"Chuckles" wrote in message
s.com...
"Sparky" wrote in
:

2 wires connected at the switch. Red and black. There's a second red
wire connected to a screw in the back of the switch's box; I'm
assuming that's ground.

The problem is, this is not enough to run the power outlet which is also
in the same box. All the switch does is connect and disconnect the two
wires connected to separate terminals on the body of the switch. When the
switch is closed, power goes through the switch to the light, which
already has a neutral wire permanently connected to it. So the wiring
is:

live (red?) from elec panel to switch---wire (black?) from switch to
light---neutral wire back to panel

(or something like that). So when the switch is closed, the circuit is
completed and the light goes on.

But the electrical outlet will not function without a neutral wire AT THE
OUTLET to complete the circuit. There must be another wire, and I don't
mean ground.

If there is a neutral wire, you can easily rewire so the power to the
outlet bypasses the switch and is always on. Just detemrine whether the
red wire or the black wire is live irrespective of the switch, and
connect a wire from it straight to the outlet.

If there is no neutral, either some fundamental natural laws are being
violated, or maybe the ground is being used as neutral, which is a bad
thing to do.

Sounds like the power is at the fixture. Black sends power to the switch
and red is the switch leg which carries power back to the light when the
switch is on. The neutral remains at the the light fixture. Most likely
there isn't a neutral at the switch. If there is conduit connecting the
switch and the fixture a neutral could be ran to the switch to install the
GFCI receptical/ switch combo.