Did you guys know this about outlets? I didn't!

[grsthegreat]

Ironically I have a home that was built in 91 and I am guessing it was wired by electrician.... I have two different sets of receptical where each half of the duplex receptical is served with a circuit breaker, one half of receptical is 15a for garbage disposal (switched), other half is 15a for dishwasher.... On other receptical one half is 15a breaker for forced air heater and other half is 15a for constant hot water circulation system.... I know not switched, but ground are down in both instances....

And both pair of breaker are pin together so if you want to shut down one circuit the other shared circuit in duplex receptical has to shut off also...

We still wire houses that way. But usually always pull 20 amp circuits for dishwasher, disposals, etc. break the tab and 2 circuits to one outlet, and always use a full sized double pole breaker to kill both at same time.

 

[Sberry]

Ya, the double pole is the way to do that. I believe there was some kind of code change regarding this not all long ago but dont recall exactly. The old said,,, required if both poles were attached to the same yoke which is what you describe but especially with the advent of so much diy I think its a great idea to require it on all multi wire.
I was in a panel at a church wired last by a master. He isnt the kind that looks for extra work but got the call cause it all confused the handyman. He used every leagal trick to do this, was full of tandems and 3 or 4 multi wires to get out of a congested box and must only had 12 3 conductor on the truck. A guy had to really look at wghat he did to get a grasp he didnt have the wrong overcurrent protection. It was really congested, took me a few minutes to get a grip and there were a couple violations but not much a hazard.
Did a house reno a while back and didnt find an unused circuit I wish I known was there, wasnt a big deal but would have been free.

 

[GeneV]

Shared neutral, that's what you guys are talking about?

 

[CoyPatton]

Shared neutral, that's what you guys are talking about?

If the ran 12-3 for the 20a circuits to a duplex receptacle (disposal on half and dishwasher on half) then yes it will have a shared neutral and only the hot tab broken off. If bot tabs are broken off, most likely 2 circuits ran. Grounds could all be tied together in the box. You pin the breakers together so that you avoid a hot wire in that box if work in required.

 

[Diggin It]

Something along this line. There may or may not be wall switches in the hots.

 

[GeneV]

If the ran 12-3 for the 20a circuits to a duplex receptacle (disposal on half and dishwasher on half) then yes it will have a shared neutral and only the hot tab broken off. If bot tabs are broken off, most likely 2 circuits ran. Grounds could all be tied together in the box. You pin the breakers together so that you avoid a hot wire in that box if work in required.

Yup, I ran into that last year, previous owner wired an extra outlet on it's own breaker, borrowing the neutral from another circuit, but on the same pole. I moved the break next to the other one so that they're on different poles, bonded them together.

 

[Sberry]

This is a case the white wire really is a neutral.

 

[dstig1]

I got a lot of respect for codes. Contrary to some popular belief they didnt just whip it up. Most of it is long established and the process for a code change is pretty well thought out.
When ever I thought I knew more better I found I didnt. They think of stuff long way off hasn't even occurred to most of us. Despite my most brilliant inspirational moments fount out I was NEVER right, not a single time

Well the phrase I like is "The code was written with the blood of those who came before you." And it is largely true...until it isn't. The problem with all regulations is not how they start, it is how they never end.

The early stuff is always good as it covers the big issues - safety, environment, whatever the field. But eventually you get to the point where you have basically completed the mission. The air is now 99% clean. Electrical fires are down 95%, etc. BUT...They keep on making more regulations, and they start to make less and less sense as they are now going after issues that are so rare or minuscule that one could argue they really don't need regulating. But the organiztion still exists and a lot of people rely on that for their livelihood, so they keep on going, making more rules. How many lives are getting saved with tamper resistant outlets, for example? Vs how many times you try to plug something in and the dang TR outlet won't let the plug in. Did we really need this requirement in the code? That is a point of debate, but yet they just keep adding more and more things like that all the time because their very existence depends on it.

A bit of thread drift, I suppose... My 2 centums

 

[Sberry]

Look how few changes there really have been in the last few cycles. A few recepticals and couple breakers. Compared to crap they add to cars, even equipment not much.

 

[CoyPatton]

This is a case the white wire really is a neutral.

By current NEC, white must always be neutral. There was provisions previously in NEC for white to not be neutral in limited situations (white to meet NEC had to have tape applied at any exposed ends).