Good Questions: Anyone Seen a Powerstrip with a Foot Switch?

Hello AT,

In following your green initiative, I've decided that I'm going to deal with the wasted energy my appliances/electronics use when I move to my new apartment. What I would love to find is a big fat powerstrip with a nice long cord and a foot switch pedal. That way I can hide the strip in my media cabinet with all the electronics and have just the foot switch come out so I can quickly step on it to turn everything off when I'm not home...

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Also, this would work for my handheld device charging station-- keep all the adaptors plugged in all the time and just step on the switch when I want to charge something.

Has anyone ever seen something like this? If not, should I dare ask an electrician to make me one-- would they even agree to it (because of safety liabilities)?

Or is this a patent just waiting to happen and my lost chance for making a million dollars?

Thanks for the advice! Marcelo

Dear Marcelo,

It's a great idea, we've not seen one, but you could easily make one by putting a switch like the foot one either into the cord (a bit hard, as powerstrip cords are fat), or between the powerstrip and the wall socket. There are dimmer and regular switches you can buy (for not much money) that plug into your wall and then have your powerstrip plug into them. They would then control the whole strip.

Anyone else???

Comments (15)

I just aim my big toe at the button and flick it off. I have very coordinated toes. But I suppose this does not work if the power strip is hidden away.

posted by JV on June 19th 2007 at 5:43am
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ha!!!!!!!!! very coordinated big toe, indeed!

posted by elizabeth in AL on June 19th 2007 at 5:52am
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If you can find a foot switch at a hardware store, it's probably really simple to just splice the wire of the powerstrip and install it.

People do it all the time with those thumb wheel switches on powercords on lamps (the kind you find half-way down the cord in hotel rooms, etc.,)...

posted by pods on June 19th 2007 at 6:00am
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there's a product called the mini power minder , saw it on http://www.amazon.com/Power-Minder-Mini/dp/B000BSN1CA... anyhow, it is a 2 plug adaptor that plugs into a socket. you plug into one of the sockets your main equipment, let's say a computer or TV, and into the other your peripherals thru a power strip. when you turn off your computer, the plug turns off power to the second one as well and therefore to all your peripherals... no foot button, though.

posted by chris_94131 on June 19th 2007 at 6:17am
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I tend to step on mine as well - it's on the floor and it's just a switch. But report to Instructibles.com with a wahwah pedal and power strip for modification . . .

posted by guido on June 19th 2007 at 6:35am
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Even easier... A three prong wireless remote control. I have one from GE that I bought at Target during the holiday season for holiday lighting, but I found one here

posted by Devyn on June 19th 2007 at 7:34am
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There is a powerstrip out now that actually blocks the electricity being used by your turned off appliances. This might be a nice alternative to the foot pedal.

I don't know what it is called though. Anyone?

posted by Dana_G on June 19th 2007 at 7:46am
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I thought that some power strips were also surge protectors - so doesn't turning them off defeat that purpose?

posted by Fio on June 19th 2007 at 8:13am
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I LOVE the foot button type switch. My Festive holiday tree has a foot switch and I love it - even more than a remote control. I'm not sure why it is so much better than the flip switch on the strip, but it is. All December I contemplate making every electrical device in my house foot-switchable. I haven't seen a strip with this built in, but I am thinking of doing the same thing and trying to find an extention type cord with a foot switch like my tree has to use to connect the strip to the wall, as suggested by Maxwell.

posted by Jen C on June 19th 2007 at 8:24am
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We HAVE used those Christmas-tree foot switch extension cords in several other areas of the house. I bought several extras during the holidays. They're great in our kids' room -- their bedside lamp is safely on a high chest, but they can switch it on and off themselves. Also, the switch has a soft light on it, which makes it easy to find in the dark.

posted by JenNews321 on June 19th 2007 at 8:44am
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Flo, if you turn off the electricity by turning off the power strip or surge protector, there can't be a surge. That's better than a surge protector. The surge protector is for when the electricity is turned on.

posted by MrGreen on June 19th 2007 at 10:52am
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As I mentioned before, and nobody seems to have picked up on... All you need is a three prong wireless remote control outlet that you plug the power strip into.

While a foot switch is a nice thing to have, I have never seen on on an extension cord that was three prong. Not to mention the real estate that it takes on the floor along with visible wires.

posted by Devyn on June 19th 2007 at 11:21am
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Thanks Devyn, I'll definitely have a look at the wireless.

I'm thinking that once I move in the next month or two, i'll have an electrician come in for some other stuff and maybe I'll see if I can get him/her to hack something up with a footswitch.... I'll report then with any success or failure, thanks!

posted by saudoso on June 19th 2007 at 12:17pm
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Those are all very good suggestions, But I have the only TRUE solution to this problem... it is called the "Remote-Control Switch Extension Cord"... Here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/Remote-Control-Switch-Extension-White-PCC-24205/dp/B000NUQXPI

Basically, it's an extension cord, but at one end is a hand-held Rocker Switch, on the other end is 2 plugs (to plug into the wall) and 2 "slits" to plug the PowerStrip into. ..... send me the money :)

posted by avp0713 on September 21st 2007 at 6:29pm
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Much of what I'm seeing aren't good for electronic items, meaning both grounded and surge surpressing. Friend of mine found this handy-dandy item.

http://www.pcpartscollection.com/6postwiphcoe.html

I want to purchase several of these and reduce that trickle electric waste!

posted by aigipy on June 22nd 2009 at 12:02pm
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