Outlet and switch sharing a box (too many wires?)

12 years ago

You will be able to quickly tell that I am a novice. I am updating the look of a condo and the light switches and outlets are just being replaced with better looking ones.

My problem is that one box has a standard, always live outlet and a switch that controls the garbage disposal. I kept the wires in the same screw location except that they are now on the new equipment, and the GD will not turn on, however the outlet has full power.

There is a green ground wire and a white wire coming from the right side of the box, a white wire and black live wire from the top and another white and another black wire from the bottom.

I swear I've tried every combination of black to white trying to complete the circuit. Let me know what info you need to answer this. Thanks in advance.

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Comments (4)

hendricus
12 years ago
Black does not tie to white.

Find out what wires come from where. The black from the power source (hot) goes to the switch. The black from the GD also goes on the switch. The white from the source and the GD get tied together.

Not knowing what else is supplied with power there no instructions can be given.

Basically a circuit works with the black feeding a fixture (GD) and the white completing the circuit back to the circuit breaker. In order to control the GD (on/off) a switch is inserted in the black line only.
kudzu9
12 years ago
Rhuevyk-
With all due respect, it's pretty clear you have no knowledge of wiring, and continuing to experiment with hooking wires together to see if they might work is a dangerous practice. Please have a knowledgeable friend or an electrician take care of this for you.
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hrajotte
12 years ago
The green grounding wire and the white wire coming from the right side of the box are a bit of a mystery. What were they connected to? Are you sure there is not a black wire with them?
Also, are there bare or green grounding wires coming from the top and bottom? Is the receptacle a GFCI (with a "test" and "reset" button)?
If you can confidently answer these questions, especially the mystery ground and white wire, we ought to be able to help you. Otherwise, it would be best to call an electrician.
A switch loop is the only place black would connect to white, and the white would have to be reidentified with a black marker or black paint at each end. But in your case, it does not appear to be a switch loop.
brickeyee
12 years ago
Go b uy a copy of 'Wiring Simplified' and read it.

It will give you a general idea of how things work and how they should be connected.

There are rules about box fill (including grounding wires, hot wires, neutral wires, devices, internal cable clamps, etc.) and the volume of the box.

GFIC receptacles, dimmers, and simple snap switches, &receptacles all count as the same volume allowance even though some are much larger than others.

Boxes can get very crowded if they are the minimum size and there are any large devices or oversize wire nuts.