Preferably without electrocuting myself...
February 4, 2011 3:34 PM Subscribe
All of the electrical outlets in my bedroom—except for one—are switched. The single unswitched outlet is in a useless location. How can I convert one of the switched outlets to unswitched?
More precisely: there are four double outlets (so, eight actual receptacles). Three of those double outlets are switched. The fourth has one switched receptacle and one unswitched receptacle. There is a single switch.
I'm in the US, so they're USian-style three-prong 110V outlets.
Can I rewire one (or more) of the fully-switched double outlets to provide unswitched power from at least one receptacle? How would I do this?
I rent, so hiring an electrician may be out of the question. But I do have access to the circuit breaker.
This is basically the first home electrical work I've attempted, so talk to me like I'm stupid. Thanks!
More precisely: there are four double outlets (so, eight actual receptacles). Three of those double outlets are switched. The fourth has one switched receptacle and one unswitched receptacle. There is a single switch.
I'm in the US, so they're USian-style three-prong 110V outlets.
Can I rewire one (or more) of the fully-switched double outlets to provide unswitched power from at least one receptacle? How would I do this?
I rent, so hiring an electrician may be out of the question. But I do have access to the circuit breaker.
This is basically the first home electrical work I've attempted, so talk to me like I'm stupid. Thanks!
This is basically the first home electrical work I've attempted, so talk to me like I'm stupid.
Hire an electrician.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 3:41 PM on February 4, 2011 [8 favorites]
Hire an electrician.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 3:41 PM on February 4, 2011 [8 favorites]
Does the switch also control the light fixture in the room? If not, you could permeantly connect the wires on the two sides of the switch with wire nuts and replace the switch with a blank cover.
posted by PhillC at 3:48 PM on February 4, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by PhillC at 3:48 PM on February 4, 2011 [1 favorite]
Hiring an electrician shouldn't be a problem if you hire a licensed one and run it by your landlord first, assuming a non-crazy landlord. It's not likely to take very much time either and the electrician ought to be able to give you a rough estimate (keeping in mind they haven't seen the place) before they come out.
posted by zachlipton at 3:50 PM on February 4, 2011
posted by zachlipton at 3:50 PM on February 4, 2011
Unfortunately, ihohoxi, there are way too many variables here for anyone to really give any answer other than to hire an electrician.
We can't know how the wires are run, where the traces go, what the circuit load looks like, etc. It sounds like all run in series up to the non-switched, who probably has his little metal tab snapped off AND he's connected from the other side to non-switched power. It COULD be as easy as simply replacing that plug removing switch-side power from the first, switched plug in the room.
I do not recommend that you try this. Wire work isn't hard, but it can get confusing. You probably won't electrocute yourself, but you could burn down your house.
I'm very doubtful that the switch in your room is actually rated to handle the kind of draw that those plugs draw, however. I doubt this because switches rated for high load (really anything over about 15A) start to get very expensive very quickly. I would suggest that you mention to your landlord that your electrician friend (I am not an electrician!) mentioned worry that you had 7 receptacles drawing power from one switch. (You could pop off the faceplate and look at the side of the switch for its rating, but it may not be there, and you could zap yourself, so...uhm...AT YOUR OWN RISK.)
That may be your golden goose to get it fixed. If that doesn't work, you could always call code enforcement and ask if it's normally accepted. It's not. Of course, if you do this you run the risk of the fire marshall condemning your house until it's repaired, and/or may demand a full electrical inspection of the home....
posted by TomMelee at 4:02 PM on February 4, 2011
We can't know how the wires are run, where the traces go, what the circuit load looks like, etc. It sounds like all run in series up to the non-switched, who probably has his little metal tab snapped off AND he's connected from the other side to non-switched power. It COULD be as easy as simply replacing that plug removing switch-side power from the first, switched plug in the room.
I do not recommend that you try this. Wire work isn't hard, but it can get confusing. You probably won't electrocute yourself, but you could burn down your house.
I'm very doubtful that the switch in your room is actually rated to handle the kind of draw that those plugs draw, however. I doubt this because switches rated for high load (really anything over about 15A) start to get very expensive very quickly. I would suggest that you mention to your landlord that your electrician friend (I am not an electrician!) mentioned worry that you had 7 receptacles drawing power from one switch. (You could pop off the faceplate and look at the side of the switch for its rating, but it may not be there, and you could zap yourself, so...uhm...AT YOUR OWN RISK.)
That may be your golden goose to get it fixed. If that doesn't work, you could always call code enforcement and ask if it's normally accepted. It's not. Of course, if you do this you run the risk of the fire marshall condemning your house until it's repaired, and/or may demand a full electrical inspection of the home....
posted by TomMelee at 4:02 PM on February 4, 2011
Is there some benefit to a non-switched socket that I'm unaware of? Why not just plug in and leave the socket turned on. Maybe put some duct tape (or similar) over the switch to remind you not to touch it?
Depending on where you are, doing work to the electricity without relevant licenses may be illegal (I know it is here in the UK, although lots of people ignore it). Certainly, fucking around with the power is a VeryBadIdea. Any bodges you do have a lot of potential to be quite dangerous and against the terms of your rent (at the very least).
If there's some special reason why non-switched sockets are highly desirable, talk to your landlord and/or an electrician.
posted by sodium lights the horizon at 4:03 PM on February 4, 2011
Depending on where you are, doing work to the electricity without relevant licenses may be illegal (I know it is here in the UK, although lots of people ignore it). Certainly, fucking around with the power is a VeryBadIdea. Any bodges you do have a lot of potential to be quite dangerous and against the terms of your rent (at the very least).
If there's some special reason why non-switched sockets are highly desirable, talk to your landlord and/or an electrician.
posted by sodium lights the horizon at 4:03 PM on February 4, 2011
Response by poster: Is there some benefit to a non-switched socket that I'm unaware of?
You can plug alarm clocks into them, and they won't lose the time and alarm settings when you turn the lights off.
posted by ixohoxi at 4:12 PM on February 4, 2011
You can plug alarm clocks into them, and they won't lose the time and alarm settings when you turn the lights off.
posted by ixohoxi at 4:12 PM on February 4, 2011
Are you a renter? If so, don't screw with the wiring without clear (and ideally written) permission from the landlord.
If you are the owner, and your locale allows for owners doing minor electrical work (most places do, for things like replacing switches and outlets), and you don't want to hire an electrician (which is always the safer and smarter option), then you need to go to Home Depot or Lowes and buy one of the DIY electrical books. Electrical work is usually really simple IF (and this is the hugest and biggest "if" in the world) you can work slowly, carefully, and triple check both your own work and whatever goofy wiring kludges you find back in the walls.
The book will explain how to do things in a normal way; chances are pretty good that the incompetent brother in law of the builder who did the original wiring one weekend while hungover didn't do things correctly to begin with, and your first step will be reverse engineering the existing wiring to figure out what is really going on. Again, you can do this with a book, lots of time and care, and a circuit tester -- but you can't do this if you want to rush and half-ass it, or are too cheap to buy the very basic tools you need to do this safely.
And like I said, if you are a renter, don't go messing with the wiring.
posted by Forktine at 4:16 PM on February 4, 2011
If you are the owner, and your locale allows for owners doing minor electrical work (most places do, for things like replacing switches and outlets), and you don't want to hire an electrician (which is always the safer and smarter option), then you need to go to Home Depot or Lowes and buy one of the DIY electrical books. Electrical work is usually really simple IF (and this is the hugest and biggest "if" in the world) you can work slowly, carefully, and triple check both your own work and whatever goofy wiring kludges you find back in the walls.
The book will explain how to do things in a normal way; chances are pretty good that the incompetent brother in law of the builder who did the original wiring one weekend while hungover didn't do things correctly to begin with, and your first step will be reverse engineering the existing wiring to figure out what is really going on. Again, you can do this with a book, lots of time and care, and a circuit tester -- but you can't do this if you want to rush and half-ass it, or are too cheap to buy the very basic tools you need to do this safely.
And like I said, if you are a renter, don't go messing with the wiring.
posted by Forktine at 4:16 PM on February 4, 2011
You can plug alarm clocks into them, and they won't lose the time and alarm settings when you turn the lights off.
Really? Wow... completely alien concept in the UK. I can see why you'd want to, but I'd definitely suggest finding an electrician...
posted by sodium lights the horizon at 4:50 PM on February 4, 2011
Really? Wow... completely alien concept in the UK. I can see why you'd want to, but I'd definitely suggest finding an electrician...
posted by sodium lights the horizon at 4:50 PM on February 4, 2011
You can plug alarm clocks into [unswitched sockets], and they won't lose the time and alarm settings when you turn the lights off.
Like sodium lights the horizon, I'm in the UK, and I'm sitting here with a little frowny face and a big question mark over my head. In the world I come from, apart from the apparently obvious (over here) 'light switches are for lights, switches on sockets are for the sockets', the not-immediately-obvious other difference is that lights run on the lighting circuit and the sockets run on the other one. Do you have a different system? Would low-energy lightbulbs make a difference? Is it normal for appliances to have such an effect on others? If so, why is there not a better market for battery-operated alarms?
posted by Lebannen at 4:50 PM on February 4, 2011
Like sodium lights the horizon, I'm in the UK, and I'm sitting here with a little frowny face and a big question mark over my head. In the world I come from, apart from the apparently obvious (over here) 'light switches are for lights, switches on sockets are for the sockets', the not-immediately-obvious other difference is that lights run on the lighting circuit and the sockets run on the other one. Do you have a different system? Would low-energy lightbulbs make a difference? Is it normal for appliances to have such an effect on others? If so, why is there not a better market for battery-operated alarms?
posted by Lebannen at 4:50 PM on February 4, 2011
PhillC's suggestion is the easiest, is straightforward even if you're brand new to electrical work, and can be done in 20-30 minutes with only a screwdriver, some wire nuts (the little plastic cap things, couple bucks at home depot), a bank cover (buck or two) and a voltage tester (15-20$)
If the switch also controls the light, you can *probably* still do the same thing, you'll just have to buy a new, bigger junction box (the plastic or metal box the outlet/switch sits in.
I just rewired most of my kitchen working from only basic knowledge and a howto book (Reader's Digest yellow book ftw!). It is not hard, you just have to be patient, diligent, and careful to triple check and then triple check again.
Let us know if it is the light switch too or not, and either way I'm happy to walk you through it with howto pictures from a switch in my house. Followup here or mefimail me.
Please note: all above advise and offer of help depends on you owning the house. I am not an electrician. I am not your electrician.
posted by ish__ at 4:51 PM on February 4, 2011
If the switch also controls the light, you can *probably* still do the same thing, you'll just have to buy a new, bigger junction box (the plastic or metal box the outlet/switch sits in.
I just rewired most of my kitchen working from only basic knowledge and a howto book (Reader's Digest yellow book ftw!). It is not hard, you just have to be patient, diligent, and careful to triple check and then triple check again.
Let us know if it is the light switch too or not, and either way I'm happy to walk you through it with howto pictures from a switch in my house. Followup here or mefimail me.
Please note: all above advise and offer of help depends on you owning the house. I am not an electrician. I am not your electrician.
posted by ish__ at 4:51 PM on February 4, 2011
Response by poster: Ah, well—the clear consensus is that I shouldn't do this myself (at least not without some pretty careful study and at least some new tools, which I'm not willing to do). Fair enough. Thanks for setting me straight.
A clarification on my alarm-clock comment: there is no ceiling light in the room. Just four outlets and a switch. So if I want light in the room, I have to plug it into a switched outlet. But because all of the outlets are switched, that means my alarm clock will lose power when I turn off the lights—unless I plug it into the single unswitched outlet, which is in a completely impractical location.
Thanks, as always, to the MetaFilter massive! You can rest assured that I will not electrocute myself this weekend.
posted by ixohoxi at 5:00 PM on February 4, 2011
A clarification on my alarm-clock comment: there is no ceiling light in the room. Just four outlets and a switch. So if I want light in the room, I have to plug it into a switched outlet. But because all of the outlets are switched, that means my alarm clock will lose power when I turn off the lights—unless I plug it into the single unswitched outlet, which is in a completely impractical location.
Thanks, as always, to the MetaFilter massive! You can rest assured that I will not electrocute myself this weekend.
posted by ixohoxi at 5:00 PM on February 4, 2011
I still say you should just keep it switched on. If you have lamps, just use their individual switches.
If that's too inconvenient, just buy an extension cord for the alarm clock.
posted by Sys Rq at 5:04 PM on February 4, 2011 [1 favorite]
If that's too inconvenient, just buy an extension cord for the alarm clock.
posted by Sys Rq at 5:04 PM on February 4, 2011 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Well, the problem is that I can't see to get from the doorway to wherever the lamps are. It would be much more convenient if I could just flip the switch at the doorway. Ah, well.
posted by ixohoxi at 5:06 PM on February 4, 2011
posted by ixohoxi at 5:06 PM on February 4, 2011
Leaving the switch on doesn't necessarily mean the lights need to stay on - each lamp still has its own switch.
Of course you're probably already doing this, and it's a pain to remember not to turn the main light switch off, and instead run around the room turning off each individual lamp.
posted by Pruitt-Igoe at 5:07 PM on February 4, 2011
Of course you're probably already doing this, and it's a pain to remember not to turn the main light switch off, and instead run around the room turning off each individual lamp.
posted by Pruitt-Igoe at 5:07 PM on February 4, 2011
Oh right, you would need to enter a dark room to turn on all the lamps. Use a small nightlight that only comes on when it's dark, I guess?
posted by Pruitt-Igoe at 5:09 PM on February 4, 2011
posted by Pruitt-Igoe at 5:09 PM on February 4, 2011
The fact that you have one outlet that is half switched/half not is a good thing here.
In an ideal situation what you could do is switch the existing half switched/not with the first switched receptacle in the circuit, and you would end up with three unswitched and one switched/non switched.
What you are looking for is something like on this page - an outlet with the hot connecting tab removed.
Now, your place could be wired completely bass-ackwards, and that's something that only some experience would be able to figure out for sure.
Lebannen and sodium: Do you have a different system?. Yes, most definately. You have some outlets with cute little switches right on them. We tend to have standard receptacles wired through the wall to regular light switches (in cases where we want switched outlets)
TomMelee: Standard light switches are rated for 15A, just like (typical) household circuit breakers. The number of devices on the circuit don't have much of a bearing on this (beyond the usual 12 device limit), so there really is no danger of overloading the existing circuit (the breaker is designed to prevent that from happening)
posted by davey_darling at 5:10 PM on February 4, 2011 [1 favorite]
In an ideal situation what you could do is switch the existing half switched/not with the first switched receptacle in the circuit, and you would end up with three unswitched and one switched/non switched.
What you are looking for is something like on this page - an outlet with the hot connecting tab removed.
Now, your place could be wired completely bass-ackwards, and that's something that only some experience would be able to figure out for sure.
Lebannen and sodium: Do you have a different system?. Yes, most definately. You have some outlets with cute little switches right on them. We tend to have standard receptacles wired through the wall to regular light switches (in cases where we want switched outlets)
TomMelee: Standard light switches are rated for 15A, just like (typical) household circuit breakers. The number of devices on the circuit don't have much of a bearing on this (beyond the usual 12 device limit), so there really is no danger of overloading the existing circuit (the breaker is designed to prevent that from happening)
posted by davey_darling at 5:10 PM on February 4, 2011 [1 favorite]
And upon reading the askers comments, is there any chance you can just get a power bar and some extension cords running from the single unswitched outlet?
posted by davey_darling at 5:11 PM on February 4, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by davey_darling at 5:11 PM on February 4, 2011 [1 favorite]
Admittedly a derail, but I want to throw in this explanation for the UK answerers. Assuming a not-unusual setup in a building from, say, the 1980s onward: when ixohoxi walks into the bedroom, there's a switch on the wall, probably close to the door. Turning the switch on enables power to three wall outlets placed around the room. So ixohoxi plugs in, for example, two reading lights and a floor lamp, all with their switches in the "on" position. Then ixohoxi can light up the whole room upon walking in, with one flick of the switch, and turn off all the lights again with another flick of the switch. But if ixohoxi plugs in an alarm clock on one of the outlets controlled by the wall switch, the alarm clock will lose power when the lights are turned off via the wall switch.
Possible solutions, all of which ixohoxi has probably already thought of:
Leave the wall switch in the on position all the time. Turn lamps on/off using the switches on them.
Plug the alarm clock into the one outlet not controlled by the wall switch. This might force you to get out of bed to turn off the alarm, which some people would say is a good thing.
Run an extension cord from the non-switched outlet to wherever you want the alarm clock.
Use a mechanical (wind-up) alarm clock instead of a digital one.
posted by Orinda at 5:13 PM on February 4, 2011 [1 favorite]
Possible solutions, all of which ixohoxi has probably already thought of:
Leave the wall switch in the on position all the time. Turn lamps on/off using the switches on them.
Plug the alarm clock into the one outlet not controlled by the wall switch. This might force you to get out of bed to turn off the alarm, which some people would say is a good thing.
Run an extension cord from the non-switched outlet to wherever you want the alarm clock.
Use a mechanical (wind-up) alarm clock instead of a digital one.
posted by Orinda at 5:13 PM on February 4, 2011 [1 favorite]
Well, the problem is that I can't see to get from the doorway to wherever the lamps are. It would be much more convenient if I could just flip the switch at the doorway. Ah, well.
This is exactly what "The Clapper" was invented for!
Since you are renting, seriously, Clapper.
posted by nprigoda at 5:55 PM on February 4, 2011
This is exactly what "The Clapper" was invented for!
Since you are renting, seriously, Clapper.
posted by nprigoda at 5:55 PM on February 4, 2011
Bah. Totally missed that you said you rent. Yeah, don't do anything to the switch, just get an extension cord for the alarm clock (or get one with a battery backup).
posted by ish__ at 6:33 PM on February 4, 2011
posted by ish__ at 6:33 PM on February 4, 2011
Well, the problem is that I can't see to get from the doorway to wherever the lamps are. It would be much more convenient if I could just flip the switch at the doorway. Ah, well.
I solved this by putting a lamp right next to the door, so I can physically turn it on when I enter the room. Get a floor lamp?
posted by clone boulevard at 7:12 PM on February 4, 2011
I solved this by putting a lamp right next to the door, so I can physically turn it on when I enter the room. Get a floor lamp?
posted by clone boulevard at 7:12 PM on February 4, 2011
If it helps, you can get a really cheap light switch cover that locks a light switch in place. I used one of these when I had a computer plugged into a switched outlet.
posted by kenliu at 8:19 PM on February 4, 2011
posted by kenliu at 8:19 PM on February 4, 2011
Orinda : thanks for that. In that case, we do occasionally get that here but it's a low amp line & uses smaller plugs to stop you plugging a kettle in. Don't think I've seen one in 20 years though...
posted by sodium lights the horizon at 1:21 AM on February 5, 2011
posted by sodium lights the horizon at 1:21 AM on February 5, 2011
Power bar on a long cord. Simple simple.
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 8:00 AM on February 5, 2011
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 8:00 AM on February 5, 2011
Have you checked that both plugs in each outlet shut off when you turn off the switch? I have an outlet in my house where only one plug is controlled by a switch (and I plugged a floor lamp into it).
posted by Pruitt-Igoe at 10:40 AM on February 5, 2011
posted by Pruitt-Igoe at 10:40 AM on February 5, 2011
Orinda, thanks for the explanation. Is that a common set up in the USA? It is decidedly odd for an Australian house, illegal I would expect. We run all lights to a wall switch, and on one circuit for the house. All power points are switched, and run on a different circuit (generally several) to the lights to the mains box.
posted by wilful at 6:19 PM on February 6, 2011
posted by wilful at 6:19 PM on February 6, 2011
Response by poster: To answer some of the suggestions:
I don't want to run an extension cord across the floor, because it would be ugly (and a tripping hazard).
I don't want to use a mechanical alarm clock, because the alarm clock I already have doubles as a dock/charger for my iPhone, and I use it to listen to MP3s in bed.
I don't want to leave the wall switch in the "on" position, because then there's no way to turn the lights on without entering a dark room and fumbling for another switch.
And I can't connect a floor lamp to the single unswitched receptacle, because that outlet is right next to the door (almost behind it) and there's no way to situate the lamp that won't be smack in the middle of the walkway.
Yes, I've checked all eight individual receptacles.
The Clapper, as corny as it is, might actually be the best solution. I see that I can get one for less than $20. Hmm...
wilful: I'd never seen a room where all of the outlets are switched before this one—but in the absence of a ceiling-mounted light fixture, it's quite common in the US for at least one outlet in a room to be connected to a wall switch. Why would this be illegal?
posted by ixohoxi at 12:14 PM on February 8, 2011
I don't want to run an extension cord across the floor, because it would be ugly (and a tripping hazard).
I don't want to use a mechanical alarm clock, because the alarm clock I already have doubles as a dock/charger for my iPhone, and I use it to listen to MP3s in bed.
I don't want to leave the wall switch in the "on" position, because then there's no way to turn the lights on without entering a dark room and fumbling for another switch.
And I can't connect a floor lamp to the single unswitched receptacle, because that outlet is right next to the door (almost behind it) and there's no way to situate the lamp that won't be smack in the middle of the walkway.
Yes, I've checked all eight individual receptacles.
The Clapper, as corny as it is, might actually be the best solution. I see that I can get one for less than $20. Hmm...
wilful: I'd never seen a room where all of the outlets are switched before this one—but in the absence of a ceiling-mounted light fixture, it's quite common in the US for at least one outlet in a room to be connected to a wall switch. Why would this be illegal?
posted by ixohoxi at 12:14 PM on February 8, 2011
Could you put a nightlight in the one unswitched outlet? Something with a light and motion sensor like this that would give off enough light to let you find the lamp switches?
posted by Pruitt-Igoe at 4:37 PM on February 8, 2011
posted by Pruitt-Igoe at 4:37 PM on February 8, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Sys Rq at 3:39 PM on February 4, 2011 [2 favorites]