ECN Forum Forums Photo Discussion Forums Photos for General Discussion Receptacle Placement

Switch placement can be innovative, in addition to receptacle placement.

When I was in junior high in the 1960's, my family was building a new custom (really custom ... my mother designed the floor plan from scratch) house. Us kids had the chance to opt for some preferences of our own in the design and construction (in exchange for doing some of the work, such as staining and painting woodwork).

One of my options was to have 2 light fixtures in the bedroom instead of just 1. They were arranged in a somewhat staggered position so one would be near my desk, but offset so I didn't cast a shadow on my work, and the other on the opposite corner near where all my audio and radio gear was.

I also opted to have these light independently switched, so there were 2 switches by the door. I further opted to have 2 more switches over by where I would place the bed, and positioned slightly lower than normal where they would be conveniently accessed from bed. That worked great. I could turn the lights out from the bed (I prefer sleeping in total darkness, so no nightlight for me).

Because one wall was entirely doorway and closet access, there would normally have been just 3 receptacles in the room (that was the original plan). And they would have all been in inconvenient locations for the furniture. So I had 2 more added so one was next to the desk and 2 were positioned on each side of the audio/radio gear. Also, one that would be hidden by the bed frame was moved to the side so it would be out just enough to be convenient for a clock on the nightstand by the bed (which I could see by flipping on one of the lights from the convenient switches).

And these 5 receptacles were 5/6-ths of all the grounded (5-15R) receptacles in the house (the other being for the washing machine in the laundry ... the only one required by the code at that time, I believe). I figured I might need them for the audio/radio stuff. The rest of the house was old 1-15R's, except for the dryer which was 10-30R.

I did a similar thing when we added on a second story when I was about 12.. my dad and I did the wiring, and the next door neighbor (a supervisor with the municipal POCO) came over to help my dad with moving the service to the newly extended mast..

I had 3 switches and a pilot light installed next to the bed, one was a 3-way for the overhead light, one was for half of the outlet for the bedside light, and the last (and the pilot) were for an outlet on the far wall for my stereo/tv. (no remote control..)

As luck would have it, the pics show a number of switches.
While the lack of a common reference makes it hard to see, the switches by the windows are mounted somewhat lower than the ones by the door.

Greetings, all. I'm new to the forum as of today. I had to reply to this message thread because of a hazardous situation I've seen much too often. Many times when I have stayed in hotels/motels in various states in the US I find receptacles placed directly behind the beds. The matress or box spring is jammed tight against the clock and/or bedside lamp cords, forming a sharp right angle. Often these cords are damaged. I STRONGLY recommend that you check for this dangerous situation anytime you stay in a hotel/motel in the US. Pass it on!

Welcome to the Forum ESCinNC.

You are right that is bad situation and the NEC has rules in place to prevent it.


The company I work for wires hotels and we do not place the outlets behind the beds.

However management changes the room from a two bed to a single or the other way around the outlets do end up behind the bed.