Bottom outlet didn’t work so I opened it up and found a red wire hooked up? I thought there is only black white and ground?
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Any electricians out there?
- Thread starter Sniperwannabee
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Is your outlet controlled by a switch?
Half of it any way?
Half of it any way?
like @pmclaine said, it appears it is a switched leg of the outlet, meaning only the top or bottom will be hot when the switch is turned on
You guys are geniuses, that was it. I just bought the house and of course the switch is backwards. Never seen only one part of the outlet attached to a switch
This is Fairly common in my AO, good way to turn on lamps. Most likely the red wire is switched. Usually it’s the top that’s switched and bottom is hot all the time.
If the red wire went to the bottom outlet, my guess is the other end of the red wire went to a switch
First you have to find out what switch operated the outlet. Plug in a lamp to it and make sure the lamp is on.
Then go around flipping switches until the lamp lights up.
Plug a lamp into the outlet when the receptacle is hot, than turn your lamp on.
When you want to control the lamp flip the switch on the wall rather than walking across a dark room to fumble with a lamp chain or turn switch.
When you want to control the lamp flip the switch on the wall rather than walking across a dark room to fumble with a lamp chain or turn switch.
The two black wires should be spliced together with a pigtail coming off to feed the hot part of the outlet.
Kind of screwy to use the device as the splice, not the way I was taught but it is very tempting when outlet boxes get cramped for space.
Kind of screwy to use the device as the splice, not the way I was taught but it is very tempting when outlet boxes get cramped for space.
I effing hate switched outlets! I have a bunch, nearly all in the bedrooms and half in the living room, that have one side switched and the other not. It’s some kind of retarded 1970’s scheme to use switched floor-lamps instead of putting in real overhead lighting. Builders who do this shit, along with carpeting bathrooms, should have their nuts smashed with a hammer.
Hotels now a days seem to be the only abusers.
I get it in that case as they need to update rooms frequently or shit gets broken.
Residences though.....annoying.
My house is less than 10 years old, I've had to install proper overhead lighting in the master, living room and one bedroom. Like you said, they put light switch outlets in their place with nothing overhead. Frustrating.
The first clue that one outlet is switched, is the jumper is cut off between the two screws. Look at a standard plug, and there is a jumper between the screws. If they are controlled, or fed, differently, the jumper has to be removed, which your jumper is.
Im thinking switch loop of sorts but because there are two switch devices in the controlling switch box they ran a three wire for the return rather than using a white as hot.
They needed to maintain the neutral pass through.
So easy these days to cut in cans and go recessed.
My background is only voc tech certificate.
Good to know I have something to fall back on if asked to violate my oath.
My wife located an electrician that is masterful at small access cuts to get recessed installed where previously there were none....case in point....
Little worried what else he is installing in the can while I'm away this guy is that good.
I did the same thing. Installed about 20 cans across the rooms. Had to cut an access hole in the ceiling for the master to install a few of them as attic access was blocked by structural supports. Of course I ended up doing the project in mid summer so it was a sauna up there on top of crawling around the itchy blown insulation.
If your switch seems to be up side down it may be part of a 3-way switching scheme. Look at the switch that you say is up side down to see if you can see the words on and off. 3-way switches have no on/off markings and I bet you have another switch that will also control that receptacle. Probably near another door going into that same room.
The last house I had in Phoenix had every outlet in the bedrooms wired with 14/3. That way you could make any or all of the outlets controlled by the wall switch at the door. It was really convenient when you re-arranged to room and now needed the night stand light to be on a different outlet.
In the house I'm in now, I put remote controlled wall warts in what ever outlet I need controlling a light and leave the remote on the night stand.
Ahh, technology, what a first world problem.
In the house I'm in now, I put remote controlled wall warts in what ever outlet I need controlling a light and leave the remote on the night stand.
Ahh, technology, what a first world problem.
My home is 40 y.o. and it's a modular, not a stick built. Half the switches/outlets in the F'n house are
3-way. One sw. up and one sw. down. Sometimes when it's dark, and I'm headed to the pisser, finding the right sw. sucks. luckily, we've lived here for 20+ years and I've finally got it nailed. Mac
Take the wires and land them under the screws and not sticking in the back. I’ve seen lost of bad connections with those and a couple fires caused by them. IEEE should be shot for letting those things make code
Back stabbers should definitely be done away with. But the NEC is done by the NFPA not IEEE.
IEEE does the NESC that governs the utility lines.
Yea 2 or 3 switched outlets and THATS IT...at least thats accessible without moving furniture.
Drives me nuts to no fucking end to go into a hotel room and the ONLY outlets are 2 that lamps plug into and one dead center behind the bed at the perfect level that you cant even plug anything into it and the other is behind the TV. I had to iron a shirt standing in the bath tub at a hotel a few weeks ago as the ONLY outlet in the room that was accessible was in the bathroom.
So you say your wife found him, maybe he is more than a electrician maybe he is good at plumbing also.
Maybe he is good at laying pipe.
So you say your wife found him, maybe he is more than a electrician maybe he is good at plumbing also.
Maybe he is good at laying pipe.
Hey if he does the good works I dont have to do.......
No outlets the other night in a room near the beds, but the lamp had 2 usb ports for charging. Plug the phone USB into one, set my alarm and hit the sack... wake up, shower, head out of the room... fuck my phone didnt charge at all...20%... shit... The lamp worked but the usb ports were dead...
