Get a wireless light switch.
Installing a light ficture with no fixture outlet.
Hi guys, my girlfriend decided to move into my sister's room not so long ago. We re-painted the room and cleaned up the room. All but left lightening.
The room does not have a fixture outlet on the ceiling nor the walls. To overcome this, I am looking into an light switch that is connected to another outlet receptacle where that outlet turns off when that light switch is turn off.
My idea is that i should isolate the light switch from the outlet and than wire the lighting fixture to the switch where it'll only turn off the light fixture instead of the outlet. The problem is that I'm not 100% knowledgeable on this neutral and hot wires. I have an idea on how i should work it but i figured i should get a little more insight on what i am doing first.
Anyone have another great idea or give me some insight on how to isolate the switch from the outlet?
Thanks
-Duy
The room does not have a fixture outlet on the ceiling nor the walls. To overcome this, I am looking into an light switch that is connected to another outlet receptacle where that outlet turns off when that light switch is turn off.
My idea is that i should isolate the light switch from the outlet and than wire the lighting fixture to the switch where it'll only turn off the light fixture instead of the outlet. The problem is that I'm not 100% knowledgeable on this neutral and hot wires. I have an idea on how i should work it but i figured i should get a little more insight on what i am doing first.
Anyone have another great idea or give me some insight on how to isolate the switch from the outlet?
Thanks
-Duy
1 - 20 of 33 Posts
I don't think wireless light switches will work. It will still turn off the outlet it is connected to.
The light switch and an outlet receptacle is wired in sereis with each other i believe hence it turns off the outlet when the light switch is off
The light switch and an outlet receptacle is wired in sereis with each other i believe hence it turns off the outlet when the light switch is off
You are going to need to look at the current switch wiring to see how to proceed. What color and how many wires are in the switch box?
You are going to need to look at the current switch wiring to see how to proceed. What color and how many wires are in the switch box?
The switch is connected with two hot wires and the other two are neutral tied together.
Clapper!
haha i thought of that but my girlfriend just glared at me
lain:just so we understand. You currently have a switch that turns on/off the power to a receptacle. And you want the switch to turn on/off a light mounted in the ceiling or on the wall. Most folks just plug a lamp into the switched receptacle and leave the lamp knob turned on and control it with the switch.
You can extend power from the switch to the fixture since you have a neutral in the box. You could then make the receptacle hot all the time if desired .
just so we understand. You currently have a switch that turns on/off the power to a receptacle. And you want the switch to turn on/off a light mounted in the ceiling or on the wall. Most folks just plug a lamp into the switched receptacle and leave the lamp knob turned on and control it with the switch.
yea but my gf wants a fixture so that was out of the question.
You can extend power from the switch to the fixture since you have a neutral in the box. You could then make the receptacle hot all the time if desired .
do you mind explaining further on what you said or draw a small diagram on what you are saying or an example would help too. I'm an electronic engineer so working with household wiring is an different environment but i can get the concept if explained further enough.
thanks, i would appreciate it very much
yea but my gf wants a fixture so that was out of the question.
ok, can you get a new wire snaked from the switch to a ceiling location?
If not a wall sconce light in the same wall cavity above the switch is a easy location to get a new wire to.
Doubtful that the switch box is large enough to add a third wire.
ok, can you get a new wire snaked from the switch to a ceiling location?
If not a wall sconce light in the same wall cavity above the switch is a easy location to get a new wire to.
hmm i think i can. I will set up some pictures for better understanding. In a few hours, i will post it up.
Scenario
http://pasteboard.co/sOKYOQP.jpg
Where I'm trying to get the fixtures possibly
http://pasteboard.co/sOP0brB.jpg
I saw online of a thing called magnetic wire fish. Is it possible to fish wires up to the ceiling area from the switch as shown in the second image?
http://pasteboard.co/sOKYOQP.jpg
Where I'm trying to get the fixtures possibly
http://pasteboard.co/sOP0brB.jpg
I saw online of a thing called magnetic wire fish. Is it possible to fish wires up to the ceiling area from the switch as shown in the second image?
a switch controlled receptical is a common wiring practice and you do need to see if you can snake a new wire from the ceiling outlet to the switch. This is, IMO, the first thing to look at.
At the receptical, disconnect and cap the black wire from the switch and replace the recep since the hot-side link is certainly cut. Here, it gets a little dicey. If the recep is fed by a switch loop from the room circuit, you could come down the same cavity with new wire to the ceiling outlet and splice into the switch loop. Tie the new recep into the room wiring.
If the room is being fed through the switch box, there will still be a switch loop to serve the ceiling outlet.
Make an opening in the ceiling and (probably) an opening to access the top plates above the recep cavity, then snake a wire from the ceiling opening to the top plate. To get access to the cavity, you can notch the top plate, but use nail plates to cover the wire in the notches. Otherwise, drill a 3/4 opening and snake the wire into the cavity.
The opening at the top plate can be as small as 4 inches square. Keep the cuts clean to facilitate patching them.
Piece of cake!
At the receptical, disconnect and cap the black wire from the switch and replace the recep since the hot-side link is certainly cut. Here, it gets a little dicey. If the recep is fed by a switch loop from the room circuit, you could come down the same cavity with new wire to the ceiling outlet and splice into the switch loop. Tie the new recep into the room wiring.
If the room is being fed through the switch box, there will still be a switch loop to serve the ceiling outlet.
Make an opening in the ceiling and (probably) an opening to access the top plates above the recep cavity, then snake a wire from the ceiling opening to the top plate. To get access to the cavity, you can notch the top plate, but use nail plates to cover the wire in the notches. Otherwise, drill a 3/4 opening and snake the wire into the cavity.
The opening at the top plate can be as small as 4 inches square. Keep the cuts clean to facilitate patching them.
Piece of cake!
Disagree. The hot feed is at the switch. Your suggestion will kill the receptacle. He needs to tie the 2 blacks in the switch box together and to one side of the switch. Connect the new white to the fixture to the 2 existing whites. Connect the black to the fixture to the other side of the switch.a switch controlled receptical is a common wiring practice and you do need to see if you can snake a new wire from the ceiling outlet to the switch. This is, IMO, the first thing to look at.
At the receptical, disconnect and cap the black wire from the switch and replace the recep since the hot-side link is certainly cut. Here, it gets a little dicey. If the recep is fed by a switch loop from the room circuit, you could come down the same cavity with new wire to the ceiling outlet and splice into the switch loop. Tie the new recep into the room wiring.
Make sure the box has the proper cubic inch capacity to allow 3 cables.
not sure I know why you assume the feed is at the switch. But, assuming it is, it makes no difference when changing a loop from the recep to a ceiling outlet. The only thing I'd reconsider is replacing, rather than jumping the hot side of the recep with the broken hot-side link.Disagree. The hot feed is at the switch. Your suggestion will kill the receptacle. He needs to tie the 2 blacks in the switch box together and to one side of the switch. Connect the new white to the fixture to the 2 existing whites. Connect the black to the fixture to the other side of the switch.
Make sure the box has the proper cubic inch capacity to allow 3 cables.
If the room feed is passing through the switch box, there is still a switch loop from the box to the recep. Otherwise, all the room receps would have been off when the switch was off.
.not sure I know why you assume the feed is at the switch. But, assuming it is, it makes no difference when changing a loop from the recep to a ceiling outlet. The only thing I'd reconsider is replacing, rather than jumping the hot side of the recep with the broken hot-side link.
If the room feed is passing through the switch box, there is still a switch loop from the box to the recep. Otherwise, all the room receps would have been off when the switch was off.
The OP stated there were two blacks connected to the switch and there were spliced whites in the back of the box. Do you still think that is a switch loop?
if the power originated at the receptacle box there would only be one wire in the switch box with a black and a white on the screw terminals
1 - 20 of 33 Posts
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