I'm in the process of replacing old electrical outlets and switches to more modern Decora type outlets. I've done a few so far with no problem, however, this one has a different configuration that's got me stumped.
I've attached a few images. The duplex outlet is switched and there are the normal 2 black and 2 white wires plus a ground wire. But as you can see in the photos, there is one black and one white wire attached on the same side of the receptacle, not the normal 2-black-on-one-side-and-2-white-on-the-other-side configuration. Also, the B&W wires that are next to each other on the receptacle are twisted together from different strands farther back in the box shown in the picture.
How would I wire this to a standard 15A outlet with 2 screws on each side? I know that I need to break the tab on the new outlet and black goes to brass, and white goes to the silver screws – I'm just confused at the B&W wires on the same side of the outlet.
I've also attached a picture of the breaker box. The one breaker switch that's turned off is the one powering the outlet in question. All blue breaker switches are 15A and this is a blue breaker BUT it's got an orange tape on it. Another orange tape is marked to a 20A breaker. (An electrician must have done this some years ago when I had a kitchen remodel).
How do I interpret this marker on the breakers?
BTW, this particular receptacle was never touched during the remodel.
Best Answer
What's going on here?
The switched outlet is controlled by an old-style switch loop.
A "switch loop" is a spur line that goes to the switch (and nothing else). It has 2 wires: always-hot, and switched-hot. As you can guess, switched-hot is hot when you want the lamp to be on.
Today switch loops must be /3 cable, and you use black for always-hot and red for switched-hot, which works out pretty nice. Historically, switch loops used /2 cable. When you do that, Code requires you use the white wire for always-hot. That is to make it more obvious that it has been re-tasked to be a hot wire.
However, Code also requires that a white wire used this way be re-marked by wrapping it with black tape (or other methods). That wasn't always required.
That means the black wire is the switched-hot.
To aid newcomers, I strongly recommend obtaining both black and colored electrical tape (also some wire nuts and pigtails should be part of your personal "kit"). You must mark the white wire with black tape. I also advise marking the black wire with red tape, so it is more clear what is going on. I'm not saying this because you're novice; I do it. Some of my work is very complex and without color coding, it'd take me 20 minutes to figure it out every time!
Isn't that better? Black to (remarked) black, easy peasy.
"Why don't I just remark the white wire red and switch their roles?" Because Code says otherwise.
Now it's just down to "how do I put 2 wires on one screw".
The simplest way is to get the $3.00 spec-grade outlets that accommodate "screw-and-clamp" to accept 2 wires in a clamped back-wire underneath each screw.
However if you want to stay with the 75 cent outlets, then you use a pigtail. Join the 2 "black" wires to a third black pigtail wire that's about 6" long; join them with a wire nut or other splice. The pigtail goes to the 1 screw.
The trick with wire nuts is to tighten HARD, and do a "pull test" afterwards by holding the nut and pulling each wire firmly. If any pull out, that's bad technique; iterate until you get it right. That's not perfectionism. A splice that falls apart is a splice with poor contact that will arc and start a fire.