Rip out the wallboard and re-do it properly.
You say the box is behind the 2 x 4? Then does that mean the wires are protruding out from the box to connect to the receptacle? That sounds like a concealed box and without a cover.
First things first......
You need to know if what you need is even there.
You MUST remove the wirenut on the white wires. Measure from the white wires to the dark screw terminal on the switch. You will either see 120v at all times or only when the switch (light) is on.
You need 120v always live to install a receptacle there.
it’s way cheaper than the $40 version I found before. Is the descriptor accurate? Is this a 3 way switch with receptacle combo?
I’ll check the white wire tomorrow. If I’m adding a separate receptacle vs using the above combo, am I checking for different things with the white wires?
In order to have a receptacle...... whether it's combo or a separate one...... you need always live and neutral. That is neutral in that box. The wire on the common screw terminal may be the line that goes to the light. That means the receptacle will only be live when the light is on.
That means this is the switched end of the circuit. You could install a receptacle here between the black on the black screw and the whites in the wire nut. However it will only be live if the light is on.
Yes.... the receptacle will only work with the lights on.
You need to add a short piece of white wire as a pigtail.
Not sure if a box extender will fit there.
Why was there no ground wire hooked up to the original switch as pictured?
do I need to hook up a ground to my new combo switch? I can’t access the back of the box since it’s so deep in the wall.
I hooked it and it works as described below, but it only hit me after thst there is no ground connected. And the receptacle isn’t directly connected to the metal box.....just attached to the extender I bought and screwed into the 2x4 as pictured
I just bought a larger vanity, and now the light fixture is not centered. I have to move it to the left, but there is a stud in the way. My thinking is that I can use a pancake box. Is it possible to mount one of these off center? I’m not familiar with using them and don’t know if there are multiple mounting holes. I am hoping to be able to secure the box on the right side. I want the box further to the left and not evenly spaced over the stud if that makes sense.
i just got done building a 30x48 workshop and in process of wiring it up. i am feeding it off of my house breaker panel. i am running 2awg wire, but when my house was built there was only one spare conduit ran down to the crawl space, and it already has a 6-3 cable in it feeding my old workshop.
i pulled the 6-3 for the old workshop out so i could hook up my new shop, but i need my old shop to have power to. i can come up with 2 options.
1. cut out some sheetrock in my house and drill some more holes to run the 6-3.
2. can i use a subpanel or something similar under my house and connect both shops to this?
something like in this link maybe?
[url]https://www.lowes.com/pd/GE-125-Amp-6-Spaces-12-Circuit-Convertible-Main-Breaker-Panel-Load-Center/1083441[/url]
12-10-20, 03:42 PM
