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sucosam · Dec 5, 2009, 09:27 AM

Hi there,

I'm doing some rewiring in a renovated basement bedroom. I have power from my panel to a single pole light switch. I want to connect up to three receptacles (outlets) off this switch, but I want them to work all the time regardless if the light switch is on or off. Currently they work only when the switch is in the ON position. This switch of course is also operating an actual light.

Currently from the panel hot (black) goes to the top screw on the switch. The black from the light and from the outlet go to the bottom screw, and the three white wires are connected together. This is clearly not the way it needs to be done. Can anyone provide some suggestions?

Thanks

hkstroud · Dec 5, 2009, 10:46 AM

Connect the black from the panel and the black from the outlet together and add a pig tail. Connect the pig tail to the switch.

sucosam · Dec 5, 2009, 10:54 AM

By pig tail do you mean use a marrette to join them together?

hkstroud · Dec 5, 2009, 11:23 AM

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sucosam · Dec 5, 2009, 11:33 AM

Actually, I have gotten it to work. I simply took the black that went to the outlet and connected it to the black from the panel, but on the wire nut on the switch. Same thing as you have here, but without the pigtail. Thanks for your suggestion and time.

Tev · Dec 5, 2009, 12:04 PM

Switches don't have wire nuts, they have screws. Screws are only good for a single wire which is why hkstroud suggested you to use a wire nut and pigtail.

sucosam · Dec 6, 2009, 01:10 PM

Tev, I followed your advice and added the pigtail, so now each screw has only a single wire. I have a similar situation however from another switch. Power goes to the switch, but I want to add a few receptacles off this switch. How would this be done? Black comes from a junction box into the switch, and white was going back... with lights in there also. How do I add receptacles in sequence that again are not controlled by the switch? I tried a pigtail, but perhaps had it wrong. I also tried black from panel to switch, black from receptable to the other switch screw and the whites together, but this didn't work. Any suggestions?

hkstroud · Dec 6, 2009, 05:08 PM

How many wires in the switch box? In the first situation you had power coming to the switch box. Therefore, you could tap off the hot and neutral to go to the outlet. In this case, it sounds like you may have power going to the light and only an switch leg at the switch box. That means you have no neutral at the switch box.

sucosam · Dec 6, 2009, 06:48 PM

Only one wire comes into the switch box, and that comes from a junction box. The other wire in the switch box would be a new wire and is going out to the outlet.

hkstroud · Dec 6, 2009, 08:20 PM

Then you will have to wire the outlets from the junction box. You have no neutral at the switch.

sucosam · Dec 6, 2009, 09:45 PM

Bummer. OK, good to know. Thanks again for your feedback.