How to Add a Receptacle to a Wall Switch
Adding a receptacle to a wall switch lets you control the electrical current to the receptacle by flipping the switch. Install a switch-controlled receptacle to operate a table lamp across the room. Consider powering an additional receptacle through the switch to operate large power tools such as a table saw or grinder. Add a receptacle anywhere you wish and connect it to an existing switch in order to operate any appliance in your home. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Old-workreceptacle box
- Drywall saw
- Phillips or slotted screwdriver
- Two-prong tester
- 12/2 nonmetallic electrical cable
- Wire cutter/stripper
- 12-gauge solid THHN black wire
- Red wire connector
- Receptacle
- Duplex cover plate
Instructions
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1
Turn off the electricity to the wall switch by turning the circuit breaker off inside the main panel box that supplies electricity to the circuit.
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2
Find a place on the wall where you want to put a receptacle that operates from the wall switch. Trace around the template that came with the old-work receptacle box on the wall where you want to place the new receptacle. Use a drywall saw to remove the drywall from the wall by cutting along the trace line.
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3
Uncover the existing wall switch by removing the screws holding the cover plate. Use a two-prong tester to test for electrical current. Touch a prong to a screw holding a black wire on the wall switch, then touch the other prong to the metal. The tester will not light if you have turned off the right breaker. Test to confirm the disconnection of electricity on the remaining black wire connected to the wall switch.
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4
Remove the existing wall switch from the wall by taking the screws from the switch. Loosen the screws on the switch to remove the black wires from beneath them.
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5
Pull 12/2 nonmetallic electrical cable from the new receptacle site to the original wall switch location. Strip both ends of the cable to remove the insulation from the black and white wires to expose 1/2- to 3/4-inch of copper wire using a wire cutter/stripper.
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6
Make a 6- to 8-inch black 12-gauge solid THHN wire pigtail. Expose 1/2- to 3/4-inch of copper wire by stripping the insulation off the ends.
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Remove the wire connections holding the white wires together and the bare copper wires together inside the original wall switch electrical box. Connect the new white wire inside the wall switch to the original two white wires with the wire connector you removed. Repeat for the bare copper wires inside the wall switch box.
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8
Connect the black pigtail to the black wire from the power supply that runs back to the main panel box and the black wire running to the new receptacle. Twist a red wire connector onto all three wires to hold them together.
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9
Thread the electrical cable through the opening in the back of the old-work box and pass the plastic tab. Push the box into the hole you cut in the wall. Twist the screws on the old-work box clockwise until the box clamps to the wall.
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10
Twist the white wire around the silver screw on the new receptacle, twist the black wire around the brass screw and twist the bare copper wire around the green screw. Tighten all three screws and push the new receptacle into the old-work box.
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11
Attach the receptacle to the old-work box at the top and bottom. Cover the receptacle and the box with a duplex cover plate.
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12
Turn on the electricity to the wall switch and new receptacle by turning on the breaker inside the main panel box, supplying electricity to the circuit.
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References
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