Wiring pilot light switch

I'm having a problem wiring a single-pole combination switch and pilot light successfully. I'm trying to wire it so the switch controls power to an outlet. The switch works properly but the pilot light is on all of the time.

I setup a test using a three prong plug and an extra outlet as follows:
- On one side the pilot light switch has isolated brass and silver terminals. My black feed wire is connected to the brass terminal. The white wire, pigtailed with the white wires coming from the feed wire and going to the outlet, is connected to the silver terminal.

- On the other side of the pilot light switch are two black terminals connected by a tab. To one of those terminals I have connected the black wire that goes to the outlet.

Again, the switch and the outlet appear to work fine. The problem is that the pilot light is on all of the time. I figured maybe I have a bad pilot light switch so I went and got another one.... same result.

Any idea what I'm doing wrong? Thanks!!

- Mark

 

Reverse the two black wires. The pilot light is connected between the silver screw and what the device assumes is the switched brass screw (the one above it). But you have connected the continuous hot to that screw. It needs to have the switched hot.

This will have the side-effect of making the receptacle half of the combo always hot instead of switched. If you don't like that, you'll need to break out the tab and jumper from the brass screw on the other side to the receptacle brass screw.

 

Thanks for the suggestion John. I probably wasn't clear. The combo device is just a switch/pilot light. The recepticle, which I hope to have the switch control, is separate.

Swapping the black wires makes it so the switch continues to work correctly but the pilot light doesn't ever light.

Any more thoughts? (Doesn't seem like it should be this hard)

 

do you mean night light switch ?

 

Followup: John you were right.... thanks!!

After swapping the black wires I checked the switch was working with a multimeter, then plugged the test setup in to check the pilot light... plugged the test setup into the switched half a duplex outlet which, of course, was off... DOH!! It amazes me the lengths I can go to to complicate things...

MetalMart - They call it a "pilot light." It's a switch with a small light that reminds you a device you can't see, like a light in the attic, is on.

 

Got it ! device has a line and load terminal.