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  #16  
Old 02-03-2012, 07:17 PM
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At my parents house are 120-volt receptacles that both terminals have a T-shaped contact to them...
they can accept a plug with the blades both turned 90 degrees like this -- --
One time I actually found a plug with these type blades and wired it up just as a novelty.
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  #17  
Old 02-03-2012, 07:42 PM
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My folks ~1950 house was full of those. I assume they were rated 15 amps. They would seem to defeat the purpose of having specialized 20 amp receptacles considering they accepted anything that didn't have a ground prong.
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  #18  
Old 02-03-2012, 10:04 PM
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Very interesting! I knew somebody would know. The place was originally a farm store/Case tractor dealership. Anything is possible.

I have a small selection of oddballs in a bucket upstairs. Wish I could put more of them to work. My mother/stepfather live in a very nice house, about 100 years old, with some nice electrical touches. My favorite detail is how the closet lights are wired to come on when you open their doors.
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  #19  
Old 02-04-2012, 11:11 AM
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Bryant Catalog scans

Here's some on-topic stuff
the surface mount devices are the ones I like having around.
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File Type: jpg cover.jpg (86.3 KB, 16 views)
File Type: jpg one.jpg (113.9 KB, 16 views)
File Type: jpg nema.jpg (119.9 KB, 10 views)
File Type: jpg 20A 2 pole.jpg (72.2 KB, 16 views)
File Type: jpg surface mount stuff.jpg (94.9 KB, 27 views)
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  #20  
Old 02-04-2012, 11:15 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chad Hauris View Post
At my parents house are 120-volt receptacles that both terminals have a T-shaped contact to them...
they can accept a plug with the blades both turned 90 degrees like this -- --
One time I actually found a plug with these type blades and wired it up just as a novelty.
In the VERY early days of electicitry, plugs were not yet standardized, and both types of plugs were used. The T slot receptacles, and the first one in this thread (which is another design of the same intent), were meant to accomodate both types of plug.

I have an old B&H movie projector with the uncommon style of plug.
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  #21  
Old 02-04-2012, 11:21 AM
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When I bought my house, there was a surface mounted light switch on the wall. The room was wallpapered in the 1960's, and when I looked really close, I discovered that the wire used was lamp cord, and the wires were neatly papered over and covered. After I turned off the power to the circuit at the (then) fuse box, I pulled the wires loose from the wallpaper. They ran up and across the ceiling to the light fixture, and there were 2 splices in the wires... I think someone used a couple of extension cords to make this connection.

What I love, is that the inspector missed this when I bought the house.

I've rewired the entire house, with the exception of the knob and tube wiring in the attic, now, and the K & T wiring is on its own 15 amp breaker. The only things running on the old wiring now is a couple of ceiling fans.
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  #22  
Old 02-04-2012, 11:24 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by maxhifi View Post
In the VERY early days of electicitry, plugs were not yet standardized, and both types of plugs were used. The T slot receptacles, and the first one in this thread (which is another design of the same intent), were meant to accomodate both types of plug.

I have an old B&H movie projector with the uncommon style of plug.
I also have several B&H projectors. I know what you mean.

I recently saw a house for sale that had several Edison screw plugs in the walls at the floor. They were disconnected, but still there. If the sale happens, I'll pull them and post pictures of them.
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  #23  
Old 02-04-2012, 11:43 AM
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I like old wiring. My house is from 1962, and has a 100A service. Many of the houses from this era have 60A services, which insurance requires upgraded. So I'm lucky I get to keep my old wiring for now. I've found a few butcher jobs over the years. but not too many. The last one was the dryer receptacle. I removed it to tap into the 230V, so I could use 230V in the garage - discovered there was no junction box, just an outlet mounted directly to the plywood wall of the laundry room. The original octagonal junction box looked like it had been removed when the original dryer was replaced with one requiring a plug and socket.
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  #24  
Old 02-04-2012, 03:37 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by maxhifi View Post
I like old wiring. My house is from 1962, and has a 100A service. Many of the houses from this era have 60A services, which insurance requires upgraded. So I'm lucky I get to keep my old wiring for now. I've found a few butcher jobs over the years. but not too many. The last one was the dryer receptacle. I removed it to tap into the 230V, so I could use 230V in the garage - discovered there was no junction box, just an outlet mounted directly to the plywood wall of the laundry room. The original octagonal junction box looked like it had been removed when the original dryer was replaced with one requiring a plug and socket.
The 100A ruling came into effect with the 1959 NEC. Regarding the dryer recepticle, the tombstone style 30 & 50A recepticle didn't require a junction box. The back part of the recepticle had a KO on the back or bottom for direct entry of the cable or BX. Also the code allowed the use of the neutral as the equipment ground. The 2008 code prohibits this practice.
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  #25  
Old 02-04-2012, 04:31 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dieseljeep View Post
The 100A ruling came into effect with the 1959 NEC. Regarding the dryer recepticle, the tombstone style 30 & 50A recepticle didn't require a junction box. The back part of the recepticle had a KO on the back or bottom for direct entry of the cable or BX. Also the code allowed the use of the neutral as the equipment ground. The 2008 code prohibits this practice.

* I should mention I'm in Canada. CEC is a bit different than NEC, but they seem to get more similar with each revision. NAFTA, etc. We had 60A services into the early 60s (air conditioning very rare and not needed in most houses here - honestly 60A would probably still be enough for my house)

Also, even the original 1962 dryer feed has a separate neutral - we've always had 4 prong dryer plugs. The outlet is bakelite on a metal plate, and needs a 4 5/16th square box.
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  #26  
Old 02-04-2012, 04:47 PM
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My home had a 60 amp service until I upgraded to 100 amps. The power company came and ran a new tri-plex line from the street pole to the house, and made the connections to my new drop, and installed the meter and locked it. This was all done after the inspector came and OK'd it all.

Then, I went with gas kitchen appliances, water heater, furnace, and dryer. I use very little power, except when the central A/C is on, which is most of the summer.
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  #27  
Old 02-04-2012, 07:49 PM
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Hello we live in a house that still has knob and tube mixed with 1960s rewire and current wiring when I bought this house it was asis with no inspection. one day a few years back it was in the summer the lights kept flashing and every time I would fire up any of my old tvs the lights would dim real low so this went on for a few more days and then no lights at all, so we called the lite company and they sent somebody out and the problem was the electric line from the pole to the house was smoking real bad so they changed it out and come to find out that that line was last replaced in the 1930s now that is old wiring we upgraded to 200 amp service as far as old outlets I still use the 2 prong I have 3 still in use.. Timothy
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  #28  
Old 02-05-2012, 10:04 PM
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The previous owner of my uncle's house was a secretary for an electrician with a bad reputation. When he was remodeling he tore out the old kitchen wall. Before chopping the electric range feed with an axe he pulled the main fuse block. When the blade hit there was a huge P-O-W! and blinding flash. The line had been wired direct, ahead of the main.
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  #29  
Old 02-06-2012, 04:57 PM
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Here's a few of the more interesting ones I have. Clockwise from top left:

"Harvey Hubbell" T-Slot outlet. From what scant information I've been able to gather, this may be the original two-pin outlet. It came from a house in Syracuse, NY, which was built in 1905, and all evidence pointed to the outlet being original to the house. It's hard to tell from the picture, but it's non-polarized... both slots are the same size.

Top center is a GE single-gang from the early '20s. Came out of the office of an old railroad warehouse.

Top right is a surface mount rotary from the late teens/early '20s, with an interesting little window in the cover, with an indicator behind it to tell you ON/OFF.

Below that is a late '20s toggle switch... there's a little arm on the left side of it that flips up and down when you toggle the switch.

Bottom center is a late '30s/early '40s T-slot with an interesting art-deco pattern on the face of it. I wish I had a better digicam, my ancient POS Vivitar can't really capture the detail on it.

Lastly is a Bryant T-slot from the late '20s.

I'll have to do some more digging, I know I have a few more oddballs, but I haven't been able to find them yet.
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  #30  
Old 02-06-2012, 07:26 PM
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That toggle switch is very similar to the one I saved from the basement of the house I grew up in (might even be the same).
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