How To Install Light Switch In Existing Wall

Gently bend the wires and push the switch into the wall box.

How to install light switch in existing wall.

This project requires an understanding of how a switch is wired and a few basic tools. Yet here i am adding a switch to an existing light. You ll need a noncontact voltage detector a wire stripping tool a screwdriver and a drywall saw. Hook up the outlet as you normally would.

The biggest challenge is planning the cable route and running it from the fixture to the new wall switch position. To add an outlet to a light switch you start by making a pigtail using the hot wire the wire going to the fixture controlled by the switch and a third length of wire. Included in the tutorial are tips for making the box installation go much smoother and faster so you will be up and running quicker. To ensure that frequently used switches last longer purchase a spec rated or commercial device.

Restore power and test the switch. Here s how to install a wall mounted light directly above a light switch. Tighten the mounting screws to secure the switch to the wall box. You then splice all the white wires and all the ground wires in the switch box together.

Install the wall plate. In the tutorial how to install an electrical box in an existing wall we provide detailed photo rich how to instructions on easily installing the old work electrical box. Adding a wall switch to a ceiling fixture can be done in a matter of hours. If the wall is heavily insulated push conduit through the insulation and then feed wires or cable through the conduit.

You can wire the new wall light fixture into the existing light and have a single switch control both lights. I really don t know hardly anything about electricity. If i can do it so can you.