How to Wire an Outlet Where a Switch Controls Only One Side of the Outlet
Wall switch-controlled receptacles are used in rooms where floor and table lamps provide the lighting. As a rule, these split-wired receptacle circuits are wired so that the top half of the duplex receptacle(s) is hot at all times while the bottom half is switch-controlled. This isn't a Code (National Electric Code) requirement, but rather an industry standard. By making the bottom half switch-controlled, the hanging cords of lamps plugged into the switched half won't obstruct access to the "live" half. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- "Old Work" device boxes
- Electronic stud finder
- Razor knife
- Hammer
- Flat pry bar
- Electrician's screwdrivers
- Diagonal pliers/wire cutters
- Needlenose pliers
- Wire strippers
- Lineman's/electrician's pliers
- 3/8-inch drill/driver
- Spade bits
- Portable jig saw
- Wood chisel
- Nailing plates
- Wire fishing/pulling tape
- 12/2 w/Gr. non-metallic clad (NMC) cable
- 12/3 w/Gr. NMC cable
- Duplex receptacle(s)
- 115-volt, 15-ampere toggle switch
- 120-volt, Single-Pole (SP), 20-ampere circuit breaker
- Cable connector
- Wire nuts
- Black plastic electrical tape
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Instructions
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Mount the device boxes 12 inches and 46 inches above the finished floor for the receptacle and switch, respectively.
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Outline the cutouts for the device boxes using one of the boxes as a guide, using an electronic stud finder to make sure that you won't be drilling and cutting into a stud.
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Drill 3/8-inch holes in the corner of the cutouts and then remove the cutout using the portable jigsaw.
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Remove the baseboard between the receptacle location and the switch location using a hammer and flat pry bar. Cut a channel in the wall finish, then notch the studs using a hammer and wood chisel.
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Run the 12/3 w/Gr. NMC cable from the receptacle cutout to the switch cutout. Lay the cable in the notches and cover with nailing plates. Leave about 12 inches of free cable at each cutout.
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Run the 12/2 w/Gr. NMC cable from the switch cutout back to the circuit breaker panel.
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Replace the baseboards.
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Insert the end of cable in the receptacle device box. Secure it in the wall by turning the mounting wing screws in a clockwise direction.
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Insert both cables in the switch device box and install it in the wall.
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Remove the outer jacket from the cable ends using a razor knife. Cut the individual conductor off with wire cutters, leaving six inches of free conductors in each box.
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Remove ¾ inches of insulation from the red, black and white conductors in the receptacle device box using the wire strippers, and form loops in the stripped ends using the needlenose pliers.
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Remove the brass tab connecting the two brass screws together on the receptacle.
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Attach the red and black conductors using the brass screws, and the white conductor using one of the silver screws. Tighten the screws securely, but don't over-tighten. Secure the bare grounding conductor under the green-colored screw.
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Wrap plastic electric tape over the screws, position the receptacle with the red wire on the bottom and secure it in the box with the two #6-32 screws that came with it.
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Remove ¾ inches of insulation from the ends of the conductors in the switch box using the wire strippers. Cut a 6-inch length of black conductor and a 6-inch length of bare copper conductor for the pigtail splices.
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Strip ¾ inches of insulation from the ends of the black pigtail and make a three-way splice with the other two black conductors in the switch box. To make a splice, hold the three stripped ends side-by-side and twist together in a clockwise direction using the lineman's pliers/electrician's pliers. Once twisted tightly together, screw on a wire nut. Make a three-way splice with the bare grounding conductors in a similar fashion.
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Form loops in the black pigtail conductor and the red conductor, and attach them to the bottom and top brass screws on the switch, respectively. Attach the grounding pigtail to the green grounding screw.
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Wrap the switch terminals in tape and install them in the box as you did the receptacle.
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Turn off the main breaker. Install cable and a new 20-ampere circuit breaker into the circuit breaker panel.
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Connect the black wire to the circuit breaker terminal, the white wire to the panel neutral bar and the bare copper grounding conductor to the panel's ground bar.
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Turn on the main breaker and close up the panel.
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References
Resources
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Comments
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circuitrighter
Feb 03, 2011
This article is only for installing all new wiring for the purpose stated, not for interfacing with existing wires, either at a switch box or an outlet box.
