Breaker Off

Breaker Off / Outlets and GFCI

Half-switched outlet wiring

A 3-wire cable between the switch box and the outlet: black stays hot, red is switched.

Which job

Outlet at the end of the runOutlet in the middle of the runHalf-switched outlet20 amp outletGFCI outlet, one locationGFCI to protect the outlets after it20 amp GFCI outlet

The breaker is off: every wire is dead and safe to work on. Tap a switch in the drawing to flip it.

PanelSwitch boxOutlet boxSingle-pole switchOutlet14/2 NM-B14/3 NM-B BREAKER NEUTRAL BAR GROUND BARTAB OFFLINELOAD
PanelSwitch boxOutlet boxSingle-pole switchOutlet14/2 NM-B14/3 NM-B BREAKER NEUTRAL BAR GROUND BARTAB OFFLINELOAD

How to tell this is your box

A half-switched outlet has the small metal tab between its two brass screws broken off, so the top and bottom halves are fed separately. The tab on the silver side stays on.

The job, in order

  1. Switch box: join the black from the panel, the black to the outlet and a pigtail to one switch screw. The red to the outlet goes on the other screw.
  2. Outlet: break off the tab between the brass screws only.
  3. Black to the top brass screw (always on), red to the bottom brass screw (switched), white to a silver screw.

Every connection, box by box

Read from the same circuit the drawing is made from. A simulator checked it in every switch position: the outlets get power exactly when they should, nothing shorts, and every device is grounded.

At the panel

  • The black wire to the switch goes to the breaker.
  • The white wire to the switch goes to the neutral bar.
  • The bare copper wire to the switch goes to the ground bar.

In the switch box

  • The black wire from the panel and the black wire to the outlet join under one wire nut with a short pigtail to one brass screw.
  • The red wire to the outlet goes to the other brass screw.
  • The white wire from the panel and the white wire to the outlet join under one wire nut.
  • The bare copper wire from the panel and the bare copper wire to the outlet join under one wire nut with a ground pigtail to the green ground screw.

In the outlet box

  • The black wire from the switch goes to the top brass screw.
  • The red wire from the switch goes to the bottom brass screw.
  • The white wire from the switch goes to the top silver screw.
  • The bare copper wire from the switch goes to the green ground screw.

Parts for this box

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Other boxes on this circuit