Ask Slashdot: Wiring Home Furniture?

b1tbkt writes "So it seems that furniture manufacturers have not yet acknowledged the realities of modern life. Kitchen tables could benefit greatly from built-in concealable receptacles. Even more obvious is the need for electrical wiring in couches and coffee tables. I realize that there are safety (fire) concerns but as it stands most families that I know already have power cords for laptops, tables and phones draped over, under and through their couches at any given point. If someone wanted to wire their furniture with AC or some type of standardized LV DC system, what are some dangers to watch for and what, if any, specialized hardware exists for the purpose?"

Comments

A few things to watch out for

[jason.lindberg]

The engineering problems that present themselves with wiring something that has mechanical components adjacent to or in direct connection to electrical wiring is protecting the cable from being damaged and heat generation. This can mean armored cables or flexible conduits, e-chain (for repetitive motion), or other cable management systems. If you are running any electricity though flammable materials then you need to be concerned about the amperage you pull through it and be mindful of how much it heats up as a regular and peak load. This is very important to be mindful of because a conductor may be rated for a certain amperage but at what temp? Make sure that temp is compatible with the rest of the construction materials involved in your furniture. A larger conductor would mean less heat as it passes an equivalent amount of current to a lower gauge of conductor.

Re:A few things to watch out for

[afidel]

Heats not really a concern as far as flamability, even a 25A 208V circuit pulling 120% of rated load doesn't get over 110F (don't ask how I know this). The only way you're going to introduce enough heat energy to cause something to burn (especially furniture which is doused in flame-retardant chemicals thanks to smokers) is to short something out, so your comments about making sure that chords are protected is spot on.

Re:A few things to watch out for

[bzipitidoo]

That's only when everything is in good condition. Lot of house fires are started by degraded wiring. Anything that thins the conductive material or loosens a connection can increase the resistance at that spot so it will get hot enough to start a fire the next time someone uses a power hungry device such as a vacuum cleaner. As long as there's nothing flammable nearby, it may not cause any harm, but if this wiring is in a couch, could be a serious problem.

All kinds of things can degrade the wiring. Ants, especially fire ants and now these crazy ants can chew the insulation, and build nests. I've seen an outlet stop working because the home's foundation had cracked, and shifted the walls enough to pull the wires out of the receptacles on the outlet. Also, builders almost always do the cheapest, shoddy electrical work code and inspectors allow them to get away with. Fortunately code is pretty strict these days, but it wasn't always. Then there's the do-it-yourself home owner who is completely ignorant of code and decides to add some extra lighting or a ceiling fan. Must watch out for older homes. One will find circuit breakers that were poorly designed (Stab-Lok models, for instance), outlets that were never properly grounded or that are near sinks and bathtubs and lacking GFI, and wiring run sideways through the walls or that has no slack or is too close to something else such as a fireplace's chimney.

If we want to wire up furniture, it will take some effort to do it safely. We've dealt with safety by simply keeping electricity away from flammable material and water.

Obvious need for couch wiring?

[Anonymous Coward]

Please elaborate.

Re:Easy

[davester666]

Even better with safesearch turned off!

Re: Easy

[AvitarX]

Or back these guys
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1704062015/nuplugtm-the-most-convenient-outlet-for-your-smart?ref=card

I can't resist this old joke

[willoughby]

...I made a chair for my mother-in-law once. .. My wife wouldn't let me plug it in.

Re:Easy

[CyberTech]

Outlets are supposed to be every 12 feet, not 6 -- that's the same "thinko" i did while building (self) my house. The code actually says no more than 6 feet along any wall (i think the wall has to be 4 feet or longer) to a receptacle. This has the goal of making appliances with 6 foot cords work from any point along the wall.

When I built my house, I was frustrated with my previous 1960's house that had 2 receptacles per room. I said, hell with it, code says 6 feet, I'll make it 4. Note that thinking CORRECTLY, that would have made it 8 feet between outlets.

It wasn't until I had run wire and boxes to 3 rooms that I realized I'd been wiring for 4 feet between boxes. I laughed my ass off and said fuck it, wired the entire house that way... 115 receptacles later, I was done :)

AND THERE'S STILL SPOTS I WISH I HAD A RECEPTACLE AT! :)

Re: Easy

[Sqr(twg)]

I use a similar, but cheaper, soulution. I bought ordinary power strips that have little holes in both ends (for hanging from hooks, etc). Then I attached them with screws to the underside of my desk and kitchen worktable. There, they are always within reach, while out of sight and safe from spilled liquids.