- 1). Turn off your breaker inside your main panel to disconnect the electricity from the light switch.
- 2). Remove the switch cover plate to expose the inside of the electrical box and the wires attached to the switch. Use a multimeter with the dial set at 250 AC (alternating current) to confirm that the power is disconnected.
- 3). Touch one prong from the multimeter to the black wire attached to the screw on the right side of the switch. Touch the remaining prong from the meter to any metal. The needle on the multimeter should remain at zero, if the power was correctly disconnected. Repeat the test for the remaining black wire attached to the screw on the right side of the switch.
- 4). Remove the screws that are holding the switch in the electrical box and pull the switch from the box. Loosen the two screws on the side of the switch and pull the wires from beneath them.
- 5). Untwist the wire connectors holding the two white wires together inside the electrical box. Remove the wire connector that is holding the two bare copper wires together inside the same box.
- 6). Mark the location for your new electrical outlet. You may place the electrical outlet anywhere that you choose. Trace around the template provided with the single gang "old work" electrical outlet box and carefully cut the drywall from the location using a keyhole saw.
- 7). Pull a length of 12/2 nonmetallic (NM) electrical cable from your light switch location to your new electrical outlet location. Remove the exterior insulation from the 12/2 NM with a dual NM wire cutter/stripper at both the new outlet location and the light switch location. Strip 3/4-inch of insulation off of the black and white electrical wires located inside of the 12/2 NM.
- 8). Push the black, white and bare copper wires from the 12/2 NM cable through a knockout at the back of the single gang "old work" electrical outlet box. Push the box into the hole cut in the drywall and turn the screws clockwise at the top and the bottom of the "old work" box, clamping the box to the wall.
- 9). Wrap the black wire from the "old work" box around the copper screw on the right side of the electrical outlet. Wrap the white wire around the silver screw on the left side of the electrical outlet. Wrap the copper wire around the green screw at the bottom of the outlet. Tighten all screws to secure the wires to the outlet.
- 10
Push the outlet into the "old work" box, attaching it at the top and the bottom of the box with screws provided with the outlet. Attach the outlet cover plate to the outlet, covering the electrical wiring and the "old work" electrical box. - 11
Cut a piece of 12-gauge solid black THHN electrical wire 6 inches long. Remove at least 3/4-inch of insulation off of each end of the 6-inch wire, creating a pigtail. - 12
Find the black power supply wire in the electrical switch box. This wire connects back to a breaker inside of your main panel. Locate the black wire from the new electrical outlet inside of the box. Connect these two wires to the pigtail wire, twisting a red wire connector onto all three. - 13
Twist a red wire connector onto the three white wires located inside of the electrical switch box, connecting them together. Repeat this connection for the three bare copper wires inside of the box. Gently push these two sets of wires to the back wall of the electrical switch box. - 14
Wrap the 6-inch pigtail wire around a terminal screw located on the right side of the original light switch. Wrap the remaining black wire inside the electrical switch box around the remaining screw on the right side of the switch. Tighten the screws to secure the wires to the original switch. - 15
Reattach the light switch to the electrical box and replace the switch cover plate. - 16
Turn on your breaker inside your main panel to connect the electricity to the light switch and new electrical outlet.
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