On Feb 1, 11:20*pm, Joe wrote:
On Feb 1, 1:54*pm, Heather wrote:





I have a *NON*-GFCI 15A 125V duplex receptacle outlet in the garage.
(It reads 15A 125V on the front of the receptacle.) *I was installing
cabinets along that wall and had to remove the outlet's coverplate and
receptacle so that the cabinet could be installed flush to the wall.
I removed the receptacle and taped off each wire individually
(connecting nothing together) and installed my cabinets. *Shortly
after that, I discovered that many of the other outlets in the house
did not work! *Ugh! *I assume that all those outlets are wired in
series and I broke the circuit? *I removed the cabinet so I can
reconnect the wires. *Here's where I need help.

I have FIVE wires: TWO black hot wires, TWO white neutral wires and
ONE bare ground wire. *Which wires do I connect - - And how? *(Wire
nuts?) *And if matters WHICH white or WHICH black wire, how do I
figure that out?

Many thanks!
Heather

You had an amateur wiring job there. The receptacle was through wired,
both back wires on the brass terminals and both white wires on the
silver terminals. the bare wire was connected to the green ground
screw on the receptacle. *This leaves the current path through the
jumpers on the receptacle, not a good wiring practice. The more
workman like way to do it is to wire nut a pigtail to the black wires
and connect that to the brass terminal.. Do the same with the white
wires pigtailed to the silver terminal.. Leave the ground wire on the
green terminal. I you have a metal box, I would pigtail it with the
ground wire or install a grounding clip on the receptacle screw. HTH

Joe- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

The outlets are 'technically' not connected in series. Using that term
is genarally incorrect for house wiring.

It does sound as though you have, by removing that outlet, broken the
wiring that allows electricity to go through to the other outlets on
that circuit.

So far it sounds as though your insurance company and the local fire
investigator would not be impressed!

Best advice is to get someone who knows what they are doing to;
a) Turn off the power to at least that circuit.
b) Using the proper kind of wire nuts or connectors, firmly join the
two black wires together.
c) Similarly connect the two white wires together.
DO NOT JUST TWIST THE WIRES TOGETHER AND TAPE THEM! Those wires are
carrying all the electrical load for other outlets further down that
circuit. And the last thing you need is a bad connection heating up
inside a hidden box! FIRE!
d) The ground wire should be firmly connected to the metal box that
holds, or used to hold the outlet. But see item (f).
e) The now empty outlet box has become an electrical connection box.
Since it is illegal and unsafe to cover up any electrical conection
box it should be provided with a, preferably in this case, metal cover-
plate.
That metal plate should not be covered up by anything, so the box
should either be relocated or perhaps it may be OK to cut a hole in
the back of any cupboard in front of it to clearly reveal the location
of and provide access to the connection box.
f) Turn on the power again and test the circuit to ensure that i) It
is working and ii) Wired correctly. Including ground continuity
through to the outets; the ground wire is for safety; so don't skip
that, even though things may seem to work in those outlets further
along!!!!