Thread: multiple switched receps

Todays inspection had multiple switched receptacles in all of the bedrooms and the office downstairs. Every receptacle in these rooms had the top half switched and the bottom half constant hot. I'm use to seeing one switched recep in each room but not all of them that way. Yep, one wall switch controlled every recep in each room simultaneously.

I can imagine a practical inconvenience for sure. Is this condition in any way prohibited by code?

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Originally Posted by John Dirks Jr

Is this condition in any way prohibited by code?

Nope.

Does not even affect the receptacle spacing for the general use receptacles as the code only requires one receptacle outlet at the required spacing, and the typical installation you see is a duplex (two receptacle outlets) at those locations.

While it would be pretty el cheapo looking, a contractor could install a single receptacle at each required location instead of a duplex receptacle - but it would actually cost more as single receptacles cost more than duplex (as I recall).

10-4 Jerry. Thanks for the quick response.

Originally Posted by Jerry Peck

While it would be pretty el cheapo looking, a contractor could install a single receptacle at each required location instead of a duplex receptacle...

I don't understand why you'd ever want to do that as you'd be reducing the available outlets by half ??

An extremely easy and possibly better solution would be to just replace (or jumper out) the switched half of the outlets you don't want controlled by the switch.

Originally Posted by Jerry Peck

While it would be pretty el cheapo looking, a contractor could install a single receptacle at each required location instead of a duplex receptacle ...

Originally Posted by Joe Klampfer

I don't understand why you'd ever want to do that as you'd be reducing the available outlets by half ??

I don't know why anyone would want to do that either ... but it "could" be done and not be a code violation.

An extremely easy and possibly better solution would be to just replace (or jumper out) the switched half of the outlets you don't want controlled by the switch.

"and possibly better solution" ???

No one was giving a "solution", only answering the question as to whether that "Is this condition in any way prohibited by code?" created a code violation or not.

I'm not sure why someone would want to go to the trouble and "jumper out" (across) the switched receptacle outlets of a duplex ... might be nice to have a plug in lamp which is swtiched at any of those locations ... just saying ...

Offers a lot of options for multiple furniture placement vs a switched receptacle that may or may not be where the lamp will go. Several rooms in my house are wired that way.

And then you run into the house that has one receptacle beneath each window of each floor including the attic dormers, on one switch located in the coat closet. Drives you crazy until you find the switch.

Originally Posted by Vern Heiler

And then you run into the house that has one receptacle beneath each window of each floor including the attic dormers, on one switch located in the coat closet. Drives you crazy until you find the switch.

No bull!!! This house had that! I found that and one of the outlets in each duplex did not have power to it. I assumed it was meant as a dedicated AC window unit outlet. But there is probably a single switch somewhere with the intention of simultaneously turning Christmas lights on and off.

I should have been prepared for unusual stuff inside what I saw receptacles installed under the eaves on the exterior.

Wait till you run into a house where the lights and outlets are X10 and the place was built by an electrician and half the house is malfunctioning and it takes days if not weeks to find out the passed away home owner was an electrician (mind you at this point the remotes are gone , no kids to tell you that dad was an electrician just some realtor working for the estate

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Wait till you run into a house where the lights and outlets are X10 and the place was built by an electrician and half the house is malfunctioning and it takes days if not weeks to find out the passed away home owner was an electrician (mind you at this point the remotes are gone , no kids to tell you that dad was an electrician just some realtor working for the estate

Originally Posted by Vern Heiler

And then you run into the house that has one receptacle beneath each window of each floor including the attic dormers, on one switch located in the coat closet. Drives you crazy until you find the switch.

I wired my house with outlets like that. The only thing is the switch is behind the front door. I also have a switch there for some exterior switched outlets.

But then again I also have a complete accurate as built drawing of my electrical and low voltage. The drawing shows the exact route I ran each wire/cable and what circuit everything is on. I have that in a tube next to the electrical panels.

Originally Posted by jack davenport

I wired my house with outlets like that. The only thing is the switch is behind the front door. I also have a switch there for some exterior switched outlets.

But then again I also have a complete accurate as built drawing of my electrical and low voltage. The drawing shows the exact route I ran each wire/cable and what circuit everything is on. I have that in a tube next to the electrical panels.

That would have been great to have had a drawing in the house where I finally found the switch in the second floor attic storage. Sometimes I think about just writing; I don't know where it is, you find it!