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You get what you paid for

3K views 19 replies 6 participants last post by  J. V. 
#1 ·
Hi;
I had an experience with an electrical product I would like to share:

I purchased two weatherproof outlet covers. They were Red-Dot, made for any type of receptacle (or switch). There were of the vertical mounting type, and were being installed on a vertical mounted outlet.

I purchased these at Home Depot for under $4 each.

When I installed the first one, I found it to be defective. The "spring", which consists of nothing more than a bent piece of metal didn't have enough strength to keep the cover closed snugly. I opened the second of the two I had purchased, and found it to be a bit more acceptable, although not what I would have liked.

Yesterday, when it came time to install the second outdoor outlet, I had only that defective cover on hand, so I attempted to repair it.
I was able to remove the door from the frame, and pryed up the prongs of the metal "spring" I described previously.

I was not successful in repairing the product, so today, I went to a local hardware store and purchased one made by Bell for a lot more money ($8.50). This one looked like it was going to be much more reliable even before I opened the package.
I was not disappointed. The Bell cover is all metal (like the Red.Dot), but is built much more solid, and has a real spring to hold the door closed.
It is held on by it's own screws, not sharing the same screws that hold the outlet in place, as does the Red.Dot model.

Needless to say, I would have preferred to have purchased the Bell cover the first time, and am a bit off that HD doesn't have much of a selection in this area (unless I was looking in the wrong place; I'll check their online store to see if they have the Bell product).

So, it all comes down to the old addage "you get what you pay for". Especially in these days where everything is made in China, and it seems that a low price is more important than quality.
By selling inexpensive products, the company is probably betting on the consumer needing to replace it in a few years, so they sell two.

I could have returned the defective product to HD, but considering that I paid less than $4 for it, I wasn't going to spend a half hour on the customer service line to get my credit.
I am just happy that I was able to purchase a quality product, even though it cost me a lot more.
At least I won't have to worry about the outlet getting wet when it rains, causing more problems.

BTW, it is a GFCI receptacle.

FW
 
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#3 ·
Are you sure about that?
I read it before on this forum, but at HD, they're still selling them in quantity.
The label clearly indicates that these are waterproof only when closed.

Since I don't have any use of a cover that remains waterproof when the plug is in, I am not concerned. If an inspector comes around my home for some other reason and makes me change them, then I'll do so.

The trouble with such a code as you mention, the cover may remain waterproof, but what about what is plugged into that cover?
What if a person leaves an extension cord plugged in, nothing connected to the other end, and it winds up in a pool of water. It's going to trip the GFCI, which IS code, and I wouldn't have an outdoor outlet without GFCI. If the outlet's not GFCI, then the thing will end up putting current/voltage into the standing pool of water, and one will have to pray that there is a good ground, so the next person who steps into it won't be fried.

At Xmas, I have seen lots of lights plugged in with plastic bags over the extension cords.
I know by experience that this won't keep out the rain, and certainly not melting snow.
So, what I am trying to say is that unless there is a way to guarantee a watertight connection outside of the receptacle, it isn't going to make much difference, unless you consider the fact that if the cord/device plugged into a GFCI protected circuit will not present as big a problem as if the LINE side of a GFCI receptacle gets wet.

FW
 
#7 ·
Is there any way to edit a post once it has been posted?
I keep writing things then later thinking I should have worded it differently.
Like in the above post, I said "window sill". It's not the sill, but the side frame.
I don't want anyone to think I would be stupid enough to mount an electrical outlet on the sill itself.

FW
 
#16 ·
My weatherproof covers got a test last night, and all passed, even the cheap red.dot in the front.

I'm thinking that the reason the code was changed to require the bubble type of cover in wet locations, is that the original ones were OK as long as the water came from rain, above the box, but if they get hit with sprinklers, etc, they will probably leak.
The design of all the old type (damp locations) appear to be designed not to let water drip in from the top. The Bell has a real overhang on top, and is by far the best one I have seen of that type.

FW
 
#17 ·
I'm thinking that the reason the code was changed to require the bubble type of cover in wet locations, is that the original ones were OK as long as the water came from rain, above the box, but if they get hit with sprinklers, etc, they will probably leak.FW
I heard that it was because many people use the outside outlets then leave a cord plugged in place which would be a problem situation. Holiday lighting comes to mind-

I'm sure they did work well for you- many homes had them before these "new fangled" ones came out. Asw long as there is no plug attached they work perfectly as expected.
 
#19 ·
I've strung many strings of lights through the holidays in an area where it always snows. I have never worried about water getting into the plugs and connectors, with all the lights and hundreds of feet of power cords it would be too much of a hassle to try and water proof the connections. Besides the strings of lights don't last all that long to begin with, couple seasons or so.

Even my home-made power distribution boxes though not waterproof, they have held up quite well and continue to work every time I wire the boxes in.
 
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