There are these junction boxes connected to washing machines. Not even sure what's in the center of these junction boxes (it doesn't look like a switch). What are these called and what exactly do they do? Never seen them in my life.
Odd junction boxes
- Thread starter Tainted
- Start date
- Status
busman
Senior Member
- Location
- Northern Virginia
- Occupation
- Master Electrician / Electrical Engineer
Locking toggle switch (sometimes referred to as Tamper Resistant).
so you need a special key to toggle it?
busman
Senior Member
- Location
- Northern Virginia
- Occupation
- Master Electrician / Electrical Engineer
Correct.
- Location
- San Francisco Bay Area, CA, USA
- Occupation
- Electrical Engineer
I can tell you why too!
If you can cycle power to a coin operated machine, you reset the timer. So if you want to get your laundry in but there are no open washers, you cycle power to one that is running, it cancels the remaining time, you pull your neighbors wet wash out and put it in a basket, then put yours in and hope they don't come back until after yours is finished.
If you can cycle power to a coin operated machine, you reset the timer. So if you want to get your laundry in but there are no open washers, you cycle power to one that is running, it cancels the remaining time, you pull your neighbors wet wash out and put it in a basket, then put yours in and hope they don't come back until after yours is finished.
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Journeyman Electrician (retired)
Back in the day they were often used in places like schools where you don't want the students turning the lights on or off. The custodians would have the keys. Here's a few I have laying around, looks like the first key (Hubbell) is the one for these switches:
Last edited:
LOL no wonder they lock it
JohnE
Senior Member
- Location
- Milford, MA
My first thought exactly - every school I ever attended had these switches....
Why wouldn’t you just take their clothes out and dry on their dime?
- Location
- San Francisco Bay Area, CA, USA
- Occupation
- Electrical Engineer
Washers, not dryers. Front loading washers lock the door once the cycle starts so that you can’t open it if there is water inside. By cycling power, you can get the door to unlock. The “Richard” in my apartment complex who showed me this trick would only do it on washers that were already in a drain cycle.
I swear, I never did it myself…
hbiss
EC, New York NEC: 2017
- Location
- Little Falls, New York NEC: 2017
- Occupation
- EC
I have that Leviton version for the outside lighting in the 3 gang box by my front door. Outside lighting is controlled automatically and that switch overrides it (on) if you want to check that no bulbs are out, etc. I used a key switch because somebody will turn that switch on and the lights will be on when they are not supposed to be. Now they think it's just a broken toggle switch. 
-Hal
-Hal
Duh….I swear my brain just sees what it wants to see sometimes and ignores the words.
I think most (if not all) coin-operated washers I’ve used were top-loading.
- Status