Back Feeding Circuit

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I'm trying to wrap my head around the logic for the install in the first place. Is the cord just energizing a dead duplex just inches away from a live one?
 
mbrooke said:
Dead circuit on one of those duplexes, so its being energized from a live one.
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I get that. But why go through the addition of the suicide cord to energize the duplex (resulting in just a simplex recep when you're done) when you can just plug into the energized recep just inches away?

In other words, why not just have this:

nonextended.jpg
 
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480sparky said:
I get that. But why go through the addition of the suicide cord to energize the duplex (resulting in just a simplex recep when you're done) when you can just plug into the energized recep just inches away?
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😂 You think to hard :) Sometimes it is easier to just make to male ends and not go through the trouble of taking things apart. As for why there are two outlets in the same location I think at some point in time girls kept blowing the existing circuit with multiple hair dryers.
 
480sparky said:
I'm trying to wrap my head around the logic for the install in the first place. Is the cord just energizing a dead duplex just inches away from a live one?
Click to expand...
No, there is an exterior receptacle back-to-back to the one on the right that is being fed through the wall.

This is gleaned from what the sign says.
 
mbrooke said:
😂 You think to hard :) Sometimes it is easier to just make to male ends and not go through the trouble of taking things apart. As for why there are two outlets in the same location I think at some point in time girls kept blowing the existing circuit with multiple hair dryers.
Click to expand...

The addition of more receptacles doesn't increase the available current. But in this case, there's not any more receptacles added. No matter what, there's only two energized.
 
480sparky said:
The addition of more receptacles doesn't increase the available current. But in this case, there's not any more receptacles added. No matter what, there's only two energized.
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Again, the carport receptacle is being energized through this contraption.
 
480sparky said:
I get that. But why go through the addition of the suicide cord to energize the duplex (resulting in just a simplex recep when you're done) when you can just plug into the energized recep just inches away?

In other words, why not just have this:

View attachment 2556274
Click to expand...
Perhaps the recepacle on the dead circuit that mbooke mentions is connected to other outlets in the "carport". And so the suicide cord would be powering up the carport area and not just the dead receptacle.
Certainly crazy though.
Maybe the original post was Photoshop'ed too.

Just seeing Larry's post, adding a receptacle behind the dead receptacle on the carport side could be likely just because it's so easy to do.
 
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480sparky said:
The addition of more receptacles doesn't increase the available current. But in this case, there's not any more receptacles added. No matter what, there's only two energized.
Click to expand...


Two circuits, one is now dead, hence the back feed. Dunno, its all a guess.
 
I'll try again. The Decora receptacle on the right was installed solely to supply one on the other side of the wall.

It's like using an outlet (instead of an inlet) on the outside of a house to feed a generator receptacle on the inside.
 
LarryFine said:
I'll try again. The Decora receptacle on the right was installed solely to supply one on the other side of the wall.

It's like using an outlet (instead of an inlet) on the outside of a house to feed a generator receptacle on the inside.
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I interpreted it that way too.

The scary thing to me is, WHY is that carport circuit dead in the first place, and why was this the solution? If the circuit was dead, we can surmise there was a bad connection somewhere. By back-feeding it from another circuit, you have the potential that the bad connection would be found some day and in fixing it, the person doing so gets exposed to this back fed circuit and gets injured or killed. Bad juju...
 
Jraef said:
I interpreted it that way too.

The scary thing to me is, WHY is that carport circuit dead in the first place, and why was this the solution? If the circuit was dead, we can surmise there was a bad connection somewhere. By back-feeding it from another circuit, you have the potential that the bad connection would be found some day and in fixing it, the person doing so gets exposed to this back fed circuit and gets injured or killed. Bad juju...
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Or the carport didn't have a receptacle and this was the easy way to install one.
 
480sparky said:
This would be the hard way to install one. There are easier ways, and ones that are legal.
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From our perspective, yes. From that of a DIYer who only envisions what he sees on a daily basis, perhaps not.

What I mean is that we see a receptacle, a plate, a box, cable, staples, other boxes, a breaker, etc.

The DIYer sees a receptacle and a plate. I'll bet the wire between the boxes is also lamp cord.
 
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