tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208406.post7153841240972436022..comments2024-03-28T08:26:58.108-04:00Comments on Our Odyssey: Project TimeLouisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06306854459459257368noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208406.post-52909596752011425052010-11-11T21:53:58.244-05:002010-11-11T21:53:58.244-05:00Sean
I understand the cost difference, most of ou...Sean<br /><br />I understand the cost difference, most of our house has hospital grade outlets, I was working at a hospital where a new suite was being constructed, the wrong color outlets were installed. When they were exchanged for the correct color the electricians were not allowed to reuse the removed ones and I was there.<br />My biomedical contacts tell me that Hospital Grade plugs and outlets have to pass a pull test as to force required to separate them, they also must pass a ground contact resistance test, above a certain value and they fail. Also on the plugs the ground prong is slightly longer to ensure that it is the last to break contact when the plug is removed.<br /><br />FrankAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208406.post-24549144732718773412010-11-11T07:07:23.100-05:002010-11-11T07:07:23.100-05:00Had to chuckle a bit...only an engineer would take...Had to chuckle a bit...only an engineer would take a replaced outlet apart for "failure analysis"! Good thing you did though, the information is key!Judy Jeutehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16226134160013164029noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208406.post-52132559865156318962010-11-11T01:29:13.706-05:002010-11-11T01:29:13.706-05:00Frank, at a cost premium of about 2,000%, I could ...Frank, at a cost premium of about 2,000%, I could replace each receptacle 20 times before I would approach the cost of changing to hospital-grade items. Incidentally there is also a "spec grade" which is somewhat less of a premium, around 1,000% or so, yet just as durable (the cost difference reflects the manufacturers' greater liability for hospital grade).<br /><br />BTW, the green dot simply means "hospital grade." NEMA standards for hospital-grade receptacles (and the NEC provisions that govern them, a scant two) do not establish any "certification" of the ground connection beyond that specified for standard NEMA 5- series devices. The standards for hospital grade instead relate principally to plug retention and the ability of the device to withstand frequent plug cycles.<br /><br />That might have helped in this case, no doubt, but in 30 years of electrical work I have only ever seen a failure like this (not related to abuse) a small handful of times, and that would include in RVs.<br /><br />These are Decora outlets, BTW, which are also very difficult (perhaps impossible?) to find in hospital grade.<br /><br />I expect this was an isolated failure, most likely related to either a manufacturing defect or some trauma to the part when it was installed. Still, I will be inspecting all the outlets as a precaution.Seanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17930398671280529448noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6208406.post-26771334409450337612010-11-10T21:54:01.082-05:002010-11-10T21:54:01.082-05:00Sean
Just a thought, you might try using hospital ...Sean<br />Just a thought, you might try using hospital grade outlets. They are very durable and designed to take abuse. They can be identified by a green dot on the face. The dot means that they have a certified ground connection.<br />FrankAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com