How do you wire a 110 outlet from a 110 light switch?

Answer 1

I assume that both the light switch and the outlet are already installed. First, look at the visible portion of the switch carefully. Does it say "Off" and "On"? If not, you have a 3-way switch, and you should stop here because these instructions will not work for a 3-way switch. Now, identify all devices that are operated by this switch. Presumably, you at least have an overhead light on the circuit. Identify the breaker that controls this circuit and turn it OFF. Now you need to identify the LAST device on this circuit. To do so, one device at a time, remove each device from its box (but do not disconnect the wires). The last device will have only one cable (sheathed bundle of 3-4 wires) coming into the box (any devices between the switch and the last device will have two cables coming into the box). Now, purchase enough cable to stretch from the last device to the outlet you want connected to the switch. Remember that this cable will have to run across ceiling joists, wall studs, etc., rather than in a straight line. The new cable should be the same gauge and type as the existing wiring. Purchase 3-4 feet more than you need. You will also need wire nuts (the standard yellow nuts is the size you will most likely need, but it won't hurt to buy a variety pack), electrical tape, wire cutters, a utility knife, wire strippers, and cable staples (U-shaped nails) Go to a place where you can access the BACK side of the box that houses the last device on your circuit (if this is an overhead light, that will be in your attic; if it's a wall outlet, you're pretty much screwed.) Punch out an unused hole in the back of this box and feed at least six inches of cable through that hole. Staple the cable to a ceiling joist or other sturdy frame member as close as possible to the box. If you are lucky, there will already be a hole in the top plate, with a different cable running down to the outlet. If not, you're going to have to drill your own hole, and take a chance of electrocuting yourself and/or shorting out your whole house, if there is another cable running along the underside of this top plate. Once the hole is drilled, feed the cable down through that hole as far as you can. Now, identify the circuit that controls the outlet and turn the breaker off. Take the cover plate off of the outlet, then unscrew the outlet from the box and pull it out of the box. Again, you need to identify how many cables are coming into that box. If there is only one cable, disconnect all wires from the outlet and cap them with a small wire nut (grey will probably work best) and tape them up with electrical tape. If there are two cables, you will need to disconnect all wire and match them up - black to black, white to white, ground to ground - and connect each matched pair with yellow wire nuts and tape them up. This will remove the outlet from its previous circuit, and you can now turn that breaker back on. Now comes the hard part. You need to somehow take the cable end you fed down through the top plate and feed it into the back of the outlet box. If the box isn't nailed to a stud, you can just pull it out, and it will be much easier. Otherwise, this task will be be very near impossible. You might try bending a coat hanger straight, then bending the last inch back into a U shape, then trying to fish inside the wall for the cable end. But even if you can catch it, you have to pull it through a small hole in the back of your box, and that cable isn't very flexible. You may end up having to cut a section of your drywall out and replace it later. Once you get the new cable coming into your box, trim the end to 6 inches, then cut the sheathing off with a utility knife, being careful not to cut the insulation around the individual wires. Separate the black, white, and ground wires and strip the last inch or so of insulation from the black and white wires. Bend the last inch of all three wires into a U shape. Hook this U-bend around the connection screws as follows: Black wire to one of the two brass screws on the right side of the outlet, white wire to one of the two silver screws on the left side of the outlet, and ground wire to the green screw at the bottom of the outlet. (It doesn't matter which of the two brass screws or which of the two silver screws you use, as long as the black wire is connected to brass screw and the white wire to a silver screw.) Now go back to the front side (not in your attic) of the box for your overhead light (or whatever you determined to be the last device on your switched circuit. You will have the new cable sticking out of that box, as well as the existing connection from your circuit to the device. These connection will be as follows: one circuit black wire connected to one or more black wires going to the device (if the device is a ceiling fan, and it has a light kit attached, there may also be a blue wire attached to the black wires); one circuit white wire connected to one or more white wires going to the device; and one circuit ground wire connected to a bare or green wire, which in turn is connected to either a metal part of the device or a grounding screw inside the box. You will need to remove the tape and wire nuts from the black wire connection and the white wire connection. Then add the new black wire from your new cable to the existing black (and blue, if applicable) wires and connect them all together with a yellow wire nut. Then add the new white wire from your cable to the existing white wires and connect them all together using a yellow wire nut. Tape up both connections with electrical tape. Then twist the new ground wire around the existing bare ground wire to complete the ground connection. Replace your device, turn the breaker back on, and check everything.

Answer 2

Maybe. If power is supplied to the switchbox through a cable containing the hot conductor (black), the grounded conductor (white), and the ground, or bond (bare), you can tap off these to supply a separate receptacle. If only a hot wire is brought to the switch and then taken out to the switched device, you cannot use this connexion to properly wire a separate receptacle. In this second case, the connexions will probably be made with a single conventional cable, but however this appears, it is not equivalent to the wiring described in the first case.

Answer 3

Answer for USA, Canada and countries running a 60 Hz supply service.

This can be tricky since the continuous live power in a light switch can be in either the black wire or the white wire depending on whether the power first enters the switch or the light fixture.

If the power enters the switch first, the continuous live power will be in the incoming black wire (it will also be in the outgoing black lead but only when the switch is on).

If the power enters the light fixture first, then it is sent to the switch on a white lead and back to the light on a black lead. In this case the white lead will always be powered but the black lead will have power only when the switch is on.

To further complicate matters, or in some cases simplify matters, the box might also contain a red wire which would normally be live.

You might want to have someone knowledgeable in electrical wiring to have a look at it first before popping too many fuses.

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As always, if you are in doubt about what to do, the best advice anyone should give you is to call a licensed electrician to advise what work is needed.

Before you do any work yourself,

on electrical circuits, equipment or appliances,

always use a test meter to ensure the circuit is, in fact, de-energized.

IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY SURE YOU CAN DO THIS JOB

SAFELY AND COMPETENTLY

REFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.

Answer 4

You need to take a new wire into the outlet and to your new switch box. Black (hot) to black and white (neutral) to white Also splice the ground wire through. In the switch box you'll have your new wire from the outlet and a wire going out to the new light. Incoming black wire to one terminal on the switch and the black wire going to the light on the other terminal. The neutral wires get spliced together.

Answer 5

Basically you need to connect the black supply wire directly to the outlet rather than have it go through switch. You can have two possible conditions. The first condition is that the supply comes to the switch box and connects to one side of the switch. The other side of the switch goes to the outlet. In this case just remove each black wire from the switch and connect them together with a wirenut.

If the black supply wire goes to the outlet and there is another black wire going to the switch then there will also be a wire coming back from the switch. Just disconnect the wire coming from the switch to the outlet and connect the black supply wire directly to the outlet.

Answer 6

Assuming that you want the light switched and the outlet unswitched and the supply voltage is in the switch box you do the following.

Run the supply directly from the input of the switch to the outlet. Black goes to the copper colored terminal on outlet, white to silver colored terminal and ground to green screw. The white wires for outlet and light can all be wired together using a wirenut. Do the same for the grounds. Then one side of the switch is connected to the black supply and the other side of the switch to the black wire on the light.

Answer 7

Turn the breaker off sending power to this circuit. Just run power from the outlet up to the light switch box using a 12/2 or 14/2 wire. Now run a 12/2 or 14/2 wire from the light switch box up to the light. In the light switch box tie all the white wires together and push them in the back of the box. Connect all the ground wires together and connect that to the green screw on the light switch. Connect the black wire coming from the outlet to one of the screws on the light switch. Now connect the black wire coming from the light to the other screw on the light switch. Turn your breaker back on and this will control your lite.

Answer 8

Answer for USA, Canada and countries running a 60 Hz supply service.

Receptacle from an existing switch

Find the circuit in the distribution panel and turn the breaker off.

This procedure can only be done if the hot and the neutral enter into the light's switch junction box. The hot from the distribution panel or a hot source upstream of the switch box should go to the switch. Establish this conductor and remove it from the switch. This wire now is connected to the conductor that you have going to your new receptacle. Also to this splice add a 6" piece of conductor the same size as the feeder. This will now connect back to the switch where you took the other wire from. What you should now have is three wires under the wire nut of the splice. Hot wire in, new hot wire out to the receptacle and short piece connected to the switch. Now open up the white wire that is probably in the back of the box and add the white wire from the new receptacle to it. This completes the addition of a new receptacle from an existing light switch box. Make sure that the ground wire from the new receptacle is connected under the ground screw in the back of the light switch box.

As always, if you are in doubt about what to do, the best advice anyone should give you is to call a licensed electrician to advise what work is needed.

Before you do any work yourself,

on electrical circuits, equipment or appliances

always use a test meter to ensure the circuit is, in fact, de-energized.

IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY SURE YOU CAN DO THIS JOB

SAFELY AND COMPETENTLY

REFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.

Answer 9

Bring power into the switch box with a 12/2 or 14/2 wire and send power from there to the wall outlet with another 12/2 or 14/2 wire depending on the circuit. 12/2 for 20 amp and 14/2 for 15 amp circuit. You will now have 2 sets of wires in the switch box. Connect all the whites together under a wire nut and push them back into the box. Connect all the ground wires together and attach them to the green ground screw on the switch. Connect the black wire from the power source to one of the screws on the switch, does not matter which one. Then connect the black wire going to the outlet to the other screw on the switch. Put the switch back in the box and install the cover. At the wall outlet connect the ground to green ground screw, white wire to silver screw, and black wire to gold screw. Put it in the box and install the cover.