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Our apartment has what appears to be a NEMA 6-20 socket in the living room (used for the air conditioner).

Right now the circuit breaker is off but in the summer we'd like to use it.

I can't find any child proof covers or guards. Any suggestions?

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  • If you'll be using it for the AC, won't the AC unit be plugged in all summer? Or do you have to unplug it to turn it off?
    – Drew
    Apr 4, 2016 at 15:07
  • Yes but it's 20 amps so I want to do as much as I can
    – dranxo
    Apr 4, 2016 at 16:06
  • Really good duct tape?
    – anongoodnurse
    Apr 4, 2016 at 17:45

3 Answers 3

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You could buy a blank wall plate (less than a dollar), unscrew the 6-20 one, and screw the blank one over the outlet.

It wouldn't fit perfectly but if you never plan on using that outlet it would keep it safe.

wall plate

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  • awesome will look into this.
    – dranxo
    Apr 4, 2016 at 22:13
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It's not a perfect solution, but you should be able to use a pair of snips to modify an existing 5-20 cover to fit in a 6-20. Simply cut off or cut down the blade so the cover doesn't actually slide into the horizontal slot of the receptacle. If you wanted to keep the blade, you could always cut it, rotate and then superglue or epoxy in place so that it fits.

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A child-safe cover may not be easy to find, but lockable outlet covers for electrical outlets are widely used in industrial and outdoor environments.

Here's an example of a watertight outlet cover which has a cover that can be fastened shut with with a zip tie, or even locked with a small padlock if desired.

Also, in many cases such an outlet is on its own circuit. If so, turning off the circuit breaker will render the outlet harmless even if you don't cover it.

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