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I am trying to add a ceiling light to a switch that currently controls a floor outlet (top plug only). Coming into the light switch are a ground, a hot and a switched hot. I have pulled an additional 12/2 wire from the ceiling light into the switch box and was wondering how I could wire it in to control both the outlet as it currently is, as well as the ceiling light.

The wire pulls into the attic are pretty difficult as there is 18" of insulation and plaster, so avoiding another pull to the outlet would be preferable, but I understand you gotta do what you gotta do.

Nick G
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Doesn't sound like this will be possible. What you have now in the switch box is just a switch loop--hot in and hot out. There's no neutral return path, which would be required for your light.

If you were to connect your light to what's there it would probably work, but everything that gets plugged into the outlet thereafter would have its supply voltage reduced by the light bulb(s), and the current drawn by the outlet load would be pulled through the light bulb. The two loads would be in series. You can see how that's a problematic situation.

You'll need to pull a new home run, or you could possibly reconfigure the switched outlet to eliminate that function and provide an actual neutral at the switch. Update your question with information about the outlet box if you'd like help with that.

isherwood
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