Split wired Receptacle

[480sparky]

Yah, like you said. I didn't know about "breaking the tab". Gawd do I have a long way to go.

So if the tab wasn't broken the circuit wired to the top two terminals, and the second circuit wired to the bottom two terminals would cause the neutrals to be shared. I just didn't know about "breaking the tab."

Thanks much. Everyone's patience on this is very much appreciated.:wink:

Oh, I meant the last receptacle in a circuit, with the 'tabs not broken'.

The 'tabs' connect the two screw terminals together.

99.9% of the time, there's only one hot and one neutral going to the duplex receptacle. The tabs take the circuit from the one half of the recep to the other. For the rest of the time, there's several possibilities.

1. Split-wired (aka half-hot), which is what this thread is about. Power is usually taken to a switch, then 3-wire cable is run to the receptacle. One wire in the cable is hot all the time, the other turns on and off with the switch. It's the same circuit, so only one neutral is needed.

2. Two circuits, usually a MWBC, with both hots are energized at all times. If it's a true MWBC, only one neutral is needed, and the 'tab' is not removed on that side of the recep. But between the tho screws for the two circuits it must be removed or you will end up with a dead short.

2. Two circuits, but with seperate neutrals. In this case, both tabs are removed. This is just like taking two single receptacles and putting them on to one device.

Clear as mud?

 

[boboelectric]

Next time you are in Home depot or a hardware store pick up a receptacle.
A picture is worth a 1000 words

A little hard to see here but you may get the idea.

But It Looks Upside Down.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

But It Looks Upside Down.

Better?

 

[Minuteman]

How can you wire a dishwasher and a disposal on a split wire DEDICATED 20A circuit, I could understand using a single outlet two breakers, but I believe with the rating of the garbage disposal and dishwasher you would exceed even the 20A rated circuit breaker?

If the sum of the dishwasher and disposal amps are less the 20 amps, then both can be on the same circuit. Of course, this is unlikely in a upscale home where the Dishwasher might be 12-14 amps and disposal almost as much.

I just looked at my own appliances. My 3/4 hp InSinkErator is 7 amps and my Frigidaire DW is 10 amps.

 

[sparky59]

I have been putting the dishwasher and disposer on the same 20 amp circuit for 15 yrs. and never had a problem.

 

[quogueelectric]

On higher end houses I wire all of the outlets in the rooms top switched bottom hot so they never have to worry about moving a bed or a lamp somewhere in a room if it ever becomes an inconvenience it can easily be changed. I then charge accordingly.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

On higher end houses I wire all of the outlets in the rooms top switched bottom hot so they never have to worry about moving a bed or a lamp somewhere in a room if it ever becomes an inconvenience it can easily be changed. I then charge accordingly.

ASo on low end homes do you wire the bottom switched and the top hot.

Another argument to be made-- top switched or bottom.... please let's not go there.

 

[LarryFine]

Another argument to be made-- top switched or bottom.... please let's not go there.

No argument at all: ask the customer which would be more instinctive for them to remember.