[Getting Handy]

Hi There, I've enjoyed reading and learning on this forum for some time and now find myself needing to submit a question and requesting feedback if I wired a receptacle correctly or if I am endangering my family! In general, I consider myself handy enough, but especially when it comes to electricity, I have a healthy respect and (at times) fear because of the potential consequences. I know there's WAY more that I don't know than what I do know. Here goes...

A little background info:
I have a few half-hot receptacles in my family room, each controlled by a different switch and want to change them so they're hot all the time.. The switch that controls the corresponding half of the outlet does not control anything else (probably obvious to pros, but I figured the more details I provide the better).

Wiring:
Switch: Each has 1 black wire, 1 white wire, and a ground connected. That's it.

Receptacles: 2 black, 2 white, and a ground. Have the brass tab on the side with the black wires broken off.

The non-switched (hot) half of the outlet has the black wire tied with a white wire, and 2 other black wires with a wire nut (presumably done by the builder in 1998).
The switched half has separate white and black wires running to it.

What I did on just 1 receptacle as a test: I decided to jump in with both feet and purchased new receptacles. I turned off the breaker and pulled the receptacle. I cut the cables from the old receptacle, stripped a short piece, and put them into the new receptacle without breaking the brass tab. I did not touch the wiring in the switch and both outlets on the receptacle are hot regardless of what I do with the switch.

This is the exact result I wanted, but something just doesn't feel right. Do I need to do anything with the wires in the switch? What about all those other wires in the receptacle box which are tied together?

Any guidance or assistance is truly appreciated!

Thanks!

[hkstroud]

I cut the cables from the old receptacle, stripped a short piece, and put them into the new receptacle without breaking the brass tab.

That is OK.
However now you have power going directly to the receptacle and you have power going to the switch and then back to the receptacle

No danger or risk here, but it would be better to remove the white wire in the bundle (a white wire, and 2 other black wires with a wire nut) and the black wire that did go to the switched half and put wire nuts on them. Those two wires (the black and white) will be in the same cable.

The way you have it now will be very confusing to the next person that opens this receptacle. Probably make them call you names when they figure it out.

[donf]

Be careful, please. Circuits are set up to meet the minimum code requirements. Removing switch controlled receptacles may be inadvertently creating a code violation.

Code requires that rooms have switch controlled lighting. There are two ways to do this. One is to bring the feed to the overhead circuit and control the light with a wall switch. The other is to use switch controlled split receptacles or full receptacles to control floor lamps or table lamps.

Using switch controlled receptacle outlets lets to meet 2 code requirements. One is the required spacing of wall receptacles and the other is controlled lighting.