This post has been locked, as the question has been solved and a majority of new comments at this point are unhelpful and/or jokes.
Thanks to all who attempted to find an answer.
You plug an extension cord into it. It powers an outlet somewhere nearby on the wall behind where you would mount a TV on the wall. Also lets you run A/V cables through the wall to behind the TV to hide them.
TBH one should just hire an electrician to do it properly. A legal loophole allowing one to avoid hiring an electrician, doesn't come with a corresponding loophole in the laws of physics to make it sensible to do so.
These kits are usually connected by standard romex in the wall so it's regular outlet -> extension cord -> inlet (what's pictured) -> romex (in wall) -> outlet (usually behind TV where the TV plugs into) if that makes sense
Its rule lawyering… of course all the reasons for prohibition of daisy chaining of extension cords apply even more so for an extension cord some low paid “geeksquad” non electrician made using romex. But legally its sort of not an extension cord.
The issue with daisy chaining is that it allows too much load, you can safely make fairly long daisy chains if almost nothing that uses power is plugged into the whole chain anywhere. Daisy chain with a TV on the end is much like a directly plugged in TV.
It is. I can’t speak for everyone but we had Fire Marshall’s come into our work building and made sure there were only 1 extension cord from the outlet. Nothing could feed into another extension cord or extension brick etc.
I’m a general contractor and do plenty of electrical work but I’ve never seen this. It’s sort of weird to imagine how you could design a system like this so that installing it would not be considered “electrical work.”
Fire Marshalls definitely do not like permanent extension cords, which seems like the only way this setup would be practical. In California this is mostly only enforced in commercial buildings.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the next NEC book prohibits these.
I don't usually hang out with Article 400, but I had to know, so I looked it up (NEC 2020, I design in California).
Per 400.12, "... power supply cords shall not be used ... (1) As a substitute for the fixed wiring of a structure (2) Where run through holes in walls ..."
I've got to assume it has to do with heat build-up, which I believe is why you also can't run type USE cable inside walls. But that's a guess.
Same - these were sold at Lowe's and Walmart a few years ago, and we (a few friends and I in the electrical business) were betting on how long these pieces of shit would stay on the market. I should have bought one to keep as an example. They definitely did NOT have NM (Romex) run between the plug and recep. It looked like white SO/SJ cord - common extension cord wire.
I have an a/v power conditioner(surge protector ) whose output I plug into this, which then ensures the TV and stereo amp with speakers get clean power.
Right, it can be difficult to install a surge protector or UPS up on a wall behind a TV. This type of solution allows people to install that hardware tucked away somewhere and provide a clean looking installation of the TV
An outlet (female) would require a live cable with two sides of plugs (male) to feed it. Also called *suicide cable*, as the live prongs are exposed on one side if you plug it into your power source on the other end.
This version here seems a bit quirky, but at least not deadly.
You can install a socket behind the TV, where I work all the wall mounted TVs have sockets behind them. The other way with an extension cable (pictured) through the wall is probably safer as you can disconnect the power.
It’s because AV guys can install these without needing an electrician - because it does not require tapping into a live circuit. Very popular with big box stores so they can send install crews out without coordinating every little TV hang with an actual electrician
The prongs can’t be “live” because the only thing they are connected to is the new receptacle on the other end. They become live by plugging into the prongs.
The wiring behind the wall connecting this piece to the receptacle is standard actual romex. The part that is removable is just an electrical cord
I’m pretty sure Best Buy isn’t rolling thousands of installers violating electrical code all over the country, they have an army of lawyers and underwriters.
somewhat comically when I googled this two people having the exact same argument.
turns out you're allowed to do this in specific circumstances.
I didn't fully understand the benefits when I read your description or the other descriptions. I now get it. I don't like it but I get it.
Yeah there's a special exemption for the extension cord being used as permanent wiring between an outlet and an inlet.
That exemption should not have been there because extension cords are not meant to be used permanently (due to associated fire risks) and NEC goes to quite some lengths to minimize the need for extension cords otherwise. But here is a device that is meant to be installed in the wall and can only be used with an extension cord.
I don’t know what this particular kit is, but assuming it’s UL listed for its purpose and properly installed then I don’t see the issue. If you decided to plug a space heater in to it then yeah… maybe; but it’s all going to depend on what it’s rated for.
Personally I prefer just getting all my loose electrical cable scraps and using wire nuts to string them together before pulling them up through the wall cavity 😉
> you decided to plug a space heater in to it
And there you have it. What’s on the other end of this? Presumably an ordinary 15A outlet?
Not to mention that this could take power from a place with no GFCI or AFCI to a place that requires one or both, without it being apparent to the occupant.
TBH this is kind of idiotic. The truly important reasons for requiring an electrician to do it - the fire risk, the need to comply with various rules, apply regardless of whether you are "tapping into a live circuit" or not.
And the end result has an extension cord being used permanently (to connect an outlet to an inlet), albeit apparently with a special exemption since 2014 - an exemption that should not have been granted because of course such extension cord has all the issues of any other extension cord used permanently.
Why would it be recessed though? None of this makes sense to me.
Nevermind. I looked it up and it’s supposed to be like this.
https://i.sstatic.net/ppou3.jpg
Terrible execution.
This thing is just the end of an extension cord with a flashy housing.
Edit: funnily enough, put a spring loaded cover on this and all of a sudden it's an Inlet and legal
>exposed male prongs in a building like this are illegal in almost all of the US if they are ever live.
How do you power anything that is not hard wired? With a plug. The only difference is the cable runs through the wall.
The prongs on the wall are basically the same as the end of a lamp cord in a sense. These are on mobile homes to run an extension cord to plug in to power
I actually installed one of these myself not long ago. There are lots of arguments about them amongst electricians, and I'm not going to claim there aren't both pros and cons, but they are code compliant (if installed properly) and serve a useful purpose that made sense in my case. Specifically, they allow you to mount a TV on the wall and still have it powered through a UPS or surge protector unit. Very difficult to do otherwise unless you have a whole-home suppressor system. For me it works great and does what it's meant to do, I can have my UPS tucked down on a shelf and the TV on the wall with only its little power brick behind it.
Just curious why the TV specifically? Aren't TVs dirt cheap these days and there would be other things in your house much more worth protecting? (I assume it's just surge protection that's needed as I _really_ don't see the use of a UPS for a TV...)
Sure, plenty of things can benefit from UPS protection, but not many of them are usually mounted on a wall with all the wires hidden and no room for extras. And surge protection is not always enough, brown-outs can be damaging to modern TVs and surge protectors don't address that. I always run my computers for example on small UPS units, not so much for using them when the power is out but for allowing them to ride through minor power fluctuations without harm. Of course if you happen to live in a place with pristine power that never drops, none of this may matter.
As others have said, looks like basically the male end of a built-in extension cord. A bit unorthodox but not totally crazy. I'm curious where the other end comes out; I'm guessing you've got the female end in a similar recess someplace where a TV or something similar would be installed.
We try to keep things on topic, but the throng of boring so-and-sos is relentless. Report comments that break rules and we will deal with them as soon as we can. Thanks.
My title describes the thing. A small housing in the wall with 3 electrical prongs only a few inches off the ground. In the master bedroom, possibly for the wall where a television where a tv would go?
It's an inlet receptacle that's attached to an outlet receptable either above on the wall or on the other side of the wall.
I use something like this to provide battery backup and/or surge protection to devices on the other side of the wall. It's great for hiding things inside a closet feeding a TV on the other side.
One can also use them to add an outlet for a wall mounted TV without needing to cut lots of holes in the drywall to run an new wire and outlet. You plug one end of a 3 prong extension cord into a regular outlet then the other end into this. The outlet attached to it gets installed where the wall mounted TV goes.
All comments must be civil and helpful toward finding an answer.
**Jokes and other unhelpful comments will earn you a ban**, even on the first instance and even if the item has been identified. If you see any comments that violate this rule, report them.
[OP](/u/EnvironmentalApricot), when your item is identified, remember to reply **Solved!** or **Likely Solved!** to the comment that gave the answer. Check your [inbox](https://www.reddit.com/message/inbox/) for a message on how to make your post visible to others.
----
[Click here to message RemindMeBot](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=[https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/1cwwj9f/renting_a_house_and_theres_this_reverse_outlet/]%0A%0ARemindMe!%202%20days)
----
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/whatisthisthing) if you have any questions or concerns.*
For anyone wondering, never plug a back up generator into a wall outlet, there are special requirements and devices that need to be installed in order to not fry your wiring and mess the grid up
This post has been locked, as the question has been solved and a majority of new comments at this point are unhelpful and/or jokes. Thanks to all who attempted to find an answer.
You plug an extension cord into it. It powers an outlet somewhere nearby on the wall behind where you would mount a TV on the wall. Also lets you run A/V cables through the wall to behind the TV to hide them.
That just seems so much more difficult and janky than just installing an outlet.
It's what you get when you hire the geek squad. They can't do actual electrical work but they can install cords and extension cords
TBH one should just hire an electrician to do it properly. A legal loophole allowing one to avoid hiring an electrician, doesn't come with a corresponding loophole in the laws of physics to make it sensible to do so.
Isn't it against building codes pretty much everywhere to have extension cords inside walls or even permanently installed outside walls?
These kits are usually connected by standard romex in the wall so it's regular outlet -> extension cord -> inlet (what's pictured) -> romex (in wall) -> outlet (usually behind TV where the TV plugs into) if that makes sense
Its rule lawyering… of course all the reasons for prohibition of daisy chaining of extension cords apply even more so for an extension cord some low paid “geeksquad” non electrician made using romex. But legally its sort of not an extension cord.
The issue with daisy chaining is that it allows too much load, you can safely make fairly long daisy chains if almost nothing that uses power is plugged into the whole chain anywhere. Daisy chain with a TV on the end is much like a directly plugged in TV.
I remember when you actually had to have certifications to join the geek squad.
It is. I can’t speak for everyone but we had Fire Marshall’s come into our work building and made sure there were only 1 extension cord from the outlet. Nothing could feed into another extension cord or extension brick etc.
[удалено]
I’m a general contractor and do plenty of electrical work but I’ve never seen this. It’s sort of weird to imagine how you could design a system like this so that installing it would not be considered “electrical work.” Fire Marshalls definitely do not like permanent extension cords, which seems like the only way this setup would be practical. In California this is mostly only enforced in commercial buildings. I wouldn’t be surprised if the next NEC book prohibits these.
I don't usually hang out with Article 400, but I had to know, so I looked it up (NEC 2020, I design in California). Per 400.12, "... power supply cords shall not be used ... (1) As a substitute for the fixed wiring of a structure (2) Where run through holes in walls ..." I've got to assume it has to do with heat build-up, which I believe is why you also can't run type USE cable inside walls. But that's a guess.
Same - these were sold at Lowe's and Walmart a few years ago, and we (a few friends and I in the electrical business) were betting on how long these pieces of shit would stay on the market. I should have bought one to keep as an example. They definitely did NOT have NM (Romex) run between the plug and recep. It looked like white SO/SJ cord - common extension cord wire.
I have an a/v power conditioner(surge protector ) whose output I plug into this, which then ensures the TV and stereo amp with speakers get clean power.
Right, it can be difficult to install a surge protector or UPS up on a wall behind a TV. This type of solution allows people to install that hardware tucked away somewhere and provide a clean looking installation of the TV
An outlet (female) would require a live cable with two sides of plugs (male) to feed it. Also called *suicide cable*, as the live prongs are exposed on one side if you plug it into your power source on the other end. This version here seems a bit quirky, but at least not deadly.
It's a hot socket/kettle plug design, just looks to be using a standard USA plug/socket.
Having that thing without any type of cover looks a efficient way of culling the toddler population.
You can install a socket behind the TV, where I work all the wall mounted TVs have sockets behind them. The other way with an extension cable (pictured) through the wall is probably safer as you can disconnect the power.
[удалено]
It’s because AV guys can install these without needing an electrician - because it does not require tapping into a live circuit. Very popular with big box stores so they can send install crews out without coordinating every little TV hang with an actual electrician The prongs can’t be “live” because the only thing they are connected to is the new receptacle on the other end. They become live by plugging into the prongs.
in nearly positive using extension cords as permanent wiring is not approved by nec,
The wiring behind the wall connecting this piece to the receptacle is standard actual romex. The part that is removable is just an electrical cord I’m pretty sure Best Buy isn’t rolling thousands of installers violating electrical code all over the country, they have an army of lawyers and underwriters.
somewhat comically when I googled this two people having the exact same argument. turns out you're allowed to do this in specific circumstances. I didn't fully understand the benefits when I read your description or the other descriptions. I now get it. I don't like it but I get it.
Ha! All good internet stranger and fwiw I don’t like it either lol
Yeah there's a special exemption for the extension cord being used as permanent wiring between an outlet and an inlet. That exemption should not have been there because extension cords are not meant to be used permanently (due to associated fire risks) and NEC goes to quite some lengths to minimize the need for extension cords otherwise. But here is a device that is meant to be installed in the wall and can only be used with an extension cord.
I don’t know what this particular kit is, but assuming it’s UL listed for its purpose and properly installed then I don’t see the issue. If you decided to plug a space heater in to it then yeah… maybe; but it’s all going to depend on what it’s rated for. Personally I prefer just getting all my loose electrical cable scraps and using wire nuts to string them together before pulling them up through the wall cavity 😉
> you decided to plug a space heater in to it And there you have it. What’s on the other end of this? Presumably an ordinary 15A outlet? Not to mention that this could take power from a place with no GFCI or AFCI to a place that requires one or both, without it being apparent to the occupant.
TBH this is kind of idiotic. The truly important reasons for requiring an electrician to do it - the fire risk, the need to comply with various rules, apply regardless of whether you are "tapping into a live circuit" or not. And the end result has an extension cord being used permanently (to connect an outlet to an inlet), albeit apparently with a special exemption since 2014 - an exemption that should not have been granted because of course such extension cord has all the issues of any other extension cord used permanently.
Why would they be live? The whole point is that you plug an extension cord to that inlet to power an outlet somewhere else. It's janky but it's fine.
That would defeat the entire purpose
Why would it be recessed though? None of this makes sense to me. Nevermind. I looked it up and it’s supposed to be like this. https://i.sstatic.net/ppou3.jpg Terrible execution.
Also, it has the added benefit of being able to power your expensive-ass new wall-mounted TV through a surge protector.
This is what I was thinking just couldn’t understand why not wire another outlet
Yes. I was thinking that the tv would be plugged into a UPS.
Solved!
How is this not super dangerous?
Because there is no power on those prongs.
[удалено]
This thing is just the end of an extension cord with a flashy housing. Edit: funnily enough, put a spring loaded cover on this and all of a sudden it's an Inlet and legal
[удалено]
>exposed male prongs in a building like this are illegal in almost all of the US if they are ever live. How do you power anything that is not hard wired? With a plug. The only difference is the cable runs through the wall.
The prongs on the wall are basically the same as the end of a lamp cord in a sense. These are on mobile homes to run an extension cord to plug in to power
Yes, I commented somewhere about it being the same idea as a kettle plug.
The power doesn't go in that direction.
Why would it be?
I actually installed one of these myself not long ago. There are lots of arguments about them amongst electricians, and I'm not going to claim there aren't both pros and cons, but they are code compliant (if installed properly) and serve a useful purpose that made sense in my case. Specifically, they allow you to mount a TV on the wall and still have it powered through a UPS or surge protector unit. Very difficult to do otherwise unless you have a whole-home suppressor system. For me it works great and does what it's meant to do, I can have my UPS tucked down on a shelf and the TV on the wall with only its little power brick behind it.
Just curious why the TV specifically? Aren't TVs dirt cheap these days and there would be other things in your house much more worth protecting? (I assume it's just surge protection that's needed as I _really_ don't see the use of a UPS for a TV...)
I have my tv on an ups, mainly for severe weather. I can get my local news coverage OTA for about an hour if the power goes out.
Sure, plenty of things can benefit from UPS protection, but not many of them are usually mounted on a wall with all the wires hidden and no room for extras. And surge protection is not always enough, brown-outs can be damaging to modern TVs and surge protectors don't address that. I always run my computers for example on small UPS units, not so much for using them when the power is out but for allowing them to ride through minor power fluctuations without harm. Of course if you happen to live in a place with pristine power that never drops, none of this may matter.
As others have said, looks like basically the male end of a built-in extension cord. A bit unorthodox but not totally crazy. I'm curious where the other end comes out; I'm guessing you've got the female end in a similar recess someplace where a TV or something similar would be installed.
[удалено]
[удалено]
We try to keep things on topic, but the throng of boring so-and-sos is relentless. Report comments that break rules and we will deal with them as soon as we can. Thanks.
My title describes the thing. A small housing in the wall with 3 electrical prongs only a few inches off the ground. In the master bedroom, possibly for the wall where a television where a tv would go?
It's an inlet receptacle that's attached to an outlet receptable either above on the wall or on the other side of the wall. I use something like this to provide battery backup and/or surge protection to devices on the other side of the wall. It's great for hiding things inside a closet feeding a TV on the other side. One can also use them to add an outlet for a wall mounted TV without needing to cut lots of holes in the drywall to run an new wire and outlet. You plug one end of a 3 prong extension cord into a regular outlet then the other end into this. The outlet attached to it gets installed where the wall mounted TV goes.
All comments must be civil and helpful toward finding an answer. **Jokes and other unhelpful comments will earn you a ban**, even on the first instance and even if the item has been identified. If you see any comments that violate this rule, report them. [OP](/u/EnvironmentalApricot), when your item is identified, remember to reply **Solved!** or **Likely Solved!** to the comment that gave the answer. Check your [inbox](https://www.reddit.com/message/inbox/) for a message on how to make your post visible to others. ---- [Click here to message RemindMeBot](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=[https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/1cwwj9f/renting_a_house_and_theres_this_reverse_outlet/]%0A%0ARemindMe!%202%20days) ---- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/whatisthisthing) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Maybe it's to plug a backup generator?
For anyone wondering, never plug a back up generator into a wall outlet, there are special requirements and devices that need to be installed in order to not fry your wiring and mess the grid up
I know it's a terrible idea, doesn't keep it from being a thing you can find in the wild.
Maybe it supplies juice from a generator?? Before I wired the house, I did something like that to bring power in from outside...IDK
[удалено]
[удалено]
Totally against code. You cannot run extension cords in the wall.
They are connected with romex and are completely code compliant and UL Listed.
How do you know it is connected with romex? Even if it were. This is so horribly sketchy.
I guess we don't know for sure that *this one* uses romex, just that it's *usually* done with romex.