A Newbie Seeking Assistance

[steveray]

There’s a paywall.

I'm not paying for that....

 

[ICE]

I'm not paying for that....

Well Shirley you get a front row seat.

 

[ICE]

The box needs an up arrow so that the ground prong is on the bottom. The same with a switch.

This is a nice feature. But you would need right and left.

 

[steveray]

The box needs an up arrow so that the ground prong is on the bottom. The same with a switch.

This is a nice feature. But you would need right and left.View attachment 15394

Noooo.... Ground up...Everyone knows that....

 

[ICE]

Noooo.... Ground up...Everyone knows that....

Only if it is for Bill in an office setting.

 

[steveray]

Only if it is for Bill in an office setting.

And then you have to put in twice as many outlets to make up for the IECC controlled receptacles....Not that I like to get off topic,,,,

C405.11​

The following shall have automatic receptacle control complying with Section C405.11.1:

1. 1.
   At least 50 percent of all 125V, 15- and 20-amp receptacles installed in enclosed offices, conference rooms, rooms used primarily for copy or print functions, breakrooms, classrooms and individual workstations, including those installed in modular partitions and module office workstation systems.
2. 2.
   At least 25 percent of branch circuit feeders installed for modular furniture not shown on the construction documents.

 

[bill1952]

Do these work for data as well? CAT whatever? other?

 

[Ez2Wire]

Your statement… It will need to be robust enough to withstand the construction environment.

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It is! The Ez2Wire mounting boxes are made out of the exact same materials used in current boxes and will be manufactured by the same companies make the boxes we use today.

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Your statement… Given that there will not be any wire inside the shell, there is nothing to inspect.

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That’s not exactly true.
In today’s real-world environment, inspectors often make walk-through inspections, eye-balling rough-ins as they go. Inspectors will also randomly do a deeper dive and pull the wires from a random box and sort through them checking for improper gang connections and lose caps among other things. BTW...They better finish their rough-in inspections before the painters do their thing!

With the Ez2Wire system everyone (electricians, builders, inspectors, even home owners) can look into the box and visually see if the rough-in is wired correctly. If you pause the video at the 1:44 mark, and zoom in on the box, you will be able to see the wires properly inserted into their respective channels. We know the wires are in the correct channels because you can clearly see the color of the insulation on the wire matches the red, black, green, and red reference round dots painted on the box.

During this visual inspection, we can also see that the wires extend to each bay of the multi-gang box.

NOTE: We don't have to strip the wires before insertion. The insulation remains on all the wires because we use Insulation Displacement Clips on all switches and receptacles. (think Wago type connections) Another time saver and safety enhancement.


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Your statement…. A cover that snaps in place might prove to be a problem if it is too easily removed.

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That’s a valid statement. That’s why our current design calls for a vacuum-formed molded insert that’s recessed into the box for a firm fit. The cover can be removed and replaced as necessary for testing and final trim-out.

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Your statement… If that works, and that's a big if, the Green Police will applaud your product however, the existing outlet box manufacturers will not. If you harsh their gig they might fight back.

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The current marketing plan is to invite every existing outlet box manufacturer to add our box design to their product line. With our “Open Source” agreement they will be free to manufacture the boxes royalty free. They will just have match our specifications and add our trademark to the box. (as well as their logo and trademark).

They can join the revolution, or lose market share to other manufactures making Ez2Wire boxes.

 

[ICE]

It is! The Ez2Wire mounting boxes are made out of the exact same materials used in current boxes and will be manufactured by the same companies make the boxes we use today.

I was referring to the temporary cover.

 

[SCBO1]

Mark, very impressive I could see this product in the big box stores with a marketing team getting shelf space in the near future.

A pop-in tab similar to the back of a receptacle (thin blade screwdriver is used to release the wire) could be introduced to prevent a devise pull out as discussed previously.

With the size of the devise body, is there any concern with heat build-up inside the box?

 

[Ez2Wire]

I was referring to the temporary cover.

My bad. I missed that context.

Agreed; The temporary covers that we are currently testing are more than twice as thick as previously stated. We started with ridged covers, inset into the box, but they proved problematic and difficult to extract after painting. The semi-rigid covers seem to work better and cost less to manufacture. A slight twist & bend breaks the paint lines and allows the cover to slide out while retaining the captured debris.

I have found that laypeople seem to grasp the clean box concept better when I use the “clear plastic soda covers” analogy. I will have to up-my-game in discourse with industry professionals.

Thanks ICE, I appreciate the feedback.

 

[Ez2Wire]

Do these work for data as well? CAT whatever? other?

Valid question.
Initially, we are trying to KISS and not muddy the waters with bells and whistles.

We hope to address the structured wiring needs through the utilization of existing and future IoT devices.

Quick Example: As you know, the number of receptacles in a home is typically driven by code and specific requests. Many go unused. With the Ez2Wire System, the end-user can replace selected low-use receptacles with Wifi Extenders, security devices/sensors, and a slew of future devices. The consumer won’t need to charge or replace the batteries in these devices, because they will now be wired-in.

 

[Ez2Wire]

Mark, very impressive I could see this product in the big box stores with a marketing team getting shelf space in the near future.

A pop-in tab similar to the back of a receptacle (thin blade screwdriver is used to release the wire) could be introduced to prevent a devise pull out as discussed previously.

With the size of the devise body, is there any concern with heat build-up inside the box?

Your Statement… A pop-in tab similar to the back of a receptacle (thin blade screwdriver is used to release the wire) could be introduced to prevent a devise pull out as discussed previously.
———————————

Code and practicality requires the wires to secured to the box. While not finalized (awaiting input from the manufacturers) we do have a stab restraint securing the wires. The release is inside the bay requiring the switch to be removed to get to the release tab.

Another aspect of our current design, accepts all types of mechanical clamps and conduit connectors to be easily attached to the exterior of the box at each cable entry point.
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Your Question… With the size of the devise body, is there any concern with heat build-up inside the box?
————————————

Good question.

1. The size of our Ez2Wire boxes are driven by the required bay size needed to house the largest switch sizes currently on the market. Typically, heat generating dimmer switches and some IOT devices.
2. The sheetrock cutout opening sizes are identical to existing box requirements for single, double, triple, etc. In side the sheetrock, our boxes are slightly larger.
3. Our current design has Punch-Out air vent ports, top & bottom of each bay, to be opened in the field when needed. We make the punch-outs optional, because we also want the same box to serve as a waterproof when required. (Ventilated or Waterproof) We plan to offer UV and heat resistant nipples that slide over the cable jacket and then secure to the entry port to minimize infiltration of water in wet area installations.

 

[Joe.B]

(Ventilated or Waterproof)

You will probably want to be ready for installation in fire-rated assemblies.

 

[ICE]

Our current design has Punch-Out air vent ports, top & bottom of each bay

In addition to providing a mounting for a device, outlet boxes also serve to contain molten metal. Extra holes are not encouraged.

 

[SCBO1]

Box fill codes may need to be addressed or modified. Will need devise calcs for calculating fill if not already done.

GFCI and AFCI's, will they be available?
Dedicated receptacles?

 

[Joe.B]

Box fill codes may need to be addressed or modified. Will need devise calcs for calculating fill if not already done.

GFCI and AFCI's, will they be available?
Dedicated receptacles?

I was thinking the same thing, but then again, wouldn't that be covered by a UL (or similar) listing?

 

[ICE]

UL or ETL will be hauling in the dollars.

 

[steveray]

UL or ETL will be hauling in the dollars.

Someone is probably going to pay for a whole new standard....

 

[ICE]

Someone is probably going to pay for a whole new standard....

That could take years. I was on the panel for UL2703 for two years and didn’t make a lot of headway. Even getting a listing would mean dealing with several Standards.

 

[Ez2Wire]

You will probably want to be ready for installation in fire-rated assemblies.

I'll add that to my To Do list! Thanks

 

[Ez2Wire]

In addition to providing a mounting for a device, outlet boxes also serve to contain molten metal. Extra holes are not encouraged.

Can you clarify? I don’t understand the need or requirement to contain molten metal.

Example: How does this box design containment molten metal?


It should be noted that each bay of a multi-gang box is isolated from the next. If a switch design requires ventilated bay, the installer has the option to Punch-out the ventilation holes for that bay.

 

[Ez2Wire]

Box fill codes may need to be addressed or modified. Will need devise calcs for calculating fill if not already done.

GFCI and AFCI's, will they be available?
Dedicated receptacles?

It is my understanding that 'box fill codes' are drafted and codified to address the space needed to safely house the number of wires and caps that are typically pulled, twisted, and stored in the box behind the device (switch(s)).

The Ez2Wire system utilizes a small portion of the space typically reserved to meet box fill code requirements to provide feed channels where the wires are inserted and secured during rough-in. These channels further isolate all wires from each other in the back of the box. This system effectively eliminates the need to calculate fill requirements.

The system is designed to accept almost all switches and receptacles produced by all OEMs from around the world. Including GFCIs, AFCIs, and smart home devices.

 

[Ez2Wire]

UL or ETL will be hauling in the dollars.

Here's the thing... The Ez2Wire system is just a simplified connection methodology. Each OEM will use their existing, previously approved, switches and receptacles. They will just make minor modifications to connect their existing devices with our switch back housings. This process is typically an automated process at their factory. Just replacing their rear housing with ours so that their devices mate with the Ez2Wire boxes with tight tolerance precision.

Keep in mind, if a company makes a unique device that is not compatible with the Ez2Wire System then that device will just have to be installed by utilizing old fashion conventional wiring methods.