I changed three very old electrical outlets in my grandmother's home today, and was thinking afterward about how they were wired. After finishing they did work when tested, with a simple desk lamp, but I haven't tried anything more complex or sensitive to wiring.
The outlets I removed did not appear to have break off tabs at all, and the outlets are not switched. I was thinking that they were just ancient, at least 70's era, and the screw plates shared an unrestricted contact on both hot and neutral.
The two outlets in question have two hot wires, two neutral, and a ground. I wired up the new outlets and left the metal tabs intact. I am worried now that that may eventually cause a problem, and hopefully someone can confirm or deny for me. If it is suggested that I should remove the hot side's metal break-off tab, I will do so immediately. If it will not cause issues, then I will leave it as-is.
What should I do?
Best Answer
If the outlets test correctly and are functioning as intended then you should leave the break off tabs alone.
The break off tabs are there so that you can power the top and bottom outlets differently. Most commonly so that you can have one of the outlets on a switch. A less common and generally inadvisable reason is so that you can have each outlet on a different circuit.
If you aren't trying to do either of these things then leave the tabs intact. Older outlets often don't have break off tabs. The only thing I would check to make sure of is that your outlet is rated to handle the amperage of the circuit.