turn switch on and off without turning off wall outlets?

Question

how can i run wires to the switch and to the light without turning off the power to the wall outlets. i have power coming from breaker box to upstairs bedroom and to the recepticles. how can i get power to the switch to turn on and off the lights without turning off the wall outlets. and without running another wire from breaker box to the switch and light. can this be done or do i have to run another wire from breaker to switch and lights

Answer 1

You can tap the power circuit at a receptacle
outlet box.
There will be a black, (hot), and white, (neutral),
wire running into, (and possibly out of), the box.
You can tap and carry these two wires to your
new switch-box. Wire the black wire to the switch,
and from there to the light box. Connect the white
wire diectly through to the light box.
You don't say how you intend to do the wiring.
It must be run according to code. If you don't
know how to do this, hire a pro.

Answer 2

First of all, you should turn off your breaker before you do this as you could get shocked pretty good if you don't. Find the outlet that is closest to your switch. You want to run from your outlet, to the switch, and then from your switch the the light. In the outlet, marrette 3 black wires together (1 from the power source, 1 from the wire going to the switch, and another shorter wire, about 3 inches long, that will go to the outlet). Do the same thing with your white wires. At the switch, connect your white and black and ground as you normally would and the same with your light. Turn your power back on and you should be good to go.

Answer 3

Yes you can unscrew a wall plate from an electrical outlet without turning off the power. It isn't recommended, but if all you are going to do is remove the cover and place a foam pad over the outlet or switch and replace the cover you should be fine. As others have said watch for loose wires and don't insert anything past the face of the outlet or switch. If you do find anything loose you should contact an electrician.

Answer 4

Usually, your wires run from the breaker to a junction box with an outlet. NEC states if you do not have a switched overhead light, you need to have a switched wall outlet for when you enter a room. Inside your blue box, you can attach a few wires with wire nuts or branch them off the actual receptacle.

To answer your question, it can be done. A little clarification may be helpful to give you some further advice on your project.

Answer 5

Actually, you don't know what you're gonna get behind the walls and it depends on the age of your house. I have a house from the 20's and it has been renovated a couple of times, I have a fun system called knob and tube, that's two seperate wires, no ground. Then I have some newer stuff called NM, wires together in the same bundle, no ground...the newest stuff is typically Romex and that's what the first post describes. Electricity is nothing to mess with haphazardly. If you are asking this question, you should hire an electrician. Lowe's/Home Depot have good books on wiring, may be worth your while to pick up if you think you have the skills. Hope you don't have to tear up your walls to do it.

Answer 6

If you turn off the switch and both lights and wall outlet turn off then you have wires from the switch going to the light and to the outlet. In order for you wall outlet to stay on all the time you have to have a hot wire going to it, but instead the hot wire going to the switch first then to the wall and the light which allows you to turn them off. To have a hot wire go to that wall outlet you can jump in from the wall outlet next to it that doesn't shut off, but you would have to get wires from one outlet to the other. You would have to run wires from that outlet up to the attic or down to the basement over to the other outlet and back trough the wall to the outlet. Good luck