thanks. To check the overall quality and also to compare the colors with the Grainger plates and the doorknobs we already have.

Btw, we had to replace two light fixtures (there are others but this is all we can afford for now). We wanted a matching antique brass fixture in one room, and again, found it nearly impossible to locate one. Finally did , but it was a lot more than we wanted to spend and it's on back-order till September! I must have bad luck with interior decorating...

Although the DR light looks great so far. Quite an improvement over what was there the last 12 years!

If you went with that jungle theme I suggested for decorating, you'd only need to wire some bulbs into fake hanging plants. Just sayin'.

well, you never know, if (when) the walls start leaking again I may go with a Niagara Falls theme. Or, if the sheet rock crumbles nicely, a Breakstone Cottage Cheese motif.

This place (http://www.switchhits.com/product/antique-brass-switch-plates/Finish-Color-Brass-Switch-Plates) otoh, has what they claim are better quality, heavy duty brass plates - since the average price is more like $10 apiece, I am guessing they might be more in line with the ones we bought from Grainger....but does anyone know if the quality does indeed make that much difference? The total bill from this place (before tax and S/H) is more like $220 - ouch.I imagine that these don't flex like the cheapies @ Home Depot. In terms of functionality, they would be the same (a cover is a cover).

well, you never know, if (when) the walls start leaking again I may go with a Niagara Falls theme. Or, if the sheet rock crumbles nicely, a Breakstone Cottage Cheese motif.

I take it the historical apartment owners association fund for the new roof has evaporated.

Easy, it's a standard single 110 outlet. Replace it with a standard double and then use a standard face plate. Takes less then a minute to swap it out and a whopping $0.60.

Easy, it's a standard single 110 outlet. Replace it with a standard double and then use a standard face plate. Takes less then a minute to swap it out and a whopping $0.60.

Dude, you are newish here, regardless of your impressive join date. This is Pgoat we are talking about. Nothing is easy or quick or inexpensive for him. It takes him three days and cost's him $24 just to pee in the shower.

Dude, you are newish here, regardless of your impressive join date. This is Pgoat we are talking about. Nothing is easy or quick or inexpensive for him. It takes him three days and cost's him $24 just to pee in the shower.

Sorry, if it is a completely mindless task for me, I assume it would at least be reasonable simple for others.

Of course you would think I would know better after just rewiring half of my neighbor's house for him, but he did manage to pick up enough to install a ceiling fan, though it only took him 4 hours to do so. :rolleyes:

Sorry, if it is a completely mindless task for me, I assume it would at least be reasonable simple for others.

Of course you would think I would know better after just rewiring half of my neighbor's house for him, but he did manage to pick up enough to install a ceiling fan, though it only took him 4 hours to do so. :rolleyes:

Did you pee in his shower?

Did you pee in his shower?

No, but he peed in mine.

No, but he peed in mine.

Did he rewire anything while he was there or was he just marking territory, again?

Did he rewire anything while he was there or was he just marking territory, again?

Yes.