A right angled electrical outlet cover

February 15, 2007 11:02 AM

What is an electrical outlet cover than mounts the plugs at a right angle to a surface called?

I have a counter with a hole for an electric outlet cut into its surface and I want to mount an electric outlet so that the plugs are at a right angle to the counter surface. An outlet cover that does this exists (I have seen it long ago), but I do not know what it is called. Local electrical shops know nothing of such a device. Bonus: where can I find one online?

posted by ssg to Home & Garden (6 answers total)

Not outlets per se, but I did come across this adapter, and this one that you can order online.
posted by iconomy at 11:25 AM on February 15, 2007

The only thing I can think of would be something like this, which is a box that sticks up from the counter and you mount an outlet in. It reminds me of something you'd see on a chemistry lab bench. I found that from this NexTag page, which also listed this dual-gang item, made by a company called Chicago Faucets.

I Googled "counter mounted electrical outlet box" to turn them up.
posted by Kadin2048 at 11:38 AM on February 15, 2007

Best answer: On further research, I believe the things that you want (or at least I think you want, see photo above) are commonly called "Tombstone style outlets." Aka "tombstone boxes" or variations thereof.

Source on this here, about 2/3rds of the way down. It's a link to this item, which calls itself a "Pedestal Fitting."

Googling "pedestal boxes" seems to turn up quite a lot of them. They seem like a fairly standard item; I suspect if you went into a local electrical-supply shop and asked for 'pedestal boxes' you'd probably find something cheaper than you're likely to find it online.
posted by Kadin2048 at 12:04 PM on February 15, 2007

I second both "pedestal box" and "tombstone" as terms I have heard electricians call these, but the big leap here is that these are usually thought of as FLOOR-mount electrical boxes. You just happen to be putting one on a counter.

Once you communicate that, they're easy to find. I see no good ones online, oddly, but they're like $4 at Home Depot or Lowe's. If you really have trouble in your area, call any electrical supplier (the guys electricians buy parts from) and they'll prolly let you walk in and buy a single item. I have a junk box full of them somewhere if you get really desperate. Free if you mail me. :)

PS: check your building code. In some districts, countertop plugs are just not allowed.
posted by rokusan at 12:29 PM on February 15, 2007

Also, only tangentially related, but I found THIS when googling.

Probably overkill for your application, but wow is that ever cool.
posted by rokusan at 12:31 PM on February 15, 2007

Some more like rokusan's: desktop power outlets.
posted by notyou at 1:40 PM on February 15, 2007 [1 favorite]