Old Bryant Receptacle - ECN Electrical Forums

Posted for Alan Nadon:

Quote

I took some pictures of my collection this weekend. This is the first. I'll send others later.
The picture is a Bryant receptacle. The cover has spring loaded shutters that open inward allowing the plug to be inserted. These were
removed from a house in 1995. They were on a 120 Volt A.C circuit. In all my years I have never seen this kind of round pin on a house
receptacle. Especially with the pins being the energized part.
(Ignore the green doodad that I used to hold the doors open.)
The receptacle was in the floor of a posh house and the painter almost got the leg of his aluminum ladder in the hole where the outlet that didn't have a cover was located. He said it was old stuff and not energized. I put my test light on it and he started saying how dangerous that stuff was.

{Thanks Alan}

That's certainly different. I can't help wondering whether this was ever actually intended to be used as a 120V outlet.

Maybe its original design purpose was for a power inlet or for low-voltage?

What are the markings, if any, on the "receptacle" itself?

I checked the device and the only information on it was on the mounting strap.
It is stamped 10A 250V. That kind of rules out a low voltage application.
It was on a 120 volt circuit when I saw it.
The cover only states Bryant Electric Co.
Patent Applied For.
No date, or other numbers.
Makes me wonder if they ever got the patent.
Alan--

I wonder if this was intended to be the mate to a doghouse of some sort to form a floor outlet.

Hmm,
This is a strange outlet indeed, it sort of reminds me of a clock outlet I saw once in an old book.
Never seen anything like it since, anywhere.