Violation or not ..

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480sparky

Senior Member
Location
Iowegia
Well, I see 3 conductors connected to a split duplex receptacle.

I would assume it's split for one of the receptacles to be on a switch. That's the most common use. If it's two circuits, it's still legal.
 

Another C10

Electrical Contractor 1987 - present
Location
Southern Cal
Occupation
Electrician NEC 2020
I would assume it's split for one of the receptacles to be on a switch
This is not necessarily an illegal application but there is a problem,

Hint : Customer tells me some times the outlets work sometimes they don't, its the strangest thing he says ..
 

Another C10

Electrical Contractor 1987 - present
Location
Southern Cal
Occupation
Electrician NEC 2020
Hint : Customer tells me some times the outlets work sometimes they don't, its the strangest thing he says ..
Hint: This should be the final one, the switch leg is typically which color.

sorry guys when you see the problem you will smack yourselves in the head.
 

Another C10

Electrical Contractor 1987 - present
Location
Southern Cal
Occupation
Electrician NEC 2020
You can also click on a photo and then right click on a single image, insert it into a post then comment on it. Or you can do several at a time with comments before/after each photo.
2a4c5225c8f8ba0ff7f5c1512f59ded7.jpg
I suppose the 2 hr rating is no longer valid.
 

synchro

Senior Member
Location
Chicago, IL
Occupation
EE
Hint: This should be the final one, the switch leg is typically which color. I guess 1 more hint is good, there is only 1 switched receptacle in this room.
So they daisy-chained the other receptacle(s) to a red switch leg instead of to a black hot wire at the top part of receptacle ?
 
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480sparky

Senior Member
Location
Iowegia
Hint: This should be the final one, the switch leg is typically which color. I guess 1 more hint is good, there is only 1 switched receptacle in this room.

Sorry... but if you're saying the black in the 3-wire cable is switched.... that's not 'wrong' by a million miles.
 

480sparky

Senior Member
Location
Iowegia
Obviously again, the two blacks should be together and the red on the other receptacle half.

That may be 'common trade practice', but not a violation of any sort. We have no idea what the 2-wire cable goes to. We can assume it's other receptacles, but all we have is the information on the photo. It may go to a wall light that provides the code-required switched lighting for the room. It may go outside to a receptacle installed for holiday lighting and the customer wanted it on the existing wall switch.

There's no code requiring the use of the red to be switched in a 3-wire cable feeding a split receptacle. Using the black as switched and the red as constant power is perfectly legal. It's like using brown, orange, yellow and gray on a 120/240v system.
 

Another C10

Electrical Contractor 1987 - present
Location
Southern Cal
Occupation
Electrician NEC 2020
Obviously again, the two blacks should be together and the red on the other receptacle half
You got it, others may have as well ..

So as you've heard the client says , its the weirdest thing some days the outlets work fine for months then all of a sudden they go off for week even months.

I decide to check for the usual stab in the back fail, I come across this and it took me about 3 seconds to say to myself .. here it is.
The Line black fed the receptacle above and the switch leg (red) fed the load black below, obviously all I had to do was swap the connection of the red to the top and the other black along with its brother below , wallah its a miracle .. pretty funny actually every time someone turned off the switch about 6 receptacle in the living room and upstairs loft would turn off.
 
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