How to wire an outlet in series

The total voltage in a series circuit equals the sum of the voltage drops, which means if you have something plugged into each of the receptacles, the voltage of the series outlet at the end would be too. You have a switch and outlet as a single unit and want the switch to control the outlet? Or do you have a separate switch someplace that is supposed to control this outlet. You say hooked up the switch to the. In reality you can do this by going from each hot lead to ground to get 1volts but in doing so you bypass the safety of the ground and it becomes a neutral.

The only real and safe way to do this is to run another wire in the conduit or. It all has to do with amperage. Each outlet you have is most likely rated to AMPS.

This does not mean that you can run fifteen AMPS out of it- it merely means that the outlet is rated to AMPS. This video replaces a previous video on the same topic. The diagram above shows (2) outlets wired in series and more outlets can be added to this circuit by wiring the 2nd outlet just like the 1st outlet to keep the circuit continuing on until you end the circuit at the last outlet.

The beauty of connecting outlets in a series is that it is easy to wire the next outlet by simply attaching it to the main wires of the outlet before it, in the exact same way as you wired the original outlet. Detaile easy to follow instructions on how to install an electrical outlet in a new construction outlet box. This is a loop wiring example, meaning there is a piece of romex coming in from the. This gfci wiring provides protection to a duplex receptacle outlet at the end of the series. Here two outlets in one box are wired using the device terminals to connect them.

Wiring Dual Outlets in a Series. Taking on this job by yourself, rather than calling in an electrician, will save you money and will help you build your confidence for doing additional homeowner electrical repairs. How to Wire Multiple Outlets This is a remote possibility, but if you feel the need to guard against it, you can employ an alternate wiring method that involves making pigtails in each of the outlet boxes except the last one in the chain. The outlet -addition methods we show here are based on the most common wiring (14-gauge wire on a 15-amp circuit) and an 18-cu.

These two outlets are on a circuit together, and they are the only loads on that circuit. After wiring the new outlets up and testing them, I noticed an odd behavior. When tripping the upstream outlet , the downstream outlet does not receive any power.

I assume this is because they are wired in series. Much more common than series circuits are those wired in parallel—including nearly all of the standard circuits in your home powering light fixtures, outlets , and appliances. Should one outlet fail or a bulb inserted in one light fixture burn out, the whole chain will not be affected.

Series wiring works like Christmas lights. Multiply the total by for 14-gauge wire and 2. Plastic boxes have their volume stamped inside. Steel box capacities are listed in the electrical code.

This article series explains eletrical receptacle types (also referred to as wall sockets, outlets , or plugs by non-electricians), receptacle grounding, connecting wires to the right receptacle terminal screws, electrical wire size, electrical wire color codes, and special receptacles for un-grounded circuits. The writer may mean physically in series , not electrically in series , i. If the tab is broken off, you can connect the upper and lower outlets to separate wires and control them independently. If the receptacle is wired to the end of a series of receptacles, it usually has only two wires, and possibly a third ground wire.

To the first outlet and all up to the last one, connect the black wire coming in to one side of the outlet , and the black wire going out to the other side. Splice the white wires together using a wire nut. Connect both bare copper ground wires to the green grounding screw in the electrical box. Run a second cable from that receptacle to the second in the series , a third cable from that one to the thir and so on.

How to Install Multiple Electrical Outlets in an Existing House. In above fig, all the three light points are connected in series. Each lamp is connected to the next one i. L (Line also known as live or phase) is connected to the first lamp and other lamps are connected through middle wire and the last one wire as N (Neutral) connected to the supply voltage then.

When an outlet falls in the middle of a circuit run rather than at the en the power source cable will enter the outlet box from one side and exit the other side on its way to serve additional outlets or lights on the circuit. There may also be a third cable if the power source is splitting at. In this article series we illustrate basic connections seen in the field for the black, white neutral or grounded conductor), and ground wire when hooking up an electrical receptacle (wall plug or outlet ). You may also wire the receptacle so that a switch controls the upper outlet and the lower outlet is on, or hot, all the time. In this case, you need to remove the break-off tab connecting the two sets of like-colored terminals on each side of the receptacle. Re-install the outlet in the electrical box, attach the face plate, than turn the power ON at the service panel.

Plug in a lamp or radio and determine if power is flowing to the outlet. If so, the capped wires are the LOAD wires. Here are part and part of the series.