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switch for middle of run receptacle

3828 Views 4 Replies 3 Participants Last post by  joed
Hi all,

I've checked online and this board, and can't find my particular situation. And I have a plan on how to do this, but it'd be great to get some feedback.

I am doing some wiring in my dad's basement. I set up a receptacle on the ceiling for a florescent light he has mounted which uses a standard plug. This line then goes to a junction box and then additional lights/receptacles. I didn't realize his light did not have a pull switch and so I need to run to a wall switch for just that receptacle. I don't want to affect anything downstream, all of which has already been wired.

So, what I am thinking to do is to add a cable at the receptacle, wire nut all three hot/black together. One is from the line, one (the white wire from the new cable, marked with tape as hot) to the switch, and one to go to the next receptacle down. I'll come back from the switch using the hot/black wire. That will go into the current receptacle.

The neutral line will go into the receptacle, as will the load which continues to the next receptacle. All grounds together, including a pigtail to the current receptacle with a wire nut.

Yes?

In the end there'd be a run through the receptacle with the neutral, but only one hot line coming into it. That's the part I am not certain is ok.

Thanks for any info you can share!
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I'm not really following what your saying but as I understand you have a receptacle mounted on the ceiling to plug a flourescent light into ... you want to switch that receptacle.

Why not just run a simple switch loop out of the receptacle to a switch that would control the receptacle ?
switch loop

Great, thanks. I didn't know the term of what to look up. Now that I do I found some resources. The image below is essentially what I need to do, except exchange a receptacle for the light in the image.

It is pretty much what I described (apparently not very well) except I should probably pigtail the neutral wires instead of using the receptacle for both line and load neutral.

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Yep I think this is what you want ....

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the description to me sounds like a switch loop which will work fine.
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