Need to change outlet to one always hot and one on a switch

Can anyone help? I just installed an instant hot water at my kitchen sink, and when I went to plug it in, I find that both of the electrical sockets under the sink are tied to the wall switch. (There is just one electrical receptacle, with two sockets in it). My garbarge disposal plugs into one of the sockets and is operated with this switch.

I need to change one socket to be always hot, and leave the other outlet tied to the switch, so I can operate the garbage disposal as desired.

Someone on one of the sites said that I need to "break the metal tab between the screw terminals on the receptacle". It said this would "isolate the two single receptacles and I can switch the hot lets for one of them". I do not know what this means. Do I need to add more wires? I do not want to spend the money to have an electrician if I can possibly help it.

 

You may or may not be able to do it.
Turn off the power and open the receptacle. If there is only one cable you can't do it without changing the cable.

 

To do what you are asking, you need to have an additional wire in the cable between the switch and the receptacle, which you, most likely, do not have. Aside from replacing the wire between the switch and receptacle, other possibilities would be to add a button control for the garbage disposal like this: disposal button
or
change to a batch feed disposal with it's own switch like this:ge batch disposal
or
Wire a separate plug from the existing plug under the sink with it's own switch for the garbage disposal.

All these solutions would require that the current switch either be abandoned (removed, wires connected together and covered with a blank cover) or be left in the on position all the time.

If there is a receptacle for the dishwasher in the area as well, you may be able to plug into that.

Now the bad news: None of these solutions are without problems and none of them necessarily pass code in your area. An instant hot water dispenser uses quite a bit of electricity as does a garbage disposal and a dishwasher. Sharing a circuit with any of them will probably mean an occasional tripped breaker or blown fuse which could become a major annoyance.

The CORRECT solution is run a new circuit from the breaker panel.

Doug M.

 

A two conductor (plus ground) cable does not necessarily need to be replaced. If power goes first to the receptacle with a switch loop to the switch, then the cable is fine.

It is only if power goes first to the switch that a three conductor cable is needed to provide both switched and unswitched power at the receptacle.

 

Good point racraft. I got stuck in my own world. Switch loops are extreamly rare around here.

Doug M.