How To Wire A Wall Outlet To A Light Switch

The source is at the outlet and a switch loop is added to a new switch.

How to wire a wall outlet to a light switch. Skip to collection list skip to video grid. Say your countertop appliances are hogging all of the outlets in your kitchen. Run the new cable with sheathing at least two inches up inside the box and double over the excess wires to help hold the cable in place. This wiring diagram illustrates adding wiring for a light switch to control an existing wall outlet.

The hot source wire is removed from the receptacle and spliced to the red wire running to the switch. At the switch box the white neutral wires are spliced together and the ground wires are spliced and a pigtail wire is added and attached to the green ground screw on the light switch frame. The black wire from the switch connects to the hot on the receptacle. You could replace the light switch on the wall with a switch outlet combo.

Rewire the existing electrical outlet connect the wires of the new cable to the existing wires. To connect the switches simply score the wire with your wire stripper and push the insulation to expose about 3 4 in. Instead of running a separate pigtail from the hot wire to each switch just leave the hot wire extra long. After identifying the line and load terminals on the switch remove the wire going to the light fixture twist it together with the wire going to the outlet add a jumper wire cap them and attach the jumper wire back to the switch s load terminal.

Twist the three wires together clockwise and screw on a wire cap then connect the short wire back to the switch. The exception here is if the outlet that s controlled by the light switch is only connected to that light switch and there aren t any other wires. You d still have the switch to control the lights but you now have an extra outlet that you can use for that fancy new blender you bought. Strip about 10 inches of plastic sheathing from the new cable to expose the black white and copper wires.

Here are the step by step instructions on what s involved. Electrical how to run electrical wire for an outlet or light switch. Connect the last switch in the usual manner looping the wire around the screw in a clockwise direction. Twist and cap the white wires connect all the ground wires to the ground screw and you re done.