I have been playing with this for almost two days now.

i have a wall outlet and a light controlled by a switch.

what i want to do is have the outlet always on and the light controlled by the switch

in the outlet box there is two wires each containing a white black and ground wire.

can you please tell me how this can be done.

 

It is always possible to do what you want, but may require running additional cables.

Start by telling us how the wires were originally connected to the receptacle, and if there are any color marks on the wires in addition to their original insulation covering. Also tell us how the wires are connected in the switch box.

Second, why don't you tell us which books you've read on electrical wiring, and what sort of tester you are using to measure voltage.

My guess is that power feeds from the switch to the receptacle and then on to the light, in which case you do not have 'unswitched' power in that receptacle location.

-Jon

 

i do not remember how they were connected is my problem but it has worked for years.
where i am at right now i wanted to replace the receptable because my wife wanted to change the color of the bathroom the receptable box has two wires in it and each has a white black and ground,i have tried everything i can think of to get it to work to no avail seems like it should be simple enough just to have the receptable be hot all the time and the switch to control the light but i cannot figure it out.
i have not tested any measure of voltage and have not read any books on this wish i did.

 

Sorry,

There is not enough information to tell you how to make this work again.

You are going to have to start by reading a book or three on basic wiring, so that you know how to proceed safely and know what to expect. There are many, many details necessary to get an electrical installation correct, and no way for someone to write a short e-message that covers them all. When giving advice here, we are forced to assume that you have basic electrical knowledge, and you can only get that by doing your own study. There are numerous safety issues, and doing something wrong can easily get you killed.

A proper and safe electrical installation requires that you invest time in getting knowledge. If you don't want to invest this time, then invest the money in someone who has taken the time.

You will also need to buy several tools so that you can test for voltage on circuits. The books will tell you what you need.

A couple of more questions: Since this is a bathroom, are you using a GFCI receptacle? When the light switch is off, is the receptacle also off? When the light switch is on, are both the light and the receptacle on? If nothing is plugged into the receptacle, does the light actually come on?

-Jon

 

We need to know exactly what cables and what wires are present in all three boxes (the receptacle box, the light fixture box and the switch box).

 

Switch box(black,white and ground)
Receptacle box(2 wires each with white,black and ground)
Light fixture box(black,white and ground)

 

Go look again. With what you've described there are not enough wires for your lights to work. There are two possibilities:

1) There is another junction box that you don't know about, with wires that go to the light fixture and to the switch and to a source of power. This might be behind a blank wall plate, or in your attic.

2) There are additional wires that are in the back of the boxes, but which don't stick out.

-Jon

 

Thanks i will look for them.