Wall outlets stay charged even when light switch is turned off

proofer · 01-20-2008, 05:49 PM

I just replaced most of my outlet receptacles (cord plug-ins) in my house. But something is tripping the circuit breaker. I believe I've located the problem area, but I just don't know how to fix it. When the light switch is flipped on, the charge is going through the receptacles (which is what I want). But I see that there's charge going to these same receptacles even when the light switched is turned off. How can that be when the light switch is turned off? How can I determine exactly where the problem is, and what could be causing this problem? Would the problem be with a particular outlet receptacle, or would it be in the light switch's wiring?

jerryh3 · 01-20-2008, 06:02 PM

If you had a switched receptacle and replaced it with new one, you probably didn't break the tab seperating the top and bottom receptacle. Some outlets are set up for a swithced receptacle on the bottom and constant on top. You need to find the hot coming from the light switch and seperate it from the constant hot feeding the other outlets.

proofer · 01-20-2008, 06:12 PM

This is a basic wall outlet (I don't know if I described it properly in my initial post). Can you tell me where I need to break this tab that you're speaking of? And where is the tab located on this receptacle? When I removed the wires from the old receptacle, I noticed that there was one extra white wire that I didn't know where it should go, so I tied that extra white wire into the other white wire.

Bondo · 01-20-2008, 06:16 PM

What color wires did you put onto the Switch,..??

proofer · 01-20-2008, 06:17 PM

Black and red to the hot.
White to the negative.
Ground to the ground.

proofer · 01-20-2008, 06:24 PM

This light switch is located on the corner of the wall, and this light switch sends charges to about 5 different receptacles, four of which are along the same wall (and the other receptacle is on a completely different wall). So which tab should I break? On the receptacle that is the closest to the light switch? Also, one of the receptacles has 3 sets of wires going to it, and the other receptacles only have 2 sets of wires.

Bondo · 01-20-2008, 06:27 PM

Hmmmmmm,.... Got any Pictures,..??..??......

It sounds like you've got too many wires.......

Last I knew,.....
120V house circuits used a Black Hot leg, a White Common leg,+ a bare Copper Ground leg.....
And,......
A Switch would only be breaking the Black Hot leg,........

jerryh3 · 01-20-2008, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by proofer

Black and red to the hot.
White to the negative.
Ground to the ground.

Was the black wire connected to any other wire with a wire nut?

proofer · 01-20-2008, 06:34 PM

Hmmmmmm,.... Got any Pictures,..??..??......

It sounds like you've got too many wires.......

Last I knew,.....
120V house circuits used a Black Hot leg, a White Common leg,+ a bare Copper Ground leg.....
And,......
A Switch would only be breaking the Black Hot leg,........

Sorry---no pictures to offer as I'm not over at the house right now. I tried to contact that third white wire to the other white wire. I don't remember exactly how it was connected to the old receptacle. Now regarding breaking a tab, I'm not sure about breaking a tabs (that someone else had mentioned earlier). Where is this tab? And on which receptacle (out of the 5 receptables that are being charged) should I break this tab on?

proofer · 01-20-2008, 06:37 PM

"Was the black wire connected to any other wire with a wire nut?"

I think so. But if so, I never bothered that, so it shouldn't have affected it. All I did was put new receptacles on and put all the wires the same as they came off the old one. All except for this third white wire that I'm questioning, as I'm still not sure where that third white wire was connected to.

jerryh3 · 01-20-2008, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by proofer

"Was the black wire connected to any other wire with a wire nut?"

I think so. But if so, I never bothered that, so it shouldn't have affected it. All I did was put new receptacles on and put all the wires the same as they came off the old one. All except for this third white wire that I'm questioning, as I'm still not sure where that third white wire was connected to.

When does the circuit breaker trip? And, are you sure the switch controled all of the outlets in the room?

proofer · 01-20-2008, 06:45 PM

"When does the circuit breaker trip?"

There are two 15-amps circuit breakers. I've been keeping one off. When I go to turn the other one on, they both trip.

jerryh3 · 01-20-2008, 06:53 PM

I think that white wire you connected to others may have been the switch leg for a switched receptacle. I think you created a dead short between two different circuits.

proofer · 01-20-2008, 06:57 PM

"I think that white wire you connected to others may have been the switch leg for a switched receptacle. I think you created a dead short between two different circuits."

Then what should I do with that third white wire? At first, when I saw that third white wire, I just laid it down and didn't attach it to anything---but it still tripped the breaker. How would you recommend that I fix this problem?

proofer · 01-20-2008, 07:00 PM

"are you sure the switch controled all of the outlets in the room?"

This light switch is in a living room/dining room combination. I know that this one switch controls at least 4 of the receptacles, but it definitely doesn't control the entire room.