Add A Receptacle From A Light Switch

This receptacle can not be added to a switch wired as a loop to control the light.

Add a receptacle from a light switch. This diagram shows the wiring for a new outlet added from a light switch. Wiring diagram for a new outlet off a light switch. Question how to add a receptacle to an existing circuit. Adding an grounded outlet will require a neutral wire a hot wire and a ground wire.

If power is coming into the switch box from the panel and you want to connect an outlet to the switch your first option is to wire the receptacle to always be on. I wired the outlet from the first light but it only works when the switch and lights are on. As you can see connecting a receptacle to the light would see the receptacle only hot when the light switch is on. If you know which breaker in your electrical panel serves that circuit then switch it off.

The second light has a wire from the first light also. The switch box wiring that you have described has a hot wire leading to the switch and the switched wire for the power that returns back to the light fixture so the wiring at the light switch cannot be. If there s a pair of neutral white wires that aren t connected to the switch you re in luck see photo. You can then add the new black wire to the black the white to the white and the ground to the ground wires.

This article will assume that the first is the reason you are reading this. Learn which light switches. Presently i have two lights on a switch and i want to add an outlet so that the outlet is live even when the switch is off. Adding an outlet from a light switch is easy and it takes just a few dollars and a couple hours to do.

How switch wiring can be used for receptacle outlets. Turn off the power to the switch box remove the switch plate and unscrew the switch so you can examine the wires. The switch must have an always hot wire for the source and a neutral wire must be present for the return path. In this case you must change the cable from the switch to the light outlet from a 2 wire to a 3 wire cable.

Hook up the outlet as you normally would. There are two main reasons that most people would add a switch to an electrical outlet. Before working with any electrical circuits make sure the electricity is turned off. The first thing you need to do is distinguish the line cable coming from the panel from the load cable which is the one going to the light fixture.

Here is what you would have to do if possible change out the 2 wire to 3 wire cable from switch to light. To add an outlet to a light switch you start by making a pigtail using the hot wire the wire going to the fixture controlled by the switch and a third length of wire. Why add a switch to an electrical outlet. You then splice all the white wires and all the ground wires in the switch box together.