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Replace a wall light switch with a switch/outlet combo

10314 Views 35 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  jeffmattero76, 
M
2
Hi,
i would like to replace the light switch with a switch/outlet combo that i bought this morning.
I'm trying to figure out how to wire the cables, could you help me ?

Many thanks!

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M
Thanks!
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Oso954
Your existing switch looks like a 3 way switch. Is there another switch somewhere that also operates the same light(s) ?

The new combo switch appears to be a single pole/receptacle combination.
Is would be the wrong switch for a 3way set up. You would need a 3way switch/receptacle combination.
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M
Oso954 said:
Your existing switch looks like a 3 way switch. Is there another switch somewhere that also operates the same light(s) ?

The new combo switch appears to be a single pole/receptacle combination.
Is would be the wrong switch for a 3way set up. You would need a 3way switch/receptacle combination.
Click to expand...
Yes, there is another switch that operate on the same light.

Can i still connect the new switch combination that i bought ? or i need to but another one ? Like this for example: http://www.amazon.com/Leviton-Combination-Receptacle-Commercial-Grounding/dp/B000U3DY32
?
Thanks for your answer!!!
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Oso954
You need to buy the leviton 5245 or its equivelent.
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M
i'm buying it right now, but i still need your help when it arrive in Monday :) Can i rely on you ?
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Oso954
I should be around. But if not, there are others that can help.
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M
the problem will be the same, how to wire the existing cables with the new Leviton 5245, in the following picture on the left there is the existing switch, on the right the new combination.
THANKS!!!

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J
First, look at the right side of the 5245 and see if there is a metal strip connecting those two screws. Assuming that there is that metal strip, remove 1 and 2 and connect them to C and D. Then take 3 and 4 from the old switch along with a black pigtail (6 inch piece of black wire) and join those three wires together with a wirenut. The other end of the pigtail would connect to either A or B (it doesn't matter which). If you connect it to A then nothing will connect to B but screw B into the unit. Then make a white pigtail and connect one end to the existing white wires using a wirenut and the other end would connect to E.

If there is not a metal strip connecting A and B everything would be the same as above but you would need 2 black pigtails rather than one. In other words take 3 and 4 and the 2 black pigtails and connect them together using a wirenut. Then one of the pigtails would connect to A and the other pigtail would connect to B.

Let us jnow how you make out.

Sent from my LG-D415 using Tapatalk
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Oso954
One thing bugging me about the pic of the existing switch. The three white wires twisted together without a wire nut. Is that how you found it or did you remove the wire nut?

One of those 3wires appears to be an extremely short pigtail to the other white which is under the black wirenut.

I'd remove the short pigtail and combine the connections.

I agree with Jeff's instructions for the new device connections.
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M
Oso954 said:
One thing bugging me about the pic of the existing switch. The three white wires twisted together without a wire nut. Is that how you found it or did you remove the wire nut?

One of those 3wires appears to be an extremely short pigtail to the other white which is under the black wirenut.

I'd remove the short pigtail and combine the connections.

I agree with Jeff's instructions for the new device connections.
Click to expand...
Thanks both for your precious answers, Oso954 yes, i removed the wirenut only to take the picture, and to show it to you. I will let you know tomorrow when the new outlet will be at home :)
Thanks again! Have a nice day!
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M
Just to let you know that i replaced with success the 3way switch with the Leviton 5245 with the following wiring:
-> Connected 1 to C
-> Connected 2 to D
-> Connected 3 to A
-> Connected 4 to B
(A and B on the Leviton 5245 are connected by default with a metal strip)
-> Connected White wires to E

Thanks so much for your support, hoping that this post may be useful to other people newbie like me!
Thanks again!
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M
There is one problem! The electric socket works only if I turn on the light :) so only if the light switch is on. Why ?
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M
No news ?
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J
So there is no constant "hot" in the box? Are there only travelers for the 3-way switch? With the neutral, I assumed you had a real hot in the box. What do the other switches look like inside the box?
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J
Judging from the first picture there appears to be an incoming hot since 3and 4 are connected to the hot terminal meaning that that hot powers something downstream.
Your problem is that you connected 3 to A and 4 to B. As previously stated 3 and 4 and a black pigtail should all be connected via a wirenut and the other end of the pigtail connected to either A or B.
Try that and let us know.

Sent from my LG-D415 using Tapatalk
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M
I tried this configuration and the outlet is hot only when i switch on the light. :plain:
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J
Then the issue is that the combo you have is internally wired that way by design. I have never used one of them so i guess it is possible but it doesnt make much sense to me. Sorry.


Sent from my LG-D415 using Tapatalk
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Oso954
Refer to the pic below of a 3way switch system.

If you replace sw1 with a combo switch/receptacle, the receptacle will always be hot, regardless of the light being on or off. The black on the common terminal is a constant hot.

If you replace sw2 with a combo switch/receptacle, the receptacle will only be hot if the light is on. The common terminal is a switched hot. (Power arrives at this switch by either of the traveller wires.)

I think that the switch you chose to replace is the Sw2 location.

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M
I think that i'm replacing S2. There is a way to make it working ? i can also change S1 configuration, but all that i need is make working the combo switch/receptacle in S2 location.
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