Strange Electrical outlet

[Al Schmidt]

I have just purchased a house and will do some remodeling. The house was built in 1958 and has two prong electrical outlets through out. ( the kitchen was remodeled and has new three prong outlets) My question is about some strange outlets. they are the same size as normal duples outlets, two prong, but have four slots. below is the best representation I could do with out attaching a digital photo. Any thoughts as to the use of these?

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Al Schmidt

[Jeff Wisnia]

I've seen these around in the pas., I believe they were intended to let you plug in up to four "flat" style two prong plugs.

But, if the slot size or spacing doesn't match that kind of standard plug then I don't know WTF they could be.

HTH,

Jeff

[windriverfamily]

If the insertion points are round, they could be telephone outlets.

skg

[mm]

Yeah, if you are using a clock that uses almost no current, and a transistor radio that uses only a tiny bit more, and a lamp that uses less than an amp, and even a vcr or tivo that doesn't use much and they all have rectangular plugs, not the round plugs, it would be nice to not have to add extra doo-dads to plug them all in.

I guess the sum of al this, used at the same time, has to be under 15 amps, That's the usual maximum for receptacles.

My friend just bought a house built in 1917, and the fridge and something else were plugged into 3 prong adaptors, with its pigtail dutifully attached to a screw in the receptacle box. From the other work the previous owner did, I can tell he knew what he was doing. (But my friend will still make sure the box is grounded.)

Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let me know if you have posted also.

[Al Schmidt]

I think that Jeff is on with this outlet. unfortunately the new to me house is 2000 miles away. Since there will be no construction in the areas with these outlets they will be allowed to stay. I'll have the electrician check them out.

Thanks

Al S

[Bob (but not THAT Bob)]

There were lots of oddball wall plates in the last 50 years.

Easiest way to figure it out is unscrew the plate and see what kind of wiring it's hooked up with.

If it's a flat cable, it's 300 ohm TV antenna; if it's a 1/4" round, it's phone.

[gfretwell]

My bet is TV. The antenna and the rotor

[Wayne Boatwright]

On Thu 08 Dec 2005 11:22:28a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Bob (but not THAT Bob)?

These are meant to allow 4 standard plugs like one might find on a table lamp. The thickness of these molded plastic plugs was thin enough to allow two of them being plugged in close together.

[jackpona]

They are most likely for a 300 ohm antenna and an anteena rotator. I used to sell them years ago.

[Rick]

If you are talking about what I think you are talking about these are #9 on this page

made by GE in the 1955 time frame. A terrible idea if you ask me but they were probably a fad for people who suddenly realized they had too few outlets.

[trader_4]

This is another reply to a 10 year old thread. It's odd how for weeks there aren't any, then suddenly we get a flurry of them.....

[Mark Lloyd]

[snip]

And of not much use now, when most plugs are too fat.

[Jerry.Tan]

I dont recall seeing the ones with 4 sets of holes, but in the early

60's they regularly used outlets that had 3 sets. They had a cover plate with rectangular hole in the center (like used on a modern GFI outlet). My uncle was an electrician, and he did some wiring for my father in our home in the early 60's and he installed several of those 3 "plug" ungrounded outlets. They were handy in a place like a living room, where table lamps were used for lighting, and you also had to plug in a tv and record player, and still have someplece to plug in a vacuum cleaner.

Unlike today, where an outlet must be installed every 6 feet, most rooms in the 50's and 60's only had 2 or 3 outlets. Before then, you were lucky to have one outlet per room.

But even today, there always seems to be at least one outlet that is overloaded with cords, even if most are for low powered computer/electronics. But power strips usually take care of that sort of thing....