Adding outlet by taking power from existing outlet

14 years ago

I want to tap into the power from an existing outlet to add a new outlet. Existing outlet has power coming in the top screws and the wire travelling on is on the bottom screws. Tried reading the handyman's book...still not sure?

Help please

Thanks,

Rob

Comments (3)

mike_kaiser_gw
14 years ago
You should have a black (maybe red, blue, or any other color but white, gray green, or bare) connected to a brass screw and white (very infrequently gray but also permitted) connected to the silver screw. Sometimes devices are used to feed another device which sounds like the case if you have the aforementioned color combination connected to the other pair of screws.

In that case, your best bet would be to connect the existing wires plus the ones for you new outlet under a wire nut and add what's called a "pigtail" (a short, 6" piece of wire) to feed this existing receptacle. You'd do that for both the hot, neutral, and the ground wires. If the box is metal, the ground needs to connect to that as well.
robjr
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks Mike!

Do I pigtail the wires going into the top screws and leave the bottom wires attached to the screws?
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mike_kaiser_gw
14 years ago
It really doesn't matter which screws because the screws are connected by a little tab (unless it's a switched outlet, then the tab would have been removed). Since it's half done, might as well leave what you have alone.

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Adding outlet by taking power from existing outlet

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mike_kaiser_gw

robjr
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Adding outlet by taking power from existing outlet

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mike_kaiser_gw

robjrOriginal Author

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