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#151915 06/01/03 09:08 PM
Joined: Oct 2000
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[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]
Quote
I pulled out the china cabinet at home, and found this behind it.
A Sierra Triplex Receptacle, it's made of porcelain. The date would be about 1958.
I suppose it was quite a decorator item at the time. The size is narrower than a Decora device.
The metal box is grounded, so it's been replaced...S
(Electure)

Joined: Apr 2002
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I believe Sierra was purchased by Pass and Seymore awhile back.

Joined: Aug 2001
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This looks as though it has the wider neutral slots. Does anyone know when polarized plugs and receptacles were introduced?

Joined: Nov 2002
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I wouldn't be suprised if the above triplex outlet has the same innards as these pictured here below
[Linked Image from home.netcom.com]
Similar yoke, and similar positions of the wiring screws. These fit Despard cover plates. The F&S's my father installed 50 years ago. Never had one of these go bad. Only reason to change them is in places where we needed grounded outlets.

More antiques:
[Linked Image from home.netcom.com]
The black faced one looks a lot like the prong pattern they use in Australia. Only thing is that in Australia each outlet has a power switch built in. And there's the strange ivory Bryant one. Patent numbers 1591773 and 1591707 on the back. UL approved.

Joined: Dec 2000
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wa2ise,
"F"&S?
The P&S bunch have been around quite awhile as well.
Does anybody here know what the code said in the past about these non-NEMA (10A-250V) receptacles as pictured?

I'd have a big bunch of non-NEMA twistlock recps. and caps (10A-600V) if I hadn't smashed them all years ago so they wouldn't be used again.

It'd be neat if somebody could show a 10A C/B that would mate up with them....fuses, huh??...S

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Yes, upon closer inspection, the "F" is actually a "P" :-) And it says "125v 15A and 250v 10A. And "UL".

The Bryant outlet IIRC came from an old electrical engineering research lab where radio and TV research was done. It provided DC 120V. One day the DC generators went down, but nobody noticed it except the maintenance staff. So they left it off thereafter, as there were no users anymore.

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Believe it or nuts, ‘ise’s last "perpendicular blade" device is the same or very similar to the ‘NEMA 2-20’-series wiring devices, currently assigned as a 250V non-grounding configuration. In the early 1970s, CalOSHA {California} had a field day with the so-called dual-rated wiring devices. One standard device rating at that time was 600VAC/250VDC, so the circuit voltage could be just about anything.

[Linked Image from 64.146.180.232]



[This message has been edited by Bjarney (edited 06-02-2003).]

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Aside… I believe ‘ise’s smooth-faced black 20-amp 3-pole device is a NEMA 10-20P configuration, formally termed 125/250 volts, 20 amperes, 3-pole, 3-wire [er, no equipment ground.] Before later “U-ground” wiring-device configurations, {1960s?} they were common out west for window air conditioners and portable electric room heaters. {This was when electricity was 1.6¢/kWh. Lived in a rural house with one such heater… 4500 watts, and my first month's electric bill came in at $35+. Heart Attack!!}

A slang term for the NEMA 10-20 receptacle was “crowfoot”. It was junior to the nongrounding NEMA 10-30 and 10-50 3-wire devices—still widely in service for cord-connected electric clothes dryers and electric ranges.




[This message has been edited by Bjarney (edited 06-02-2003).]

Joined: Aug 2002
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The crowfoots are also used in Colombia for the same purpose -- 20 amp 220 volt big air conditioners and water heaters.

[Linked Image from codelca.com.co]

The one with the perpendicular blade (220volt 20amp)is also used for the same purpose. It is also used for some small electric stoves.

[Linked Image from codelca.com.co]

However the new 220-volt installations should be equipped with grounding NEMA type versions (6-15 and 6-20).

[Linked Image from codelca.com.co]
[Linked Image from codelca.com.co]

A lot of larger sized electric stoves still use non-grounded 50-amp 120/240 plugs.

Same deal with normal 110-volt 15-amp circuits. Old installations frequently have polarized 1-15 sockets and older ones are non-polarized; while most newer professional installations use 5-15.

A lot of the crow-foots and off-set blade sockets I saw down there were in old buildings (80s and older).

I used to have Hubbell 20-amp crowfoot somewhere in the house in with some other junk (I salvaged it from work during one of the renovations), but I when I moved I think I threw it out.... [Linked Image]

A note to travellers: I see some tourist guides for Colombia that mention the crowfoot as a standard general purpose receptacle down there. The "standard" general purpose plug is the American NEMA 5-15 plug. The other ones are special-use devices and probably encountered by most casual travelers unless they actually go around looking for them.

[This message has been edited by SvenNYC (edited 06-07-2003).]

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I have some of the 10-20 fittings, mostly Hubbell. They were used around here for 110V
grounded recepticles in barns, for cream separators and general purpose. Last I used them were for 12VDC portable wiring, and easy speaker disconnects.

FWIW, our place was first wired in the early 1950s, and had those installed with grounded wiring, in the barns.

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