Hi,
Looking for some nice looking boxes or cases to mount duplex receptacles..Something that looks nicely fabricated but not to expensive, maybe $30 to house two receptacles.. I've seen machined aluminum cases but high price..
I have some some hospital grade receptacles and would like them used as a power bar..
Looking for some nice looking boxes or cases to mount duplex receptacles..Something that looks nicely fabricated but not to expensive, maybe $30 to house two receptacles.. I've seen machined aluminum cases but high price..
I have some some hospital grade receptacles and would like them used as a power bar..
Nice looking "shielded" 2-gang aluminum boxes will cost you around $40-80, and that's usually without shipping price included.
For a cheap DIY route that is as effective, you should be looking into a metal 2-gang box (for receptacles), ideally one without holes in the back which may be somewhat difficult to find.
Another thing would be a dual front receptacle face-plate preferably made from the same material as the box (steel, aluminum, etc).
As for the receptacles, i recommend Hubbell "Hospital Grade". Gold plated ones would be great. Any other brand should work.
When mounting, try to have your wires from the both receptacles mounted to the IEC inlet instead of daisy chaining them. If they're daisy chained then the first one connected to the IEC will be better in terms of electrical conductivity/lower resistance.
To improve longevity of receptacles, clean it with 99% isopropyl alcohol and apply Deoxit Gold or Stabilant 22A (with nylon brush) to the contacts before crimping them. This will help condition them over time (lower oxidation) along with enhancing their conductive structure. This however is all meaningless if you end up soldering to the IEC but still worthwhile on the receptacle side of things.
P.S.
I'm working on a 4-gang CNC aluminum power distributor myself with rhodium plated receptacles all wired in 10AWG silver plated teflon wire.
12AWG is already be overkill since your wall outlets are only 12AWG and lights are 14AWG. I could be wrong though since I don't live in Canada. This applies for most homes in the United States.
For a cheap DIY route that is as effective, you should be looking into a metal 2-gang box (for receptacles), ideally one without holes in the back which may be somewhat difficult to find.
Another thing would be a dual front receptacle face-plate preferably made from the same material as the box (steel, aluminum, etc).
As for the receptacles, i recommend Hubbell "Hospital Grade". Gold plated ones would be great. Any other brand should work.
When mounting, try to have your wires from the both receptacles mounted to the IEC inlet instead of daisy chaining them. If they're daisy chained then the first one connected to the IEC will be better in terms of electrical conductivity/lower resistance.
To improve longevity of receptacles, clean it with 99% isopropyl alcohol and apply Deoxit Gold or Stabilant 22A (with nylon brush) to the contacts before crimping them. This will help condition them over time (lower oxidation) along with enhancing their conductive structure. This however is all meaningless if you end up soldering to the IEC but still worthwhile on the receptacle side of things.
P.S.
I'm working on a 4-gang CNC aluminum power distributor myself with rhodium plated receptacles all wired in 10AWG silver plated teflon wire.
12AWG is already be overkill since your wall outlets are only 12AWG and lights are 14AWG. I could be wrong though since I don't live in Canada. This applies for most homes in the United States.
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I completely forgot about Wiremold products.. The standard 2 gang box suggestion got me thinking about making a wood cover for it.. I might try this before wiremold route..
I use 12 gauge stranded as it has the same current rating as 14 gauge house wire for branch circuits..
Thanks!
I use 12 gauge stranded as it has the same current rating as 14 gauge house wire for branch circuits..
Thanks!
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Both US & Canadian codes have:
12AWG @ 20 Amps continuous.
14AWG @ 15 Amps continuous.
Both solid and stranded have the same rating.
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