How do I make an outlet in my baseboards? I'm re-wiring the bedroom due to an untraceable short circuit (yay...came home from vacation to no power in the bedroom) and have decided that installing outlets in the baseboards is the best way to go. But, um, the outside wall is brick... [more inside]
posted by notsnot on Sep 6, 2009 - 7 answers

Replaced a 2-prong ungrounded electricl outlet with a 3-prong grounded one, but when testing the voltage, the hot-ground only shows 50v, while the hot-neutral shows 120v. Any advice to fix this? [more inside]
posted by jmg967 on Jul 14, 2009 - 24 answers

Are there power outlets on International United Airlines flights? My mother is wanting to be able to charge her laptop on a plane ride to Bejing, and wants to know if she is able to either plug her laptop in on the flight, or bring a cigarette lighter power inverter in order to charge it. Does anyone have any input on this that I can tell her?
posted by linzenoonoo on Apr 8, 2009 - 7 answers

No power to a specific receptacle in the house. Changing the receptacle doesn't work. Now what? [more inside]
posted by bitteroldman on Feb 21, 2009 - 12 answers

Shopping filter: Are there any factory outlets or good deals to be had along the I-75? [more inside]
posted by kaudio on Feb 8, 2009 - 7 answers

My mom switched to land-line phone service through Comcast, but now she only has one working phone jack. How do we restore functionality to the remaining outlets in the house? [more inside]
posted by blueberry on Dec 30, 2008 - 5 answers

Why is this high-pitched whine coming from one of my outlets? [more inside]
posted by sjuhawk31 on Dec 8, 2008 - 4 answers

What the heck kind of outlet is this, and where can I find an adapter for it? [more inside]
posted by misanthropicsarah on Oct 29, 2008 - 15 answers

Are there any specific illegalities to purchasing clothing (e.g. name brand shorts) from an outlet store and then offering them for sale in a boutique that specializes in selling resort wear?
posted by lungtaworld on Jun 24, 2008 - 5 answers

I have a mystery wall socket. What can I do with it? [more inside]
posted by defcom1 on Jun 7, 2008 - 13 answers

Pittsburgh/Grove City beer quest - my wife is going to Grove City for outlet shopping and I want her to pick up some local/unique beer. [more inside]
posted by phirleh on Mar 24, 2008 - 14 answers

What kind of weird outlet is this? [more inside]
posted by datacenter refugee on Feb 23, 2008 - 16 answers

I have a light switch on the wall that controls both an overhead light and an outleft. I'd like it to only control the overhead light, while still sending power on to the outlet. [more inside]
posted by donnagirl on Jan 3, 2008 - 16 answers

Dell Outlet Windows / OS Refund. [more inside]
posted by BillyRayMae on Oct 4, 2007 - 24 answers

What's a good outlet for stress and tension that doesn't involve redirecting it towards other people? [more inside]
posted by gregb1007 on Oct 3, 2007 - 35 answers

Any recommendations for outlets and shopping within 2 to 5 hours of Toronto? We're aware of outlets in Niagara (but have never been) and are wondering if they're worth a visit and if there are other places worth seeing now that the US and Canadian dollars are at par. [more inside]
posted by ChuckLeChuck on Sep 28, 2007 - 14 answers

Coincidence, or a problem with a wall outlet in my new apartment? My cell phone and laptop batteries are suddenly holding charges for shorter and shorter periods of time. [more inside]
posted by bassjump on Sep 24, 2007 - 6 answers

2 outlets & a ceiling light stopped working at the same time. None of the circuit breakers were flipped. What would cause this, and how can I troubleshoot it? [more inside]
posted by designbot on Aug 30, 2007 - 15 answers

I need to add grounding to an outlet. How bad an idea is it to chain the ground to the ground of another outlet that is on a different circuit a few feet up from that one? [more inside]
posted by BrotherCaine on Jul 24, 2007 - 12 answers

What kind of power cord will fit into this old EMG machine? [more inside]
posted by wireless on Apr 25, 2007 - 10 answers

Recommend a portable battery-driven power outlet, ideally suited to plug a cash register into all day at conventions. [more inside]
posted by Kemayo on Jan 29, 2007 - 7 answers

I need some new sockets to dip my prongs into. [more inside]
posted by WCityMike on Nov 8, 2006 - 5 answers

What is the difference between 2 and 3 prong outlets and do I need 3? [more inside]
posted by D Wiz on Aug 15, 2006 - 36 answers

How do you secure a plug so that even if someone yanks on the chord, it doesn't come out of an outlet? It does need to be POSSIBLE to get the plug out sometimes, and it won't work to glue/staple the chord to the wall, because sometimes equipment needs to be moved to another room. [more inside]
posted by grumblebee on Jul 14, 2006 - 23 answers

I have a electric (220v) dryer, but my new house is set up for gas, and the outlet is only 110v. I think that I have a situation where it would be relatively easy for me to install a new 220v outlet next to the current one without having to involve a professional. Does the scenario (inside) appear workable for the average diy'er? [more inside]
posted by trivirgata on Feb 21, 2006 - 20 answers

Today the top half of a regular wall outlet stopped working. No pulling or pushing of plugs was involved, and the bottom half still delivers electricity without problems (AFAIK). As the bottom half is still powered, it doesn't appear to be a switch or fuse issue (None are tripped). How would this happen, and how difficult a repair is this likely to be? Is it likely a problem simply with the outlet itself, or the wiring in the wall?
posted by birdsquared on Jul 18, 2005 - 11 answers

My wife and I recently rented a house in the Phinney Ridge area of Seattle. When renting I saw that all of the outlets were 3 prong outlets and that there was a breaker box and not a fuse box, so I assumed it was all wired correctly. Now that we've moved in, I've found that 6 of the 10 outlets are coming up as "open ground" when using a grounding tester. [more inside]
posted by freshgroundpepper on Jul 4, 2005 - 13 answers

I live in Los Angeles and wanted to find locations of any clothing outlet stores. I did some basic searches on google with not much luck. Any help on this would be great. [more inside]
posted by matthelm on May 30, 2005 - 8 answers

How many strands of Christmas tree lights (100 lights/strand) can I safely plug into a single outlet and/or connect to each other?
posted by Dr. Zira on Dec 17, 2004 - 12 answers

I have a closet in a converted basement (drywall). In the closet there is a light bulb powered by a switch so I assume there is electricity. My burning desire in life is to get a power outlet in that closet. What steps do I need to take? Is this a crazy young-person sort of dreamer's dream?
posted by xmutex on Feb 6, 2004 - 17 answers