Can You Turn A Light Switch Into An Outlet
If you don t need a light in the.
Can you turn a light switch into an outlet. If your cabling looks like this then you can change the bathroom switch to an outlet like this. Other cases would be handled similarly. When installing a switch outlet combo unit you ll want to know the difference between the two sets of wires coming into the light switch box. The first step is to locate the live circuit wires in the switch box.
Converting a light fixture to a power outlet can be done in two ways. Note that you don t have to purchase a two way switch. If you want to continue having a light in the fixture but need a receptacle as well you can install a lamp holder to outlet adapter instead. Basically you abandon the original purposes of the wires and re use them to construct two.
To do this you simply purchase a screw in adapter that will screw into your light socket like a light bulb but it will have a plug or two on the end of it. Yes a switch can be converted into an outlet if the wiring can be identified back at the source and one of the wires the neutral or white can be connected to the neutral source. When you find yourself in need of an additional outlet there is no need to call an electrician to install one as you can utilize a light fixture socket and turn it into an electrical outlet. It s that easy to turn a hardwired light fixture into a lamp that can be used in any dry and safe spot that an extension cord can reach.
You will need a meter even if it is a 2 glow indicator with 2 probes. They screw right into the outlet and contain both receptacles and a light bulb socket. Leave the power on and carefully measure from the pair of white wires to each black going to the switch with the switch off. The first way is really simple and doesn t require any electrical knowledge or understanding whatsoever.
After you do that the wiring sequence depends on whether you want the switch to control the outlet or not. Just use one of the traveler terminals and ignore the other. You don t have to add another switch. The one that lights up the tester is power the other black is going to the light.
You don t even need to know how to replace an outlet if you use an adapter. As you will see from the wiring diagrams provided from the links below typically the white wire is used as a switch leg. You can even use a wireless wall switch to turn the plugged in lamp on and off from a doorway or nightstand. You can replace a switch with a receptacle or a switch outlet combo.