switched outlet question


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Old 06-29-14, 09:38 AM
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switched outlet question

I am changing my old 2 prong outlets to grounded ones, the room has 5 outlets all of which have the top receptacle controlled by a switch at each doorway ( 2 doorways). So I swapped them out put the red wire on the top brass screw and the black wire on the bottom brass screw, the white wire on the silver screw and of course the green was the ground, I broke off the little tab between the brass screws as directed on the package for the new outlet. now the top receptacles do not shut off with the switches. w
What am I missing here.
Thanks for your help.
 

Last edited by 601sts; 06-29-14 at 09:40 AM. Reason: puncuation
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Old 06-29-14, 09:53 AM
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What am I missing here.
A ground? You can't just swap out ungrounded receptacles for grounded receptacles. Before we help you with your problem tell us how you grounded the new receptacles.
 
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Old 06-29-14, 11:08 AM
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Grounding was done properly.
 
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Old 06-29-14, 12:32 PM
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Grounding was done properly
Not a real answer. Makes me wonder why you are being evasive.
 
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Old 06-29-14, 09:51 PM
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Ray is right. You really need to find the source feed and secure a ground all the way to the breaker box grounding/common bus. Installing grounded outlets and (maybe?) attaching new localized ground wire, does absolutely nothing for you. It's a waste of time & money. At the very least, buy some GFCI receptacles and install them in all the outlets. It will not ground your circuit (or protect from wire faults), but it will add a bit of protection from, say, getting a new hairdo from a faulty device.

As far as the switching goes... It sounds like you had a 3-way switch. I'm not certain how accurate your previous configuration was, but below you will find a diagram of how it works. (Note: When WHITE is used for HOT, it gets taped black. You may have unknowingly removed this while replacing the outlets?)

Another hazard you may have... If you broke the tab on the neutral side, only your wired (top) outlets will function [on the switch]. You MUST connect a common (white) to the bottom terminal, IF you have a hot on that opposing terminal (bottom). This gets even more involved in cramped spaces, so I would recommend either switching them all together, or not at all.

Most importantly, I'd recommend getting a receptacle tester. It may even help you figure out your wiring faults.

I understand that your focus is getting them to work again, but until you run the ground properly, it's all just a waste of time & money.
 
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