[nickpez]

Hello everyone.

Just wanted to get a little direction on something. We dont have any overhead lights in the bedrooms in our house. I have added recessed lights in our living room and a few other electrical projects so I have a little experience. I want to add one overhead light in my sons room and am faced with a switch that operates one whole recepticle. The switch has one black and one white wire connected to it so I know thats just the switch leg. The connected outlet has to 3 wire cables coming in to it with the grounds connected and pigtailed to the box and outlet. A black from one cable connected to the white from the other and the white from one cable connected to the outlet as is the black wire from the other cable. Not sure if this is the end of the run but it is definately the only outlet connected to the switch. We also have six other outlets in the room that are always on. Im trying to figure out the easiest way to add the overhead light and where to do it from. I dont care if the controlled outlet is always live or coninues to be controlled by the switch after, whichever is easier. I found a post elsewhere about converting the switch leg to a live feed or something but cannot find it now. I attached some pics to help. Thanks.

 

[frenchelectrican]

My simple and easiest way to do this is converted your recpetale to nonswitched aka hot all the time and run new cable from switch box to the new luminaire junction box.

Most of older home useally have 14 gauge conductor which it is fairly common but the other size is 12 gauage as well ( a tip look at the conductor size or look at your breaker which that affect that room )

To run new 14-2 NM cable is not super hard in the interal walls but you will need a sawall blade to cut out the old switch box ( go super easy on this so you don't hit the cable ) and yank that old switch box out and go up attic if possible and drill in new hole useally 5/8 inch is most common size due you may end up put in 14-3 NM < see below > in there.


The reason why I mention 14-3 in case you may end up put in ceiling fan in future if so that way one switch for fan and second one for light which it is a common item for me to do that in case the remote control do fail ( it do happend from time to time ) Just beaware you will need a ceiling fan rated junction box for this.

So the choice is your.

To converetd to live receptale all you will have to change to all white to white and all black to black on wirenut connection and ya done but before you turn the circuit on again SVP remove the switch and cap it off otherwise someone will hit the switch and created a short circuit that something we don't want that.

The power at switch box the former switch loop is no longer being switch it will be alive all the time so you can run the switch in convental way.

Merci,
Marc

 

[Stubbie]

I agree with my friend , Just convert the switch leg to a constant feed to the switch by changing the wiring at the receptacle to make it always hot. This will take a neutral to the switch and a hot to the switch by repurposing the switch leg. Then run a cable to your new fixture on the ceiling from the switch as Mark outlined.

 

[nickpez]

So connect the two blacks and then pigtail to the outlet and
Do the same with the two whites?
And then behind the switch the connections would be similiar
in that the black and white "live feed" would connect to the black
and white from the new light respectively and then pigtail to the switch?

 

[Stubbie]

So connect the two blacks and then pigtail to the outlet and
Do the same with the two whites?
And then behind the switch the connections would be similiar
in that the black and white "live feed" would connect to the black
and white from the new light respectively and then pigtail to the switch?

Thats correct except the black in the repurposed switch leg will connect to the switch and the black in the new cable to the light will connect to the other terminal of the switch .. no pig tail. The whites will connect in a wirenut.

 

[hammerlane]

see if this helps.

power comes into the outlet location
switch loop to switch
switch controls the outlet and the lite.
no gound wires shown for ease of drawing

 

[hammerlane]

I see you may want the new cable for the lite to originate at the switch location if so, like others have suggested:

no grounds shown for ease of drawing
the outlet is always hot
the old switch loop to the switch is now taking power to the switch location

 

[nickpez]

Ok that all is clear enough. One more question though.
The breaker controlling the circuit is 20 amp so do I need
to use 12 gauge instead of 14?

 

[joecaption]

Yes or change the breaker to a 15 amp.