[tominbay]

I have an unused 220 receptacle which is hot.
I want to convert this into a 110 receptacle.
I then want to beanch off and run a 110 line to another receptacle to the outside of the house and in a weatherproof box.
I have 20 amp breaker(s) to replace slot in panel.
Solution?
Tom

[jcaron2]

I'm assuming that it's a 20-amp 2-pole breaker in the box. (If it's not 20 amps then ignore all the places I refer to 12-gauge wire; it will probably be some other size). If it's a four-pronged outlet, it is most likely wired with 12/3 wire (meaning 12 gauge wire with 3 conductors, plus a bare ground). If it's only a three-pronged outlet, it may be 12/3 or 12/2 wire. Either way, it doesn't really matter for what you're trying to do.

Obviously make sure the power is switched off so you're not working on a live circuit.

When you unscrew the outlet, you'll find a black wire, a white wire, a bare (or possibly green) ground wire, and maybe a red wire (it will be there if it's 12/3 wire; it won't be if it's 12/2). Disconnect all the wires from the 220V outlet, cap the red wire (if it exists) with a wire nut, and connect the black (hot), white (neutral), and bare (ground) wires to the 110V outlet. If you need more detail on how to do that, just ask. Also, if you're going to use a 20-amp breaker like you indicated you'll need to make sure to buy outlets rated for 20 amps. Otherwise, if you just want to use standard 15-amp outlets, you'll have to use a 15 amp breaker. Also, since there will be an outdoor receptacle connected to this circuit, you'll want to make sure at least one of the outlets is GFI protected or use a GFI circuit breaker in the panel.

Meanwhile, back at the breaker box, you'll have to remove the existing 2-pole breaker and replace it with the a 1-pole breaker. If the outlet was wired with 12/3 wire, the old breaker should have the black and red wires connected to it. In this case, cap the red wire with a wire nut, and connect the black wire to the new 1-pole breaker. Check to make sure the white and bare wires from the same cable are connected to the neutral and ground busses respectively (or your box may have a common bus where both neutrals and grounds are connected). If the outlet was wired with 12/2 wire, the old breaker should have a black wire and a white wire connected to it (the white wire might be marked, painted black, taped, etc. to indicate that it was being used as a hot conductor, rather than neutral). In this case, hook the black wire to the new 1-pole breaker, and hook the white wire into the neutral bus. Check to make sure that the ground wire from the same cable is connected to the ground bus.

At this point, the new 110V receptacle should be ready to work. You can branch off from it with 12/2 wire (or 14/2 wire if you choose to go with a 15 amp breaker) to go to the outdoor receptacle.