How To Wire An Outlet With 3 Wires

Screw a wall plate over the outlet to hide the inside of the outlet box and wires.

How to wire an outlet with 3 wires. Join the bare copper or green insulated pigtail to the ground wires in the circuit cables using a wire connector following the manufacturer s directions. Turned off the breaker and discovered 3 sets of wires going to the outlet. Electrical outlets in the united states come in 110 volt with three wires. In this wiring a switch is added to to an existing outlet by removing the hot wire from outlet brass terminal and connected to the first terminal of switch.

The 1 2 inch end will be connected to the circuit wires with a wire connector while the 3 4 inch end will be bent into a hook shape and connected to a screw terminal on the receptacle. Electrical outlets or receptacles allow you to connect an appliance to electrical wires inside your home. Wiring diagram for dual outlets. The video covers how to strip electrical wire create loops on the load neutral and ground wire and how to.

Wiring a switch to an outlet. Box typical inside dimensions are about 2 in. Codes also limit the number of wires that can enter an electrical box or electrical receptacle depending on the inside volume of the box and the gauge of the wires. This wiring is commonly used in a 20 amp kitchen circuit where two appliance feeds are needed such as for a refrigerator and a microwave in the same location.

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 in. You need to know up front which scenario you prefer if your wiring a new circuit. 2 whites and 1 black backstabbed into the outlet and the other white and 2 blacks tied together with a wire nut. The second terminal of switch then connected back to the brass terminal of outlet.

To wire an outlet to be hot at all times or both receptacles to be switched requires a 3 wire cable. A black power wire a white neutral wire and a green or bare grounding wire. Push the outlet in front of the wires so the screw holes on the outlet line up with the ones along the sides of the box. A how to video on wiring an electrical outlet.

Use a screwdriver to secure the outlet in place so it doesn t come free. This way the outlet is wired and controlled on off through the switch. Connect the black wires to the brass terminals on the outlet you re wiring connect the ground wires to the ground terminal then twist the white wires together and cap them. If you wanted to ignore code and wire your outlets in series the procedure would be the same.

Bend the wires so they can fit in the back of the box. Here 3 wire cable is run from a double pole circuit breaker providing an independent 120 volts to two sets of multiple outlets. To wire an outlet so that only the top or bottom receptacle is switched and the other receptacle remains hot all the time requires a 4 wire cable.