Wiring Light/Switch/Outlet


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Old 08-31-11, 03:40 PM
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Wiring Light/Switch/Outlet

Quick question -

I'm trying to wire a switch and an outlet to a light. The power source connects directly to the light. How do I go about wiring the light to the switch and outlet. I want the switch to control the light and have the outlet be constantly powered. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!
 
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Old 08-31-11, 05:29 PM
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What I would do is the following, since you already have the hot source you will need to have two black wires connected to the hot source. Once hot wire will run to the outlet and the other hot will run to one side of the switch. You will then need a second black wire the will run from the other side of the switch to the black on the light. You will also need to run a neutral and ground wire to both the outlet and a ground wire to the switch. This ground and neutral wires would connect to the ground and neutral wires were you are picking up the hot from.

Before we can give information on the size of wire to use we will need to know the size of breaker the light is currently on.
 
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Old 08-31-11, 05:46 PM
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You can do it with a 3 wire cable, 14/3 for 15A circuit, 12/3 for a 20A circuit.
White of the source to the white of the light and to the white of the 3-wire cable. Black of the source to either the red or black of the 3-wire cable (sending power down to sw/recpt). The remaining wire (black or red) to the lights black. Connect all grounds at the light and to the box if metal.

At the switch, white of the 3-wire to the neutral screw (silver colored). Black or red (whichever is supplying power) to one of the gold screws on the side that has the jumper tab connecting 2 screws together. The black or red (whichever was connected to the lights black) to the single gold screw. Connect all grounds together and to the switch and the box if metal.
 
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Old 08-31-11, 06:30 PM
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How to wire a light/switch/outlet

Using 14-2 Romex wire bring power to the outlet by attaching black wire to the gold screw on oulet and white wire to the silver screw on the outlet. Attach bare wire to the green screw for your ground to the outlet. Come out of the outlet with a black wire to one side of the switch. On the other side of the switch, come out of the switch with a black wire to the black wire on the light fixture. The white wire on the light fixture will get attached to the white wire at the out let. The white wire from the out let can be brought up to the junction box where the switch is located DO NOT ATTACH THE WHITE WIRE TO ANY PART OF THE SWITCH. SWITCHES ARE WIRED IN SERIES AND OUTLETS ARE WIRED IN PARALLEL. CONNECT GROUND WIRE FROM THE SWITCH TO THE ARE WIRE OR GREEN WIRE AT THE LIGHT FIXTURE. tHE POWER SOURCE FOR YOUR LIGHT AND SWITCH WILL BE COMING FROM THE CONSTANTLY POWERED OUTLET. I HOPE THIS HELPS
 

Last edited by gordon52; 08-31-11 at 06:46 PM. Reason: SPELLING WRONG
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Old 08-31-11, 06:45 PM
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I think I mis-understood. I thought the OP meant a switch/receptacle combo.

RyanNirg, are you using a combo sw/recept, or are they 2 individual devices? Are they in the same box? What do you have running there now?
 
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Old 08-31-11, 07:04 PM
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Thanks for the responses everyone. Sorry if I was a little vague...they are 2 separate devices housed together in the same box. Before I started this project, there was a switch connected to some different lights, and 2 sets of outlets.
 
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Old 08-31-11, 07:13 PM
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What wires, if any, do you have running from the light to the switch box now? Cable or conduit? Power is in the light box right?
 
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Old 08-31-11, 07:26 PM
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Power goes directly to the first light which is connected to a second light. There is a 12-2 cable coming from the first light to the switch/outlet area.
 
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Old 08-31-11, 07:58 PM
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how to wire a swith/light and outlet when power is coming from the light

disconnect black wire from the light and power source. attach a black wire to the power source and connect to one side of the switch. come out of the other side of the switch with a black wire and attach it to the black wire from the light fixture. THIS WILL TURN LIGHT OFF AND ON BY THE SWITCH Connect another black wire to the gold screw of the outlet to the power source located at the light fixture. connect a white wire from the outlet (silver screw) to the white wire at the light fixture. This will constantly bring power to the out let. connect all bare and green wires together for grounds. MY previous wiring diagram was for wiring a light/switch/ outlet when power is located at the outlet. MY BAD SWITCHES ARE WIRED IN SERIES AND OUTLETS ARE WIRED IN PARALLEL .
 
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Old 08-31-11, 08:01 PM
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Originally Posted by RyanNirg
Power goes directly to the first light which is connected to a second light. There is a 12-2 cable coming from the first light to the switch/outlet area.
Best to replace this 12-2 cable with a 12-3. You could add a second 12-2 and use one cable as a switch loop and one for power. However that increases box fill. No harder to run a new 12-3 then a new 12-2. The existing 12-2 would be abandoned in place if the walls are closed.
 
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Old 09-01-11, 08:37 AM
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Thanks again. Does anyone know of a wiring diagram that fits this situation? Or if someone could possibly draw one up real quick, I'd appreciate it. I would like to have something to refer to while I do this. I will be sticking with the 12-2 since I have a ton of it left over, so I won't have to go out and buy any 12-3. Thanks

Ryan
 
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Old 09-01-11, 08:54 AM
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White wire between switch and black of power in must be recolored at both ends black or red or any color except green or gray. It should not be left white. A band of colored tape or felt tip marker may be used.
 

Last edited by ray2047; 09-01-11 at 10:49 AM.
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Old 09-01-11, 05:38 PM
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Awesome, thanks for the drawing. Made it really easy to figure out what I needed to do. Just for future reference, if I wanted to take this same situation, but have the switch also control the outlet, what would need to be modified?
 
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Old 09-01-11, 06:31 PM
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Originally Posted by ray2047


White wire between switch and black of power in must be recolored at both ends black or red or any color except green or gray. It should not be left white. A band of colored tape or felt tip marker may be used.
But, if you are on the 2011 NEC, you must have a neutral conductor at the switch whether you need it now or not. The 12-2 between the light and the switch can be changed to a 12-3, use the red and black conductors for the switch loop and cap both ends of the white conductor if you don't need it.
 
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Old 09-01-11, 06:34 PM
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if I wanted to take this same situation, but have the switch also control the outlet, what would need to be modified?
You have to use 12-3. Black and white would be your power to the switch box. Red would be your return power to the light. At the switch the white would go to the receptacle, the black to the switch. The red would be pigtailed to both the switch and the receptacle.

At the light red to the light. White of 3-wire and white of power in cable and light white tied together. Black of power in to black of the 3-wire cable.

Two 2-wire cables could not be used. Because of code requirement for all power in the same sheath or raceway. As long as the switch only controls the light you have two separate circuits and two cables are OK. But in the new configuration of switch controlling both light and receptacle it is a single circuit and the all in one sheath rule applies.
 
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Old 09-01-11, 06:45 PM
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Casual Joe, switch and receptacle are in the same 2 gang box. If he is on 2011 would the neutral in a separate cable for the separate receptacle circuit be allowed to fulfill the requirement or would you have to use 3-conductor because of the same sheath or raceway rule?
 

Last edited by ray2047; 09-01-11 at 07:03 PM.
 

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