Ask Me Help Desk - 3 Way light switch - Trying to turn one into a plug.

3 Way light switch - Trying to turn one into a plug.

We have a 3 way light switch that controlled an outside light. We want to make one a plug outlet now. We can't get the new plug to work. Currently the plug we put in has no power but the light switch works fine. Before we had the plug working only when the light switch was off. We are so confused. Is this even possible to do?

What are you going to do with the other switch? As they are wired, you have a hot and 2 traveler connectors. Depending on how it is wired, through, switch loop etc. this may not be possible. You do realize you need a neutral wire?

Quote:

Originally Posted by ma0641

What are you going to do with the other switch? As they are wired, you have a hot and 2 traveler connectors. Depending on how it is wired, through, switch loop etc., this may not be possible. You do realize you need a neutral wire?

I guess I left out some info on how it's wired. We want to keep one switch to control the outside light. The other we want to be a normal kitchen plug. When I open up the plug we put in this is the wire pattern: the 2 left side screws have 1 white wire each and the right 2 screws have 1 black wire in them. Then here is a red wire capped off and pushed in the back. The switch we kept is wired like this: white wire on top back on bottom and a red wire capped off and pushed in the back of box. Does this help?

Quote:

Originally Posted by ma0641

What are you going to do with the other switch? As they are wired, you have a hot and 2 traveler connectors. Depending on how it is wired, through, switch loop etc., this may not be possible. You do realize you need a neutral wire?

So there is a total of 4 wires in the plug. 2 white on left side 1 in each screw and 2 black ones on the right side, in each screw one right side. Oh and I put a voltage meter in the plug and it says there is power but when I plug something into it there is no power. So totally confused.

There are five way a set of 3-way switches can be wired. You can only do what you wish if the power is being fed to the switches, not to the fixture. Wire colors are not helpful in describing the wiring because if the power is being fed to the fixture, all conductors including the white wire are hot.

If power is being fed to the switches you will have white wires in at least one of the switches that are wire nutted together and not attached to the switches.

Quote:

the 2 left side screws have 1 white wire each and the right 2 screws have 1 black wire in them

That does not sound like a 3-way switch. A 3-way switch will have only 3 terminal screws and green ground screw. That may be a 4-way switch. Is there more than two switches that turn the light on and off?

Quote:

Originally Posted by hkstroud

There are five way a set of 3-way switches can be wired. You can only do what you wish if the power is being fed to the switches, not to the fixture. Wire colors are not helpful in describing the wiring because if the power is being fed to the fixture, all conductors including the white wire are hot.

If power is being fed to the switches you will have white wires in at least one of the switches that are wire nutted together and not attached to the switches.

That does not sound like a 3-way switch. A 3-way switch will have only 3 terminal screws and green ground screw. That may be a 4-way switch. Is there more than two switches that turn the light on and off?

No, only 2 switches that control 1 outside light.

Quote:

So there is a total of 4 wires in the plug. 2 white on left side 1 in each screw and 2 black ones on the right side, in each screw one right side. Oh and I put a voltage meter in the plug and it says there is power but when I plug something into it there is no power. So totally confused.

Is that a description of how you found the switch wired or how you wired the receptical you are installing?

Quote:

Originally Posted by hkstroud

A meter or a no contact voltage sensor (often looks some what like a pen)?

Doesn't help to describe connections as left, right, top or bottom. If you turn the switch over the right becomes the left and the top becomes the bottom.

A 3-way switch has a common terminal and two traveler terminals. The common terminal will be a darker color, often black. You must describe connections in that manner.

Obviously one of these switches is in the kitchen, where is the other one located and where is the exterior light.

I'll repeat, you can only make an outlet work if power is being fed to one of the switches. If power is being fed to the light you have no neutral at the switch. If power is being fed to the light the white wires are not neutrals.

If power is being fed to the switch there will be two white wires, (the neutral) connected together in at least one of the switches and maybe both.

Is that a description of how you found the switch wired or how you wired the receptical you are installing?

Yes it's looks like a pen. It beeps and lights up when I put it in the new outlet we out in but has no power when we put a plug in it.

The outside light that the switches control is right out side our kitchen window. The outlet we changed to a plug (that used to be a switch) is literally right behind the wall where the light is at but on the inside of the house. The other light switch is about 7' or so down the inside wall to the left by the sliding glass door. Both are basically in our kitchen/dining room area. We want to keep the one by the glass door for the back light but change the other switch to a plug.

We way I explained the wiring is how we wired it. I'm not exactly sure how it was wired before. We tried a few different wiring ways but none have worked.

OK
The device that you are using is a voltage sensor. It will tell you if voltage is present on a wire but it doesn't tell you if you have a complete circuit. You must have a neutral. Electrical current can't just jump off the end of a wire. It must have a way to return to its source (the neutral) or to go to ground.

If I understand correctly you described how you wire the outlet. Only problem is that it appears that you do not have a neutral. Read earlier post about how to determine whether you have a neutral at the switch location.

If you do not have a neutral put things back the way they were. You will have to find another way to install an outlet at the location. It just won't work with out a neutral.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hkstroud

OK
The device that you are using is a voltage sensor. It will tell you if voltage is present on a wire but it doesn't tell you if you have a complete circuit. You must have a neutral. Electrical current can't just jump off the end of a wire. It must have a way to return to its source (the neutral) or to go to ground.

If I understand correctly you described how you wire the outlet. Only problem is that it appears that you do not have a neutral. Read earlier post about how to determine whether or not you have a neutral at the switch location.

If you do not have a neutral put things back the way they were. You will have to find another way to install an outlet at the location. It just won't work with out a neutral.

Ok. I don't know how to find out which wire is the neutral. I don't know much about eletrical stuff and can only see colors. I was hoping it would be as simple as putting certain colors in certain places and that would be that. I appreciate your help.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pdxmama

Ok. I don't know how to find out which wire is the neutral. I dont know much about electical stuff and can only see colors. I was hoping it would be as simple as putting certain colors in certain places and that would be that. I appreciate your help.

In many cases, colors do follow :green or bare is ground, red, black, blue gray, etc carry current and white is USUALLY neutral. However, in the way you are explaining your switches, white appears to be carrying current and that is approved if done a certain way and marked with black tape. You cannot guess with electricity and could cause damage by, for example, connecting 2 current carrying wires even if they were both black.