Not Enough Outlets!

[TheeGoatPig]

I live with my parrents still. I know I should move out, but it's not going to happen just now.

I am being forced into a new room in their house. From the small first floor bedroom to the room right above it that is about 50% bigger.

My old room had three duplex outlets, one switched over by the door (outside the room, but still). The new room has two duplex outlets, one switched by the door (inside the room, yay).

Is there any easy way to add another outlet inside this room? There isn't any drywall on the walls. It's 1/4" plywood panneling with a veneered surface to look like normal wood, and if I tear it up too much that will mean I will probably have to get the whole wall drywalled, which isn't much of an option...

Maybe I should just bypass the switch and have that go directly to a new ceiling fixture (which could also be a problem, I'm not sure how sturdy the ceiling panels are, this room sucks aside from the extra space).

I wish I had the money to move out

 

[Rumple Foreskin]

TGP,

I might not be "grokking" your situation, but could you use multi- outlet adapters (can turn a two plug outlet into one with four or six plugs) our maybe a multi-plug extension. The ones with built-in circuit breakers are what I always use on my electronic gear just to be on the safe side against power surges.

Of course, there may be a problem with grounded vs non-grounded plugs or the wiring might already be overloaded. That's when you need an electrician.

Rumple Foreskin

 

[human_male]

You'll just have to unplug your hot wax drip unsightly hair remover.

 

[cloudy]

Outlets are relatively easy to add.

You can cut a hole in the paneling with a jigsaw - make sure the breakers are off for adding the outlet, pull the wires, wire the new outlet, and voila'.

I've done it a bunch of times, especially since the first house I bought was built sometime around the turn of the century, and even though remodeled, had one outlet only in each room (and one bedroom didn't have any).

p.s. move out of your parents house. Seriously.

 

[Rumple Foreskin]

You'll just have to unplug your hot wax drip unsightly hair remover.

Not the hot wax drip unslightly hair remover!

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-12/909970/spainishinq01.jpg
​

Rumple Foreskin

 

[jomar]

I'm with Rumple for keeping it simple. Just run a bunch of power strips around the room. You can take them with you when you move out.

 

[TheeGoatPig]

My one power strip was stolen by my mother (she is buying herself a new one today supposedly), so I don't even have a PC at home right now, because I have nowhere to plug it into.

I need extension chords.
(I have one, but it is so old and thin wired I don't trust it for any more than a clock or a radio, which I am already using it for, my clock, which I can't plug into near my bed because that is the switched outlet, which is why I wan to bypass the switch and use the outlet for a ceiling fixture).

 

[3113]

My one power strip was stolen by my mother (she is buying herself a new one today supposedly), so I don't even have a PC at home right now, because I have nowhere to plug it into.

I need extension chords.

Um, I don't know about where you live, but here in the 21st century just about any drugstore has a mindboggling choice of powerstrips, powersquid, surge protectors and extention cords.

And if they don't, what you can order online is mindboggling. Thanks to all the things we need to plug in from cellphones to printers to iPods to digital cameras, these kinds of devices are readily avalible. Is there some reason you haven't bothered to buy new plugs/cords?

 

[TheeGoatPig]

Um, I don't know about where you live, but here in the 21st century just about any drugstore has a mindboggling choice of powerstrips, powersquid, surge protectors and extention cords.

And if they don't, what you can order online is mindboggling. Thanks to all the things we need to plug in from cellphones to printers to iPods to digital cameras, these kinds of devices are readily avalible. Is there some reason you haven't bothered to buy new plugs/cords?

Thank you, I know all about power strips and extention chords

I just... I just wanted to complain

 

[Jenny_Jackson]

Thee,

Here's an idea for you. 15 recepticals on a 4 foot strip screwed to the wall.

http://shopping.msn.com/Specs/shp/?itemId=24255200

 

[jomar]

Thank you, I know all about power strips and extention chords

I just... I just wanted to complain

That's right! Now I remember reading your personal history thread. Mental note to self never to give advice to Thee.

 

[TheeGoatPig]

That's right! Now I remember reading your personal history thread. Mental note to self never to give advice to Thee.

Ah! But I WILL take some of the advice given here! I just wanted a better idea of my options this time around

 

[jomar]

Ah! But I WILL take some of the advice given here! I just wanted a better idea of my options this time around

Fair enough.

 

[Weird Harold]

My old room had three duplex outlets, one switched over by the door (outside the room, but still). The new room has two duplex outlets, one switched by the door (inside the room, yay).

Is there any easy way to add another outlet inside this room?

Don't think in terms of outlets, think in terms of circuits -- you need to determine how many other outlets are on the two circuits in your new room and how many amps the circuits are rated for. If the house is fairly old, you need to worry about whether the outlets are on 3-wire grounded circuits.

As an example, my parents house, built in 1963, had three electrical circuits for all four bedrooms: one for the lights, one for two outlets in each of the front two bedrooms and one for two outlets in each of the back two bedrooms. All three circuits were 15 amp, two wire circuits.

If you have a circuit that is modern enough to support an additional outlet, a surface mount box next to the existing unswitched outlet can be tied into the the unswitched circuit AT the outlet.

What is more likely to be the case, you should probably hire an electrician to wire a completely new 3-wire, grounded circuit into your room that is suitable for powering modern electronics.

 

[lisa123414]

Squid

Hi Thee -
recently got something from thinkgeek called a squid. it is way cool, plugs into an outlet and has six retractable "female" ports. As long as your hot wax wont overload the circuit, this thing is fun and looks cool, but only reaches so far.....
Lisa

I agree with Cloudy, seriously...

 

[Dar~]

Don't think in terms of outlets, think in terms of circuits -- you need to determine how many other outlets are on the two circuits in your new room and how many amps the circuits are rated for. If the house is fairly old, you need to worry about whether the outlets are on 3-wire grounded circuits.

As an example, my parents house, built in 1963, had three electrical circuits for all four bedrooms: one for the lights, one for two outlets in each of the front two bedrooms and one for two outlets in each of the back two bedrooms. All three circuits were 15 amp, two wire circuits.

If you have a circuit that is modern enough to support an additional outlet, a surface mount box next to the existing unswitched outlet can be tied into the the unswitched circuit AT the outlet.

What is more likely to be the case, you should probably hire an electrician to wire a completely new 3-wire, grounded circuit into your room that is suitable for powering modern electronics.

Wow! Harry, I think I need to become bilingual just so I can fathom what you just said.

 

[bluebell]

im...Plausible

Eh...you can exist purely on flashlights and Indiglo devices, right?
I mean really, who needs lights?

 

[lisa123414]

and then, there are always batteries

what would we do, without lots and lots of batteries? (Speaking from the point of view of a woman, here alone on a Friday night)

 

[fcdc]

Solution (Not Really)

http://www.pocketbattleship.com/clipart/killdozer.jpg
http://www.bijoucafe.com/goods/Killdozer_DVD.jpg

 

[lisa123414]

so you are thinking what,

Theegoatpig should bulldoze the house?

 

[fcdc]

Theegoatpig should bulldoze the house?

It would be a solution to his outlet problem!

 

[lisa123414]

Thats one solution

but then again, who were those actors in those runaway machines, trampling all in their path? Sounds very out of control, and dangerous. Oh my!!!

 

[starrkers]

Theegoatpig should bulldoze the house?

Moving out to his own place would probably be easier.
Or he could just wander down to the local store and grab a couple of extensions leads and power boards...

 

[Weird Harold]

Wow! Harry, I think I need to become bilingual just so I can fathom what you just said.

Basically that it's likely that when he gets his two outlets loaded down to their limits, his mom is going to plug in a nightlight in the next bedroom and pop the circuit breaker.

PS: I AM multi-lingual, I speak American, English, Electronics, Computer and I can make myself understood in Australian and Canadian-English.

 

[S-Des]

PS: I AM multi-lingual, I speak American, English, Electronics, Computer and I can make myself understood in Australian and Canadian-English.

Wow, a kindred spirit.