How to add a receptacle to a hallway? The switch nearby does not have a neutral passing through it.?

Question

I want to add a receptacle to the hallway. There's a switch a few feet above the spot that I want the receptacle. The problem is that I looked at the switch and there wasn't any neutral passing through it. If there was I could have pigtailed my wires from there. My house has underground crawling space, so I'm guessing the wiring is going in from there. I would just have to find the junction box closest to the receptacle and grab my hot and neutral from there. I've never been down there, but I'm guessing there would be a stud right below the wall I need to go to, and I would have to drill a hole through that stud and then feed my wires through. Does that sound right? I'm a student electrician, so I haven't had much experience when it comes to locating where the wires are coming in. I know how to wire any circuit, though ( three-way switches,four-ways, half hot receptacles, gfci, etc. Just haven't experienced around the house much. Please let me know if I'm on the right track here,

Answer 1

What's on the other side of those walls that makes the hallway? If you can find a receptacle there.... then you can go ahead and tap from there, poking it through the wall to make another receptable to the hallway. Done it 3x around my house to make receptacles outside for electric weedwacker and for other electric gardening tools.

Answer 2

The light is being fed in the ceiling. The neutral is connected to the light and the feed is connected to the switch and returned to the light through the white wire which should be colored black. ( I use a black magic marker to color the white wire used in switching) I never wired a house from the bottom if there was a only a crawl space. I would guess the outlets are being fed from above. Is there another level above the hall or the attic? It will be a lot easier to drop the feed down from the attic than drilling through the wall studs, sub floor and finished floor. What is behind the wall in the hall? Is there an outlet close by? It is a lot easier to repair sheet rock.

Answer 3

Allow a master to help you out. Under your house you will not find a stud for that wall. First the subflooring goes in and then the walls are built on top of that. Easiest would be a receptacle on the oppisite side of the wall where you want to add one. If you are going to run it under the house, first cut the sheetrock on the wall where the receptacles going to be and drill a hole down. I stick a screwdriver in the hole, makes it easier to find under the house. If you decided to come from the attic, you will be able to find that stud that is the top of the wall. Take a small wire (a short piece of 12 will work fine. and right next to the wall puch it up in the ceiling, this will mark the location for you in the attic where you want to drill. I'd say either the other wall or the attic would be the easy way to go.

Answer 4

ya your on the right track. But if this switch is the most convenient place to tap into your wires then would it be easier to run a new source wire(neutral ) to the switch box? Where is the junction for the switch hot wire? Or maybe bring the neutral down from the light the switch activates! Hey maybe run 12-2 from the light and use the current load wire from the switch to light as a fish tape ( if the wire is loose and not stapled down). Hey just a couple ideas, good luck!

Answer 5

right here is how a 4-way swap gadget works. on the 1st swap "interior the line" you've a relentless warm and a couple of "travellers" on a three-way swap. those travellers bypass to the 2nd swap that's a 4-way and a couple of greater travellers bypass to the final area. This final swap would be 3-way and the final (third) cord on that's going to likely be the swap leg to the sunshine. no remember if or not the independent follows the travellers relies upon on the way it became under pressure out. you're saying you have a black, crimson and white on the final swap. if so then you definately have a independent attainable, yet not a relentless warm. At anybody 2nd between the travellers will consistently be warm, yet turn any of the three switches and that they opposite putting. Now then, getting back to the black, crimson and white on the "final" swap. If that's ALL that's there then the white is getting used by using fact the availability (consistent warm) to start the swap run. it is to Code even however the white could be pointed out as such with tape or a marker of a few style. This being the case you have not have been given a independent attainable. Please do not attempt to apply the floor as a independent! you will might desire to the two run an added 12/2 to that area and placed the wires on the recep merely OR replace the 12/3 with 12/4 from the 1st swap in the process the 2nd swap and ultimately to the final swap. then you woold p.c.. up the independent on the "first" field the place it splices to the cord going to the lights fixtures. playstation it took me a 2nd to be certain what AEE became announcing. right it is how i became taught to comprehend the version between a 4- way and a double pole (DPST) swap. delay one hand and touch your thumb and forefinger at the same time, open close and so on. that's what a single pole (SPST) swap is doing. delay your different hand and do the comparable element on the comparable time. This mimics a DPST swap. Now open one set on an identical time as ultimate the different, that's what a 4-way swap does. So the analogy to "2 switches in one physique" sounds desirable to me. in case you place your thumbs at the same time and open close opposite to a minimum of one yet another you have a three way. Your thumbs may be the hassle-unfastened terminal and your forefingers may be the travellers. Does that make experience to anyone?

Answer 6

One little trick to figuring out where to drill up from the basement - screw a 3" sheetrock screw into the floor just in front of the location where you need the outlet - from below, you should be able to see the screw protruding. When you're done, remove the screw.
A word of caution about working live circuits from a crawl space - lying on your back on the earth and accidentally touching a live line may be fatal. Shut the tap circuit down first. Although, we used to lay down dry plywood to work on... not exactly OSHA approved.