Home Automation - changing swith to outlet/switch combination
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11-11-00, 03:48 PM
changing a wall switch to switch/plug combination. Want to be sure wires are on correctly. One side is two screws/other side is three screws. Switch is on top/plug on bottom. Believe wires are White over black on one side, ground over black over white that is connected to white on left side of plug. Is this correct?
11-13-00, 06:11 PM
hello hubbyhelp,
ok ill try my best to help you but there is not enough info for me to tell if this is possabel so ill give you the basics and if u need further help just ask.
determining if chainge is possabel
the only way you can chainge out a switch to a switch/outlet is if there is a nutural present in the box. if there is only 1 set of romex(ie a white black and a bare) there is no nutural present as this is a switch loop and power is in the light. the white carries power to the switch and the black returns power to the light, and the bare is the ground.
switch
since u mentioned 5 screws we have 1 of 2 choices; eather 1 screw is green and this is the ground(mosyt likley), or you have a 3way switch/outlet.
1 screw green
bare wire goes to green screw.
1 screw usualy black will be switch hot
1 screw usualy black will be outlet hot
some times there is a bridge between 2 screws and this would be the hot for both switch and outlet
1 screw usualy silver will be outlet nutural
1 screw will be the switch leg screw
the directions that came with the switch will tell you which screw is which, if you dont have them then u will have to do some testing to be sertion, but generaly speaking the 2 top screws r the switch screws and the 2 bottom screws r the outlet screws.
wireing switch
pigtail(small piece of wire aprox 7" long wirenutted to other wires to produce 1 end to connect to a device) the nutural(white wire that passes straight threw the box)and connect to the silver screw for the outlet.
double pigtail (2 small pieces of wire aprox 7" long wirenutted to other wires to produce 2 ends to connect to a device) the hot wire, and connect 1 to switch hot and other to outlet hot....note only do this if there is no bridge between 2 screws, if bridge is present then connect hot to this with out pigtailing.
connect switch leg to remaining screw
ok ill try my best to help you but there is not enough info for me to tell if this is possabel so ill give you the basics and if u need further help just ask.
determining if chainge is possabel
the only way you can chainge out a switch to a switch/outlet is if there is a nutural present in the box. if there is only 1 set of romex(ie a white black and a bare) there is no nutural present as this is a switch loop and power is in the light. the white carries power to the switch and the black returns power to the light, and the bare is the ground.
switch
since u mentioned 5 screws we have 1 of 2 choices; eather 1 screw is green and this is the ground(mosyt likley), or you have a 3way switch/outlet.
1 screw green
bare wire goes to green screw.
1 screw usualy black will be switch hot
1 screw usualy black will be outlet hot
some times there is a bridge between 2 screws and this would be the hot for both switch and outlet
1 screw usualy silver will be outlet nutural
1 screw will be the switch leg screw
the directions that came with the switch will tell you which screw is which, if you dont have them then u will have to do some testing to be sertion, but generaly speaking the 2 top screws r the switch screws and the 2 bottom screws r the outlet screws.
wireing switch
pigtail(small piece of wire aprox 7" long wirenutted to other wires to produce 1 end to connect to a device) the nutural(white wire that passes straight threw the box)and connect to the silver screw for the outlet.
double pigtail (2 small pieces of wire aprox 7" long wirenutted to other wires to produce 2 ends to connect to a device) the hot wire, and connect 1 to switch hot and other to outlet hot....note only do this if there is no bridge between 2 screws, if bridge is present then connect hot to this with out pigtailing.
connect switch leg to remaining screw
Wgoodrich
11-28-00, 01:30 PM
I may be confused but it looked like you described the new switch instead of the old switch. I think the previous reply was correct in saying that the neutral or grounded leg is not present in the switch box that you are trying to install a combo switch/receptacle in. Take a tester and test between the insulated wires disconnected from all screws and touch the other prong of the tester to any white or grey wire. If you don't get a voltage reading then test from the insulated wires to the bare wire. If you do get a reading you are surely missing the grounded leg in that switch box which is commonly the case. If this is right then you must fish a second power source into that switch box to power the receptacle separately from the switch side of the combo.
Please feel free to do some testing and come back with more info, we may be able to help more. If you do tell us how many cables and what color wires are found in the box.
Good Luck
Wg
Please feel free to do some testing and come back with more info, we may be able to help more. If you do tell us how many cables and what color wires are found in the box.
Good Luck
Wg