miamicanes
Active Member
Suppose you have two or more outlets wired in parallel along a single circuit, with the boxes fed sequentially by a single supply that enters one side, and exits the other. Does the NEC have any particular requirement that those outlets, though wired in parallel, must be physically laid out in series along a single set of wires? Or, put another way, is there a limit to the number of physical boxes on a physical branch of their own that can "tap into" an existing branch inside the box of an outlet somewhere along it?
Here's a concrete example: Two outlets are wired along a single circuit. One is the last outlet on the branch, one is the penultimate outlet on the branch. A third outlet is added somewhere along the branch between them. THEN, one or more outlets are wired similarly on another wall, and tap into the branch inside the third outlet's box.
I'm fairly sure it would be officially OK to do it if the branch were to supply power to exactly ONE box (containing a single receptacle, or maybe two receptacles wired in parallel) located beyond the source, but I have my doubts about whether it's legal to create what's essentially a sub-branch feeding two or more separate boxes downstream from the tap. Is it allowed? If not, would it be OK if each outlet on the second wall had its own "home run" leading to the new (third) outlet so that technically each tap was feeding only a single box?
OK, now a tougher question. I know the NEC has rules governing how much free space is needed inside the box, and it becomes a VERY big deal with you're dealing with shallow boxes (1-1/4" is definitely shallow). Would it be OK to have a 1-1/4" double-gang box with two 2-outlet receptacles where the supply enters the box from a conduit on the right, connects to the right receptacle's top screws, the respective bottom screws of the two outlets are connected together (hot to hot, neutral to neutral), then the left receptacle's top screws connect to wires that exit the box to the left?
Assuming it's OK, would it STILL be OK if there were a second hot wire (switched) that passed through the box, but was not connected to either outlet (but required a small wire nut to connect the wire from the entering side to the wire on the exiting side)?
I'm pretty sure the answer would be an unambiguous "no", but how about if the top outlet of the left or right receptacle WERE connected to the switched wire, the tab connecting the top and bottom outlets of the receptacle were snapped, and a 4-wire pigtail for the unswitched "hot" line were needed... one in, one out, and one to each outlet?
Possibly making the whole thing moot... do 1-1/4" deep triple-gang boxes, and faceplates that reduce them to double-gang actually exist (and make the whole matter of trying to shoehorn a pair of outlets into a shallow double-gang box unnecessary)? I'm going to a real electrical supply store on Monday morning, but I'm trying to get an idea what to expect them to have compared to what they sell at Home Depot/Lowe's. In the HD/L universe, double-gang faceplates for triple-gang boxes don't seem to exist, period. But then again, in the HD/L universe, 1-1/4" deep boxes don't exist, either...
Here's a concrete example: Two outlets are wired along a single circuit. One is the last outlet on the branch, one is the penultimate outlet on the branch. A third outlet is added somewhere along the branch between them. THEN, one or more outlets are wired similarly on another wall, and tap into the branch inside the third outlet's box.
I'm fairly sure it would be officially OK to do it if the branch were to supply power to exactly ONE box (containing a single receptacle, or maybe two receptacles wired in parallel) located beyond the source, but I have my doubts about whether it's legal to create what's essentially a sub-branch feeding two or more separate boxes downstream from the tap. Is it allowed? If not, would it be OK if each outlet on the second wall had its own "home run" leading to the new (third) outlet so that technically each tap was feeding only a single box?
OK, now a tougher question. I know the NEC has rules governing how much free space is needed inside the box, and it becomes a VERY big deal with you're dealing with shallow boxes (1-1/4" is definitely shallow). Would it be OK to have a 1-1/4" double-gang box with two 2-outlet receptacles where the supply enters the box from a conduit on the right, connects to the right receptacle's top screws, the respective bottom screws of the two outlets are connected together (hot to hot, neutral to neutral), then the left receptacle's top screws connect to wires that exit the box to the left?
Assuming it's OK, would it STILL be OK if there were a second hot wire (switched) that passed through the box, but was not connected to either outlet (but required a small wire nut to connect the wire from the entering side to the wire on the exiting side)?
I'm pretty sure the answer would be an unambiguous "no", but how about if the top outlet of the left or right receptacle WERE connected to the switched wire, the tab connecting the top and bottom outlets of the receptacle were snapped, and a 4-wire pigtail for the unswitched "hot" line were needed... one in, one out, and one to each outlet?
Possibly making the whole thing moot... do 1-1/4" deep triple-gang boxes, and faceplates that reduce them to double-gang actually exist (and make the whole matter of trying to shoehorn a pair of outlets into a shallow double-gang box unnecessary)? I'm going to a real electrical supply store on Monday morning, but I'm trying to get an idea what to expect them to have compared to what they sell at Home Depot/Lowe's. In the HD/L universe, double-gang faceplates for triple-gang boxes don't seem to exist, period. But then again, in the HD/L universe, 1-1/4" deep boxes don't exist, either...