With the ever-increasing number
of phones and tablets in a typical home outlets are getting taken over
by chargers. If you want to clean things up and create more efficiency
for your space, you can upgrade your outlets to support not just
standard 120-volt power cords but 5v USB charging too.
Although
combination 120v/USB outlets were a complete curiosity even a few years
ago, you can now find them everywhere from online retailers to big box
home improvement stores in a wide variety of styles, shapes, and
configurations.There are so many on the market, in fact, that it can be a
bit bewildering to pick through them all and decide which to select.
Let’s take a look at some basic considerations to ensure you get not
only the right outlet for your needs, but one that will keep you and
your gadgets safe.
Safety First: Buy Name Brand UL-Rated Products
Safety
matters. When it comes to equipment that connects directly to the
electrical mains of your home, cheap knock-off equipment can, at best,
damage your gadgets and, at worst, kill you. With that in mind, we
cannot encourage you enough to look at safety certifications. We
recommend you either purchase the outlets in person at a local retailer
or purchase UL-rated and favorably-reviewed outlets from reputable
online retailers.
Amps Matter: Get Enough Juice for Your Gadgets
Whether
you’re talking about battery packs or wall chargers, the amount of
amperage a charger can put out determines how quickly you can charge
your devices. A lightweight 1A connection might be fine for topping off
your Kindle, but it’ll take much longer than a 2A connection to charge
your iPad (and in some cases certain high-demand devices just don’t
charge correctly with low-amp chargers).
When shopping for a USB charging outlet, look for the amperage rating for the USB outlets.
The outlet itself will have a 15 amp rating, but this is for the 120v
AC side of things, not the 5v DC system that charges the USB devices.
Physical Size: The DC Transformer Goes Somewhere
Our final consideration is the size of the replacement outlet. Standard
outlets are very skinny (only about as deep as your thumb is wide).
Upgraded outlets with integrated USB charging are much thicker. In the
photo above you can see how the USB-enabled outlet on the left is
roughly twice as thick as the standard outlet on the right. What you
lose on the outside of the outlet (all those clutter-creating USB
chargers), you essentially shift to the guts of the outlet by packing
the AC-to-DC transformer into the outlet box. In newer homes (or older
homes with upgraded electrical systems) this shouldn’t be any issues at
all as modern outlet boxes are deep enough–it’s a tight but not
unmanageable fit. In older homes with shallower outlet boxes, you’ll
need to replace the old in-wall box with new one to accommodate the
bulky upgrade.
Remember we are always here to help!
If have a question or an electrical problem that we can help with click here to request a quote or give us a call. We are on hand for all your electrical installation and repair needs.
