Extra red wire from receptacle replacement


  #1  
Old 01-17-15, 11:22 AM
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Extra red wire from receptacle replacement

Hi
While changing my wall outlet i noticed i had a black, red, white and ground.
My new outlet only had screws for ground, black and white.
Is it okay to simply cap the red wire and use and continue as if it was not there?
This is a standard15 amp ac wall outlet with usb connectors and regular appliance connectors

Thx
 
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Old 01-17-15, 12:28 PM
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Was the tab on the brass side removed?

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Old 01-18-15, 08:55 AM
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Yes it was. What does that mean?THX
 
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Old 01-18-15, 09:16 AM
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It means half of your receptacle was controlled via a wall switch. I would do as Ray indicated, break the tab between the two screws, connect the red wire to one and the black wire to the other, still allowing you to have the convenience (and code worthiness if no ceiling light) of the switch.
 
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Old 01-18-15, 09:22 AM
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It may also mean that this was a split wired kitchen receptacle on a MWBC. The OP is in Canada.
 
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Old 01-18-15, 09:25 AM
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To add to Larry's post:
This is a standard15 amp ac wall outlet with usb connectors and regular appliance connectors
Not really standard. it may not have the option of splitting the receptacles. If not you may have some extra work to maintain code compliance.
 
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Old 01-18-15, 09:40 AM
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Ah, yes, missed the USB thingy. You only have one receptacle so to speak since the other half is consumed with USB ports. Being in Canada you have special wiring we are not privy to here in the States. Our kitchen small appliance circuits must be 20 amp and GFCI protected, and there must be two of them. Does a switch control one half of the old receptacle, or is it part of a MWBC as Jim suggested? Is it at the end of the run or are there more wires taking off from it?
 
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Old 01-18-15, 09:58 AM
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15 amp ac wall outlet
Is this a kitchen receptacle? Is the breaker 15 amps? CEC does not allow 15 amp receptacles on 20 amp circuits.
 
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Old 01-18-15, 10:13 AM
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AFAIK the 15 amp MWBC was allowed for kitchen countertops where each half of the duplex was on a different circuit. This was an alternate instead of installing 20 amp circuits under the CEC.
 
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Old 01-18-15, 11:57 AM
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But the O/P hasn't said if it is in the kitchen or did I miss that.
 
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Old 01-18-15, 12:16 PM
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Still no location in the house provided. Hopefully this can be clarified.
 
 

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