Posted: 3/19/2006 5:55:39 AM EDT
| Pardon my ignorance in advance. How do I wire outlets with 14/3? Where's the extra wire go? |
The electrician ran it, and the code officer looked at the rough wiring, so I'm assuming it does. Looks like every circuit but the bathrooms and kitchen are 14 guage. |
This is easy. If you have a meter, or a test lamp, create a circuit by touching each conductor, that means wire, to the bare ground wire. You have to do this with the circuit live, so watch out. |
RUT ROH!!!.......14 ga. wire is only good for 15 amp circuits.....The National Electric Code clearly states that ALL wiring in kitchens and bathrooms must be 20 amp, which is 12 ga. wire.......15 amp circuits are acceptable as lighting, and general use outlets in bedrooms, and other ares of the home........if you need the quote from the codebook I can run out to my truck and get it...... P.S.-I've been an electrician for 17 yrs..... 
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| Why don't you just ask the electrician what he was figuring? Maybe he was going to run 2 circuits and that is why the 14/3. Was he going to switch a outlet for a wall lamp off of a wall switch? If neither was figured and he just ran the 14/3 then just tape/wirenut off the red wire and use the black for your hot wire...As far as code is concerened in my area #14 is ok and used for lighting, living room and bedroom plugs. |
The bathroom and kitchen circuits are 20 amp/12 guage. The bedrooms are 15 amp/14 guage. I've already installed most of the outlets, but now this one in a bedroom for some reason is 14/3, and I don't know what to do with it. |
HUH???  ....................14/3 has four wires in it...A Black, a Red, a White, and a bare copper......Most people use the Black, White, and ground for receptacles.......put a wire nut on the red one all the way down the line, and leave it alone......When wiring the receptacles, the Black =Hot and it goeson the BRASS screw, or the side of the receptacle with the SMALLER slot.......the White=neutral and goes on the SILVER screw, or the side of the receptacle with the LARGER slot, and the bare copper get's put on the GREEN screw, which is the ground.......
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I don't have conventional walls, so the electrician just laid some wire along them and left me some "Wire Mold" boxes and outlets to install. When I'm done, he's going to come back and finish up. He's notoriously difficult to get hold of, and besides, it's the weekend. |
If it's the bedroom, it sounds like Anaconda has it right......maybe a switched outlet.......I would double check with the guy who wired it......If you do not have a ceiling light, I would venture to guess a switched outlet......
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Thanks, that's what I needed to know. |
A switched outlet is undoubtedly what it is. There's no ceiling light. This wire comes from a couple outlets already in a conventional interior wall, and extends along the exterior wall that I'm trying to wire. I don't want any more switched outlets in that room, so I'll wire-nut the red wire and assume the black is the hot. |
| If the red wire is for a switch leg to a plug you only have to use it at maybe one or 2 plugs in the room. Also, you will have to seperate the 2 brass screws ( hot ) on the plug by twisting off the tab in between them. Do you know if the wire goes up to the swtich? Do you have a outlet with a 14/2 at it also???? There are a couple of ways to wire up switched outlets.... |
