Introduction and Notes

This Article will help describe several of the "basic" configurations of switch and receptacles. I say "basic" because if you understand them, they will be the foundation for understanding the core concepts of electrical configurations in your house. As you work throught the examples, they may seem complicated, but if you follow the examples in order, they build upon each other. To that end, here are some tips and notes to help you through your project.

BEFORE YOU START Saftey Comes FIRST, work with a partner who can help you and watch your back. No project is worth your life! So hire a professional if the job seems too complicated. You're on the right track, reading this means you want to know more. So don't just listen to me, get some other perspectives, I could spend Years on this document and I am sure I will still forget to tell you some things. Decide what you want to acomplish Determine what configuration is already in place, Familiarize yourself with the methods listed below so you can better IDENTIFY what already exists Identify the HOT wire Determine if the line power continues to other devices Is the receptacle a standard duplex type or is one part switch-controlled or are both? Make sure you understand how to turn the power off to the area. This means don't ASSUME that something is powered off, Make SURE it is by testing. There are several ways to test: For a receptacle, The quickest easiest way it to use a desk lamp, plug it in and try it If there are lights in place, don't remove them until you have tested Purchase and Learn how to use a meter, it's your best defense against exisitng bad installations BE SUSPICIOUS, the person who did work before may not have been as careful as you (even if they were a professional). So if you think something wrong, assume it is and STOP. this is no place for guessing. Even after you are sure you know the power is off, make a habit treating the HOT wire as if it were hot anyway. Plan the Installation/Repair DO NOT use a "Dimmer Switch" to control a receptacle Invest in a few simple tools, needle nose pliers, wire cutters, wire strippers, etc. WHILE YOU WORK Make sure everyone knows the power is OFF and NOT to turn it back on with out your OK For Receptacles and Switches, use the "Threaded Terminals" and not the "Quick Clamp" slots. Keep your work area as clean as possible, not only for your immediate safety, but to protect the job from collecting dirt that may compromise the wiring. Sharp Edges, wood chips, Drywall dust, etc. can cause faults or create dangerous shorts Do your best to stay on task, but if you have to leave the lob in progress, take even the most basic steps to protect the area. Even just closing the door to the area can prevent accidents BEFORE YOU "CLOSE UP" TAPE everything! Use electrical tape (not masking tape or duct tape) to tape every exposed connection. A wire nut does NOT necisarily mean the connection is protected from shorts, you still need to tape your splices. Use electrical tape to "wrap" the terminals on Receptacles and Switches. You can simple wrap the tape around the entire body (the sides) so that ther terminals are covered. This prevents the connections from touch the box, other witcheds or terminals, and other wires. Before you Finalize your work, test it, it would be a shame to "button up" the job only to find something wrong and have to oepn everything back up. Just be careful and keep people away for the work area while you test

Line Power to the Switch - Full Receptacle Switch-controlled

No Devices Beyond the Receptacle (method 1)

This configuration wires up the same way a standard light outlet is wired. Run two-conductor cable from the switch box to the receptacle box. At the switch box, connect the ground wires (green or bare) together and land one of them - or a pigtail - on the ground screw on the switch. If the box is metal, connect it to ground too. Splice the neutral conductors (usually white) together and push them to the back of the box. Connect the "hot" wire - usually black - from the cable carrying incoming, unswitched line power to one of the switch terminals. Connect the phase conductor (black again) from the cable leading to the receptacle to the other switch terminal. Mount the switch in the box and cover it. That's done. At the receptacle, terminate the ground wire to the special screw (usually green) for it on the receptacle. Connect ground to the box if it's metal. Connect the neutral conductor to the neutral side of the receptacle (usually the side with the silver screws, always the side with the larger slot in the face of the receptacle). Connect the phase conductor, now switched, to the "hot" side of the receptacle (usually the side with the brass screws, always the side with the smaller slot in the face of the receptacle). Push everything into the box, mount the receptacle and cover it. You're done. Turn the power back on and test the system.

With Devices Beyond the Receptacle (method 2)

Run three-conductor cable from the switch box to the receptacle box. At the switch box, splice the ground wires (green or bare) together and land one of them - or a pigtail - on the ground screw on the switch. If the box is metal, connect it to ground too. Splice the neutral conductors (usually white) together and push them to the back of the box. The three-conductor cable should now have two phase conductors remaining - one black and one red. Splice the black wire from the three-conductor cable to the incoming line power and to an eight- or ten-inch piece of black wire - a pigtail. Terminate that pigtail on one of the switch terminals. Terminate the red wire from the three-conductor cable on the other switch terminal. Push everything into the box, mount the switch in the box and cover it. At the receptacle, terminate a ground wire or pigtail - green or bare - to the ground screw on the receptacle. Connect a ground wire to the box if it's metal, splice the ground wires together and push them to the back. Connect a white pigtail to the neutral side of the receptacle, splice the neutral wires together and push them to the back. Splice the black wire from the three-conductor cable to the "hot" phase wire or wires for the other devices that are not switch-controlled and push them to the back. Connect the remaining phase conductor, the red one that is now switched, to the "hot" side of the receptacle. Push everything into the box, mount the receptacle and cover it. Turn the power back on and test the system. back to top

Line Power to the Switch - Half the Receptacle Switch-controlled

No Devices Beyond the Receptacle (method 3)

Run three-conductor cable from the switch box to the receptacle box. At the switch box, splice the ground wires (green or bare) together and land one of them - or a pigtail - on the ground screw on the switch. If the box is metal, connect it to ground too. Splice the neutral conductors (usually white) together and push them to the back of the box. The three-conductor cable should now have two phase conductors remaining - one black and one red. Splice the black wire from the three-conductor cable to the incoming line power and to an eight- or ten-inch pigtail of black wire (orange in diagram). Terminate that pigtail on one of the switch terminals. Terminate the red wire from the three-conductor cable on the other switch terminal. Push everything into the box, mount the switch in the box and cover it. At the receptacle, terminate a ground wire to the ground screw on the receptacle. Connect ground to the box if it's metal, splice the ground wires together if necessary and push them to the back. Connect the white neutral conductor from the switch box or a white pigtail to the neutral side of the receptacle, splice the neutral wires together if necessary and push them to the back. Cut away the small metal bridge between the two terminal screws on the "hot" side of the receptacle. Connect the black, unswitched conductor from the switch box or a black pigtail to the lower terminal screw on the "hot" side. Connect the red conductor from the switch box - now switch-controlled - to the upper terminal screw on the "hot" side. Push everything into the box, mount the receptacle and cover it. Turn the power back on and test the system.

With Devices Beyond the Receptacle (method 4)

Run three-conductor cable from the switch box to the receptacle box. At the switch box, splice the ground wires (green or bare) together and land one of them - or a pigtail - on the ground screw on the switch. If the box is metal, connect it to ground too. Splice the neutral conductors (usually white) together and push them to the back of the box. The three-conductor cable should now have two phase conductors remaining - one black and one red. Splice the black wire from the three-conductor cable to the incoming line power and to an eight- or ten-inch pigtail of black wire (orange in diagram). Terminate that pigtail on one of the switch terminals. Terminate the red wire from the three-conductor cable on the other switch terminal. Push everything into the box, mount the switch in the box and cover it. At the receptacle, terminate a pigtail to the ground screw on the receptacle. Connect ground to the box if it's metal, splice all the ground wires together, and push them to the back. Connect a white pigtail to the neutral side of the receptacle, splice the all the neutral wires together,and push them to the back. Cut away the small metal bridge between the two terminal screws on the "hot" side of the receptacle. Connect a black pigtail to the lower terminal screw on the "hot" side of the receptacle.Splice that pigtail to the black unswitched conductor from the switch box and to all other conductors which will be supplying line power to other devices on the same circuit.Connect the red conductor from the switch box - now switch-controlled - to the upper terminal screw on the "hot" side of the receptacle. Push everything into the box, mount the receptacle and cover it. Turn the power back on and test the system. back to top

Line Power to the Receptacle - Full Receptacle Switch-controlled

No Devices Beyond the Switch (method 5)

Run two-conductor cable to the switch box. At the receptacle, terminate the ground wire to the ground screw on the receptacle. Connect ground to the box if it's metal. Splice the ground wires together and push them to the back. Connect the neutral conductor from the cable supplying the incoming, unswitched line power to the neutral side of the receptacle. Connect the black phase conductor from the other cable - the one going to the switch - to the "hot" side of the receptacle. Here's the tricky part: You should now have two wires left - the phase conductor - probably black - from the power source and the white wire going to the switch box. You're going to splice them together. First put a marker on the white wire to identify it as a current-carrying conductor. A "flag" of black electrical tape mounted on the wire within two inches of where it enters the box (and emerges from the cable sheathing) is standard. Make a solid splice joining those two wires, push everything into the box, mount the receptacle and cover it. At the switch box, make up the ground as usual. Put a marker flag on the white wire at this end to identify it as current-carrying. Connect the marked white wire to one of the switch terminals. Connect the black wire from that cable to the other switch terminal. Push everything into the box, mount the switch in the box and cover it. Turn the power back on and test the system.

With Devices Beyond the Switch (method 6)

Run three-conductor cable to the switch box. At the receptacle, terminate the ground wire to the ground screw on the receptacle. Connect ground to the box if it's metal. Splice the ground wires together and push them to the back. Splice the neutral conductors - probably all white wires, together, adding a pigtail (blue in diagram) which you connect to the neutral side of the receptacle. Splice the phase conductor - probably black - from the incoming, unswitched line power to the black conductor in the three-conductor cable, and push them to the back. Don't connect these wires to the receptacle. Connect the red wire from the three-conductor cable to the "hot" side of the receptacle. Push anything left over into the box, mount the receptacle and cover it. At the switch box, make up the ground as usual. Splice the neutral conductors (usually white) together and push them to the back of the box. Splice the black wire from the three-conductor cable to any other wires that need to be energized, adding a pigtail which you connect to one of the switch terminals. Connect the red wire from the three-conductor cable to the other switch terminal. Push everything into the box, mount the switch, and cover the box. Turn the power back on and test the system. back to top

Line Power to the Receptacle - Half the Receptacle Switch-controlled

No Devices Beyond the Switch (method 7)

Run two-conductor cable to the switch box. At the receptacle, terminate the ground wire to the ground screw on the receptacle. Connect ground to the box if it's metal. Splice the ground wires together and push them to the back. Connect the neutral conductor from the cable supplying the incoming, unswitched line power to the neutral side of the receptacle. Cut away the small metal bridge between the two terminal screws on the "hot" side of the receptacle. Connect an eight- to ten-inch black "pigtail" (blue in diagram) to the lower terminal screw on the "hot" side of the receptacle. Connect the black phase conductor from the other cable - the one going to the switch - to the upper terminal screw on the "hot" side. Here's the tricky part: You should now have three wires left - the phase conductor - probably black - from the power source, the white wire going to the switch box, and the black pigtail (blue in diagram) connected to the lower terminal on the "hot" side of the receptacle. You're going to splice them together. First put a marker on the white wire to identify it as a current-carrying conductor. A "flag" of black electrical tape mounted on the wire within two inches of where it enters the box (and emerges from the cable sheathing) is standard. Make a solid splice joining those three wires, push everything into the box, mount the receptacle and cover it. At the switch box, make up the ground as usual. Put a black marker flag on the white wire at this end to identify it as current-carrying. Connect the marked white wire to one of the switch terminals. Connect the black wire from that cable to the other switch terminal. Push everything into the box, mount the switch in the box and cover it. Turn the power back on and test the system.

With Devices Beyond the Switch (method 8)

Run three-conductor cable to the switch box. At the receptacle, terminate a ground wire to the ground screw on the receptacle. Connect ground to the box if it's metal. Splice the ground wires together and push them to the back. Splice the neutral conductors - probably all white wires, together, adding a pigtail (blue in diagram) which you connect to the neutral side of the receptacle. Cut away the small metal bridge between the two terminal screws on the "hot" side of the receptacle. Splice the phase conductor - probably black - from the incoming, unswitched line power to the black conductor in the three-conductor cable, adding a pigtail (orange in diagram) which you connect to the lower terminal screw on the "hot" side of the receptacle. Connect the red conductor from the three-conductor cable to the upper terminal screw on the "hot" side. Push everything into the box, mount the receptacle and cover it. At the switch box,splice all the ground wires together. Remember to connect to the ground screw on the switch or switches, and to the box if it's metal.Splice all the neutral conductors (usually white) together and push them to the back of the box. Splice the black wire from the three-conductor cable to all other wires that need to be energized, adding a pigtail (blue in diagram) which you connect to one of the terminals on the switch for the receptacle. If there are other switches in the box which are to be fed from the circuit used for the switched receptacle, add an additional pigtail for each of them. Connect the red wire from the three-conductor cable to the other terminal on the receptacle switch. Wire up any other switches to be mounted in the same box: connect a "hot wire" pigtail to one terminal on each of those switches and the load wire for each switch to the other terminal. Push everything into the box, mount the switch(es), and cover the box. Turn the power back on and test the system. back to top