Wiring Electrical Outlets in Series

It is important to remember that when it comes to wiring electrical outlets in series, they must be done carefully. Series wiring looks like a rectangular circuit that goes round and round. The best part of series wiring is that it is simple to install. The bad part of series wiring is that if any part of the wire becomes disconnected, everything else connected will have no electricity.

Step 1 : Turn off the Power

It is absolutely vital to turn off the power before doing anything else. Go to the breaker box and turn off the main breaker. You can turn off the local breaker if there is already one installed, but if you intend to install a new one for the series of outlets, the main breaker must be turned off.

Step 2 : Determine Load and Locate the Exact Point:

First of all, locate the place in the wall where you would like your outlet to go, avoiding studs and locations above a stove or any other appliance that can cause a fire if wires become exposed. Also determine the maximum load that you would be applying on the circuit. After you have marked where the studs in the wall are located, you can mark where you want your box to go and cut the shape out of your drywall.   

Step 3 : Feeding Wire Through the Wall

Now you will have to go down to the basement and use your fisher to feed a wire up to the outlet location you have chosen. You may need a friend to help you out with this, as one person needs to feed the wire and the other person needs to grab it and pull it out of the hole made for the outlet. Study the wiring diagram properly in order to avoid any chances of any mishaps.

Step 4 : Connect Wire to Outlet

Next use your stripper to strip the wire so that it can be connected to the outlet. Once you have all the necessary wires stripped you can connect them to the receptacle by threading each one under the appropriate screw and tightening the screws to secure the contact.

Step 5 : Size Circuit Breaker for Wire Size.

If a 14-2 cable is run from the panel to the outlet, then a 15 amp circuit breaker is the one that can be used in order to avoid short circuits. Always take care to place a fuse of good range in series in order to prevent any chances of short circuits.

Step 6 : Finish up and Test

Now you can attach the cover for your outlet and use your electrical tester to see if your outlet is working correctly. If it is, great job!

The beauty of connecting outlets in a series is that it is easy to wire the next outlet by simply attaching it to the main wires of the outlet before it, in the exact same way as you wired the original outlet. Thus it fits right into the series and works just as the others do.