On Nov 19, 4:41 pm, "Dave" wrote:
wrote in message

...

I have a single pole switch outlet combo device in my kitchen. The
switch started to make a loud pop when the light was turned off, not
on. I tried to replace the device and here is what happened. There
are three wires in the box. I know the one hot and the other are
neutral. No ground wire. I wired hot to hot, and the neutrals to the
other two silver and then light brass screw. Powered on and the
switch worked, no plug, unless switch was on. Reversed the two
neutrals and now only outlet works, no switch. What did I do. There
are two screws for the hot, one labeled common and the other unlabeled
and they are both connected by a brass tab. Help. The previous combo
was not grounded, two pronger, 10A. New is grounded 15A.

Go hire an electrician before you burn your house down or kill somebody.
Seriously, you don't know what you're doing and you really could do some
damage.

Why, exactly, would there be two neutrals? Hmmm? Maybe, just maybe, only
ONE is a neutral and one is a lead from the light fixture you're wanting to
control.

It sounds like the combo unit is set up so that the switch can control the
outlet. There should be a tab between the top (switch) and outlet (bottom)
on one side. For the switch to control the outlet you would just apply
power to the side opposite the tab, preferably to the switch, then connect
the neutral to the side of the outlet opposite the tab. Switch controls
outlet.

It sounds like you want the outlet on all the time and the switch to control
an (overhead?) light. Wire the hot lead to the side of the unit with the
tab. This applies power to one side of the both the outlet and the switch.
The neutral goes to the other side of the outlet. The wire from the
overhead light goes to the other side of the switch. The switch is inline
on the hot lead to the light, the outlet works all the time.

Doesnt matter if the hot is on top or bottom, switch outlet
respectively.? The multimeter read hot 120v and the other wire read
85-90v and then neutral. Why is one lower v?