- 1). Turn the power off at the main service panel to both the existing light switch and electrical outlet to be wired together. If both are controlled by separate circuit breakers, make sure each breaker is turned off.
- 2). Cut a 6-inch piece off the roll of electrical cable. Cut away the entire outer insulation. Separate the three wires inside. Strip off 1 inch of insulation from each end of the black and green wires. Each of these three wires will serve as a pigtail.
- 3). Unscrew the screws on the cover plates for both the wall switch and the outlet. Unscrew the top and bottom screws on the switch and outlet and pull each out of their electrical boxes as far as the wiring will allow. Disconnect the wiring from the wall switch, and set the switch aside. Cut the wiring off and tape the end of the cable to prevent future use and push it back into the box.
- 4
110-volt electrical outletelectric outlet image by Dawn Williams from Fotolia.com
Run the new wiring from the wall switch to the outlet, and pull 6 inches of cable out the front of each electrical box. For additional information on running cable through walls and ceilings, see the link in the Resource section. - 5
Wire cutter/stripper combopliers and wire cutters image by Albert Lozano from Fotolia.com
Strip 4 inches of the outer insulation off each end of the cable. Inside there will be two insulated wires and one bare. Strip one inch of insulation off the two insulated wires at each end of the cable. - 6). Disconnect the wiring from the outlet and set the outlet aside for later reassembly.
- 7). Connect the white wire from the existing electrical cable to the silver screw on the top left side (facing the outlet). Connect the black wire from the new cable to the brass screw on the bottom right side. Connect the bare pigtail wire to the green screw. Connect the black pigtail wire to the brass screw on the top right side. Tighten the screws down on each wire.
- 8
Wire nutswire nuts image by Paul Moore from Fotolia.com
Twist the free end of the black pigtail wire together with the black wire from the existing cable and the white wire from the new cable. Twist a wire nut onto the end of the connected wires. Twist the bare wire from the pigtail to the bare wire from both the existing and new cables and then twist a wire nut onto the end. - 9). Cut the bridge tab connecting the two brass screws together on the side of the outlet. Push the wiring into the box, and attach the outlet back in place with the screws and screwdriver. Install the cover plate and tighten its screw down as well.
- 10
Attach the new cable wiring to the wall switch and tighten the wires down. Connect the black wire to the brass screw, the white wire to the silver screw and the bare wire to the green screw. - 11
Turn the circuit breakers back on, and plug in a light to the outlet and test for power.
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