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On 16-Jul-2005, "RBM" rbm2(remove
wrote:

Don't know what you mean by"serially" , however yes you
can add outlets to a
general lighting circuit for the purpose you describe. In
a residence you
need so many circuits per square foot, but the number of
outlets you install
beyond those required by various sections of the code, is
your business.

not adding outlets to a lighting circuit as these are 20A
outlets and all my lighting is on 15A.

By strictly serially I mean that any one outlet in the
circuit feeds one and only one outlet, except for the last
of course.
What I want to do is have the outlet that is currently the
end of the run feed 2 more outlets, each of which would then
become an end of the run.

thanks
ml

The only potential code problem is the number of wires in the box. Each box
is rated for a certain number of wires. Most outlets use a 14 cubic inch
box that is rated for 6 #12 or 7 #14 wires. This is from an older book and I
don't have a box handy to check. I usually rely on the info printed on the
boxes. The cubic inches and wire capacity is printed on most plastic and
composite boxes.

If your box is an 18 cubic inch box and your circuit is 15 amp 14 gauge wire
you would be 100% legal with your 9 wires in the box.

All of that said, if it is a 15 amp circuit using #14 wire most likely you
will be fine with 9 wires in a box rated for 7. I have seen many more wires
than that on some older installations.

You will need to join all the wires inside the box and provide pigtails to
feed the existing outlet because putting 2 wires under one screw is a big no
no. The pigtails don't count as wires. Also makes it easier to change the
device in the future.

Colbyt