[

Always a dilemma in deciding where to place receptacles [sockets], especially in bedrooms, given that occupants might decide to move the furniture around someday. To a large extent the position of outlets sets the layout of most room furniture, ie tv aerial, phone socket, pull switches at a bed etc..
What is the significance of '12ft', BTW? Is this a Code requirement?

Alan

At least the one near the closet won't be hidden by furniture, so there'll be someplace to plug in the vacuum cleaner.

The one near the closet is almost a slam dunk for a night light.
Oooo, I stubbed my toe

Alan, our code has, for a very long time, mandated that residences have the receptacles spaced so that no point along the floor, where the floor meets the wall, is more than six ft. from a receptacle.
Receptacles on the floor, within 18" of the wall, and wall receptacles 5'6" or lower are considered in meeting this requirement.

The effect of this rule all too often is poor receptacle placement. The electrician will enter the room, measure off six ft. from the door, then start placing receptacles on a 12-ft spacing. All too often, (since most rooms are 12x12. or smaller), is that the receptacles wind up in the middle of, and behind, furniture.

Alan,

Years ago when I was first starting out in the trade, I asked my journeyman the same question. He told me that the reason for the 12 foot rule was that a table lamp has a cord that is 6' long. With the 12' rule, then a person could always be within the reach of a receptacle behind a large piece of furniture such as a couch/sofa without having to use an extension cord.

I do remember reading this later on in my career, but right now I can't recall exactly where it is located in printed word.

Kale and Ron,

You guys are so on the money with this. I hate it when I have to search to find receptacles for "temporary installations" like vacuuming. The code should add a note that says to add two more above whatever amount you figured out plus one more for a nightlight. I have a couple in my house that are only there for vacuuming and nightlighting.....

Has anyone ever been called back because you put in too many receptacles. I know, I know.... they cost money.

RSlater,
RSmike

RSmike, you have the same idea that I do. Even though the constant crying of "what's the absolute bare minimum that I have to have by the strict letter of the Code" has been getting on my nerves for years, I like to think that I try to consider the people LIVING in the space.

I've been told EXACTLY where the cable TV goes, but get snapped at for adding cost to the job when I try to make sure that there's a receptacle right next to it.

BTW, If the first picture in the post was of MY house, that receptacle would be right where it is...for the vacuum; I'd place another on that blank wall for whatever table or cabinet ends up at that location.

It's a poor design IMO. I understand the NEC is the bare minimum requirement, but at least have a clue about the meaning of convience outlet. But in today's world (especially new residential) it's much too cut throat and bare minimum is a must. I work as if the house I'm wiring is mine, always.

Regarding the vacuum cleaner issue... one possible remedy would be to invent single gang switch plates that take a toggle switch and single NEMA 5-15 receptacle along with matching devices (either single part or maybe despard style but for upright mounting) and always install one of those at each door. The receptacle is unlikely to be used permanently, being rather high above the floor, so it can be used for temp. stuff.

Texas,
That's almost exactly what happens at my house. There are 2 switch/receptacle combinations in my house, actually a duplex and a switch in a two gang box, the one in the bathroom gets used to vacuum the hallway because it's convenient, and one other one in a room I built, that gets used for all kinds of temporary uses exactly because it is not behind anything. (I don't even have to bend over

Vacuum? Night light? I would never have considered that! I will have to keep that in mind the next time I do a layout.

@kale: sounds like a good idea!
Most Austrian designs I have seen include that as a standard, either a double gang box with switch and receptacle or a single receptacle 1' above the floor, below the switch.
There are even switch+receptacle combos that fit a single gang box, but they cost about three times as much as the same thing for a double gang box...

This one's a 5-20, but 5-15s are available as well:

My old house is wired that way (with a duplex and switch) in the two douwnstairs siderooms (one converted into a bathroom), and one in the big room upstairs, that one being the only recepticle upstairs.

Kale:
I have put those devices in all over the place, in one case 3 went into a friends small 2 bedroom apt just to plug in odd things like a pedistal fan and cell phone charger.. and like you said You dont have to bend down to plug them things in!!

A.D

That's a great idea, but it'll only work where the neutral is in the switchbox, not as when one 14/2 is run as a switch leg.

Edited to add:

That's if you're using the switch half for a reomte light fixture/recpt. that is.

[This message has been edited by mxslick (edited 04-23-2006).]

That's true for upgrading, but if you're doing new work you just have to run a neutral to the box.

UL 1310, the UL safety standard for class 2 power units ("wall warts"), requires the output cord to be 6 ft minimum. Lamp cords, thingamajobers, outlet spacing...sometimes it all ties together

Some thought needs to be given to placement of receptacles at points of entry, exit, stair-heads etc., as trailing leads may prove a trip hazard. I just changed an outlet position at a landing, to take it away from the top of a stair, after realising a vacuum cord would give a nice tripwire just where you don't want to take a tumble.

Alan

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.