Light Switch And Receptacle In Same Box

Wiring a light switch and outlet on the same circuit is something that electricians do regularly.

Light switch and receptacle in same box. The red and black are used for hot and the white neutral wire at the switch box allows for powering a timer remote control or other programmable switch. Notice that these outlets have the tab removed from the hot side or brass side of the outlet which allows the top half of the plug to be controlled only from the switch. A few fluorescent lights can be dimmed with special dimmer switches but most can t. I have a single gang box in a bathroom with a gfci outlet.

The vanity light currently is not switched. The outlet will have both receptacles live not switched. It is connected to the wire bring power to the light box. This is an updated version of the first arrangement.

If you want the receptacle to be powered all the time and want to use the switch to control a load other than the receptacle such as a light fixture you wire it like this. The other wire black takes the power back to the light box and is connected to the light itself. In this diagram a light switch and receptacle are wired in the same box. The first thing you need to do is distinguish the line cable coming from the panel from the load cable which is the one going to the light fixture.

It depends how you want the switch and receptacle to function. One wire white brings power from the light box to the switch. I d like to replace it with a 2 gang box containing a gfci outlet and a light switch for the vanity light. Both devices are spliced to the same hot source.

Standard and halogen bulbs require standard incandescent dimmers. The diagram below shows the power entering the circuit at the grounded outlet box location then sending power up to the switch and a switched leg back down to the outlet. If power is coming into the switch box from the panel and you want to connect an outlet to the switch your first option is to wire the receptacle to always be on. It is controlled by a pull chain on the light itself.

Because the electrical code as of the 2011 nec update requires a neutral wire in most new switch boxes a 3 wire cable runs between the light and switch. Wiring a switch and outlet in the same box. Buy a single pole switch if one switch controls the lights or a three way if you have two switches controlling the same lights. In this situation you need 3 wires between the light and the switch box to have an outlet next to the switch.