Tag: Half Switched Outlets

Dear Mr. Electrician:  Where do I find switched outlet wiring diagrams? Answer:  Switched outlet wiring diagrams are below.  There are a few methods for wiring switched and half switched outlets.  Generally speaking the outlet would get wired the same as if it were a light fixture.  NOTE: Some text links below go to applicable products on Amazon.  As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Alternatively it is possible to have a split outlet where one half of the outlet is switched and the other half is live at all times.  There are two switched outlet wiring diagrams further below that depict split outlet wiring. If your intent is to convert a switched outlet to hot at all times in order to control a ceiling fan or light from the existing switch, then you should click here to read my blog post with photos about doing that. SWITCHED OUTLET WIRING DIAGRAMS The wiring diagram above shows how switched outlets are often wired.  Although Article 404.2(C) in the National Electrical Code (NFPA 70) requires that a wall switch controlling a light fixture also has a neutral conductor available, switches controlling outlets are exempt from this requirement. The neutral conductor is required for lights in case the standard wall switch is changed to a smart home device or other type of control such as a timer. I think it is a good idea to include the neutral for a wall switch controlling an outlet anyway because the regular wall switch could still be changed to a smart home device which usually needs a neutral conductor to function. It has been a common practice among the uninformed to use the equipment grounding conductor as a neutral whenever a neutral is unavailable.  That is an unsafe practice and could be a shock hazard. When using the white wire as a hot or LINE it is required that the white wire be re-identified with a different color.  However, it has been my experience when working on older homes that the white wire has almost never had its color changed when being used as the LINE.  Consequently it is not unusual to find that the white wire in a switch box is a LINE and not a neutral conductor.  A non-contact voltage detector is good for checking which wires are hot Any receptacle outlet that could be accessible by children, including kitchen counter top outlets, must be tamper resistant outlets.  They prevent things from being inserted into the outlet slots as children are known to do.  Article 406.12 gives the details of this code requirement. In the diagram below the power is shown coming from the circuit breaker panel.  The same wiring diagram can be used if the power is instead coming from another outlet and connected to one of the depicted outlets on the end. In the wiring diagram above a hot and a neutral enter the single pole switch box.  From there a 3 conductor cable is installed to a switched electrical receptacle outlet.  A two conductor cable is installed from the switched outlet to...