Supreme Adding Outlet To Existing Circuit
Most homes have only a couple of outdoor outlets electrical receptacles but adding one can be easier than you might think.
Adding outlet to existing circuit. Install the box for the new outlet remove the incoming wires from the old box and run them into the new one. The circuit wires required for an outlet include a ground wire a neutral wire and the circuit power wire. There are 2 basic ways to install a new electrical outlet running electrical wiring from a circuit breaker to the new location or from another outlet in the same room.
To start turn off the power to the existing outlet at the breaker panel and test to ensure it s off. Strip about 10 inches of plastic sheathing from the new cable to expose the black white and copper wires. In order to add a receptacle outlet to a light switch the circuit wiring must be at the location of the light switch or contained inside the electrical box of the light switch.
Run the new cable with sheathing at least two inches up inside the box and double over the excess wires to help hold the cable in place. Then remove the outlet and detach the wires. With this arrangement the new outlet will turn off and on with the light fixture.
Adding an outlet to a 3way switch. This is acceptable if the existing circuit can handle the additional power demand of the new outlet and it is a standard receptacle circuit. You cannot tap into bathroom or kitchen receptacle circuits or into dedicated circuits.
The connections are made at the light fixture by removing the black and white wires from the light. Two new plastic old work or cut in boxes see photo above. This can be tricky because there are so many wires for each color however when the splice is made correctly it is much better than connecting all of the wires into the back of the outlet as it was before.
As you can see from this scenario adding a receptacle or outlet to an existing circuit requires you to take into consideration the existing wiring to the circuit and particularly the load that will be placed on the circuit. Here a new receptacle is added to an existing light fixture circuit creating a new switched outlet. Rewire the existing electrical outlet connect the wires of the new cable to the existing wires.