i want to change an electrical outlet to a switch which will control a light.How?

Answer 1

Since you asked how.. call a electrician or you may be the one who lights up and need controlled.

Answer 2

You need to be more specific in what you wish to do.

Where is the light and is it going to be a new light box and fixture? Or is there an existing light you wish to control?

How high is the outlet and where is this work being done?

Well if you can get into the ceiling above it is easy just get the proper box for ceiling and run a 14-2 up to it. Pigtail the hot wire from the original outlet to the switch and connect the white wire from the 14-2 to the white. Then connect the black wire from the 14-2 to the switch.

Pretty basic really.

Now if you cant get above, you will need an extention box and conduit up to a box. The best stuff for this is wire mold, but it isnt very pretty.

Answer 3

The outlet is 3 feet high next to a door.I wanted to replace the outlet with a switch-then run a wire to a new electrical box in the ceiling.I have done that part before.The outlet is NOT at the end of a circuit.

Answer 4

If you're not an electrician please call one. If you think you can, knock the breaker that controls the outlet and the one to the light. Run a 12-2 wire from the outlet to the light (the outlet is or should be a 20 amp circuit, so you need 12-2 wire). In the outlet box connect the original white wire and the new one going to the light together, and connect the two ground wires (they will be plain copper). Connect the original black wire to the bottom of your new switch, and the black from the new wire going to the light to the top of the switch. At the light connect the white to white, and the black to black to black. Be sure to keep the ground wires connected together and to any metal that close to them in the outlets (should be a green colored screw in the box for the ground wire). Be sure to tape any bare connections that originally went to the light

Answer 5

Just open the switch box and pull out the switch. You'll find two wires on the switch. Just wire nut the two wires together. You can remove the switch and replace the switch plate cover with a blank cover. Usually, there is only one switch in the room that controls split outlets. But if you have two switches, just wire nut those wires together. Cheaper and easier than replacing the outlets and/or wiring a jumper across the outlets jumpers.

Answer 6

I am picturing this switch 16 inches from the floor and you bending over to turn on a light. Kind of funny if you think about it. Is this light on the ceiling or what? They make a switch receptacle combination that fits in the place of a receptacle outlet. It switches whatever plugs into the outlet. Would that work? Not sure what you wish to do.

The other answers you got are downright silly, except for the advise to call an electrician.

Answer 7

Unless the outlet is the last junction box
"upstream" of the light in question,
and there are no further outlets "downstream",
you are talking about a rewiring job.

Answer 8

first that other answer........is wrong
most house wiring is 14 ga. wire and use 15 amp breakers
you cannot connect 2 circuits together, Either you'll get a big bang or a 220 volt line like your electric stove, in which case you'll still get the big bang

CALL AN ELECTRICIAN

if you really think you can or want to do this contact me by email with more detail and i'll try to help

Answer 9

Call an electrician....Hellooooooo???

Answer 10

electrician