If youre running out of outlets to plug things into, installing a switch/outlet combo is a great way to squeeze in another receptacle without completely wiring in a new outlet or sacrificing existing outlets or switches.

Does it matter which wire goes where on a light switch?

With a switch loop yes, it should. The hot wire should come down from the ceiling on the white wire and go back up on the black wire. Just think white down, black up. If you wired it the other way around, hot black down and hot white up, you have a problem.

Why would an outlet have 2 hot wires?

The reason for multiple hot/neutral wires for one outlet is that the outlets are daisy-chained together. This means hot/neutral is only coming from one of the wires and it is being sent to the other wire.

How do I wire a receptacle from a light outlet but keep it hot when light is off?

In this case, you must change the cable from the switch to the light outlet from a 2-wire to a 3-wire cable. As you can see, connecting a receptacle to the light would see the receptacle only hot when the light switch is on.

Why are there 2 black wires on light switch?

The bare or green-wrapped ground wires serve as a backup to divert the power safely away in case of an electrical fault. In most cases, two black wires will be attached to the switchs two terminal screws. The ground wires will be connected to each other and attached to the grounding screw on the switch.

Why does my outlet have 2 black and 2 white wires?

the black and white wires from the power supply side need to be attached to the line side of the new outlet. (it should say this on the back of the new outlet) and the other 2 are to be attached to the Load side of the outlet.

What happens if you wire an outlet wrong?

But heres the catch: If you connect the circuit wires to the wrong terminals on an outlet, the outlet will still work but the polarity will be backward. When this happens, a lamp, for example, will have its bulb socket sleeve energized rather than the little tab inside the socket.

What is the purpose of a pigtail?

What is an electrical pigtail? An electrical pigtail is a technique used to lengthen short wires or combine multiple wires together and leave one conductor that can connect to electrical devices such as a switch or outlet, and its simple enough for homeowners to perform on their own.

How do you know if two outlets are on the same circuit?

Plug the lamp into another outlet to determine whether or not that outlet is on the same circuit. If the lamp lights with the breaker still off, then the outlet is on a different circuit. If the lamp doesnt light, then it is on the same circuit as the original outlet.

Can a light switch catch fire?

Most poor electrical connections can cause fires, including loose light switches. If the wire connections or nuts behind or on the side of the switch are loose, they may release heat and ignite other parts of the switch. If this is the case, youll need to replace the switch.

Which wire is positive when both are black?

If the multi-colored wire is black and red, the black wire is the negative wire, while the red one is positive. If both wires are black but one has a white stripe, the striped wire is negative, while the plain black wire is positive. Look in the owner manual to determine which wires are negative in a car.