Subj : Light Switch Replacement
To   : Mike Powell
From : Barry Martin
Date : Thu Dec 19 2024 07:14:00


Hi Mike!

 > I think they're semi-common but not sure.  Maybe 'discontinued' by the
 > NEC because one hot could be active while the other is shut off, so
 > posing a hazard if both hots in the same electrical box -- thinking along
 > the lines of a split duplex outlet where one hot to the top outlet and
 > the other hot to the bottom.  (Why that configuration -- who knows!)
 MP> I do have one of those split outlets.  The reason for it was to
 MP> keep the two sump pumps on their own dedicated circuits.  I have
 MP> never took that outlet apart to see how it is wired (as I have
 MP> had no reason to) but that is how the electricians installed it.

AFAIK perfectly legal.  I think I recall there was a statement in the
NEC (National Electrical Code) there should be a note in/on the outlet
to indicate two separate circuits.  (And I no, I am not an electrician, 
have not studied; my forays into the NEC were due to Google searches 
which took me into it.)


 >  MP> I had an electrician in to work on something once.  I mentioned
 >  MP> that to him and he said that brand (or type) of box usually does
 >  MP> not have one main switch.  I figured it was a goof on whoever
 >  MP> installed the box but I guess not.  ;)
 > Guess not!  One one hand it makes sense but on another not.  Apparently
 > does make sense for some!
 MP> At least I now know that I need to turn off 2 or 3 breakers to
 MP> get the whole house.  ;)

But ther there's that one remote breaker to shut the lights off in the 
room with the service panel!

....Sort of throwing this in: when the electricans were here rewiring the
house (from four-fuses-two-circuit-breakers to a panel with I think 20 
breakers) I did ask how my wiring jobs were -- I had added/modified some 
circuits (the basement lights used to be on an always-on circuit, turn 
on/off with pull strings, now on a switch) and to try to balance the 
loads I had moved some portions of circuits.  The washer and [gas] dryer
were originally on one of the four fuses - don't do laundry with some
other function!  Remember those two breakers?  Were added when a previous
owner added the Dining/Family Room -- one breaker for the DR, the other
to a single outlet in the DR! That was all: one outlet!  I moved the
washer and dryer to that outlet!

Anyway, had the electricians comment on my work.  The loved I had a list
of what fuses went where -- made their separating of the circuits 
easier.  I had also labeled some of the wiring as it came out of the 
junction boxes; that also made circuit tracing easier for rewiring.  The
only 'bad' comments were I tended to leave a couple inches extra which 
made folding the wire into the box more difficult.  I also wrapped the 
wires: curled around the screw terminals and twisted together in the 
wire nuts.  They also commented that was a sign of an training in 
electronics: I do remember being told to make a secure mechanical 
connection and then solder.



 MP>  * SLMR 2.1a * Thesaurus: prehistoric reptile with a great
 MP> vocabulary.

I bought a paperback one probably in late elementary school: there was
some sort of a programme students could buy books in class/through the
school.  It definitely helped with writing assignments.  I also remember
being fascinated with all the options (eventually found the correct term
was 'nuances') there were


                     ¯                                 ®
                      ¯  BarryMartin3@MyMetronet.NET  ®
                     ¯                                 ®


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