How to Wire Dual Electrical Outlets

When most people need additional outlets in a room, they use an extension cord. While this solution will satisfy the needs of many, the long and tangled cords can prove to be a distraction or a tripping hazard. Extension cords are not meant to be a permanent solution. Rather, installing dual electrical outlets offers the best of all the worlds; it provides a safe source of electric and reduces floor clutter. There's significantly less work involved in comparison with running an entirely new circuit.

Things You'll Need

• Receptacle
• (6) 12-inch 12/2 THHN wires (2 black, 2 white, 2 ground)
• Screwdrivers
• Wire strippers
• Needle-nose pliers
• Voltage tester
• Drywall saw
• Pencil
• Wire connectors
• 2-Gang old-work receptacle box
• 2-Gang outlet cover
• Hammer
• Electrical tape

Instructions

1. Turn the power off to the existing outlet. Test it with the voltage tester to ensure that the line is dead.

2. Remove the cover plate and the two screws securing the outlet to the wall box. Pull the outlet of the box.

3. Disconnect the wires from the outlet and screw wire connectors over the ends of each wire. Stuff the wires back into the wall box.

4. Take the 2-gang old work outlet box and hold it up to the existing wall box (open end to open end). Align the new box so that its corners are even with the one in the wall and trace around the new box on the wall with the pencil.

5. Cut away the drywall portion of the traced outline with the drywall saw.

6. Remove the existing wall box. You may need to use the hammer and a flat head screwdriver to accomplish this. Just be careful around the wires in the box as they are the feeds for the circuit.

7. Knock out one of the Romex tabs on the new 2-gang box and insert the wall wires through it. Set the new box into the access hole in the wall.

8. Secure the box to the wall by tightening the four corner screws.

9. Remove the wire connectors from the wires in the wall box. Take the six lengths of 12/2 THHN wire and strip approximately 3/4-inch of insulation from one end of each wire.

10. Take the two loose ground wires and connect them to the ground wire in the box. Secure them together with a wire connector. Take the two loose black wires and connect them with the black wire in the box. Secure them together with a wire connector. Do the same thing with the remaining white wires and the white wire in the box. Wrap each wire connector with electrical tape and stuff them deep inside the box.

11. Cut each wire so you have enough wire to work with, but not an excess. This should be between 4 and 6 inches of wire sticking outside of the box. Strip about 3/4-inch of insulation from the end of each wire.

12. Use the hole on the wire strippers or the needle-nose pliers to bend the stripped ends into a hook-shape.

13. Take the two outlets and loosen one bronze screw and one silver screw on each side. Make sure the second screws on each side are tightened down.

14. Connect the black wire to the bronze screw on the first outlet. Connect the white wire to the silver screw and the ground wire to the green ground screw on the top of the outlet. Make sure the screws are tightened securely and wrap the terminals with electrical tape. Then secure the outlet to the wall box using the top and bottom screws.

15. Perform Step 14 again with the second outlet.

16. Install the 2-gang outlet cover over the two outlets.

17. Turn the power back on to the circuit and use the voltage tester to make sure that both outlets are reading 120 volts.

Tips & Warnings

• Always turn off the power before working on an electrical job. If the existing circuit is already at its limit for the breaker size, you should not add another outlet. Consider running a brand new circuit to the room to prevent overloading the circuit.