I wanted to replace a switched receptable in the bathroom with a GFCI
receptacle. The current one has one outlet, and one switch. The
switch controls the bathroom light. The outlet is always hot. The
incoming wires number two. Somehow, this combination plus the
grounding wire to the box enabled the outlet to stay hot, while
controlling the bathroom light separately.

I can't, for the life of me, figure out how to wire this up. Forget
the GFCI for now, that got me confused and I abandoned until until I
evolve. For right now, I have a receptable with the following:

one brass screw , one silver screw on one side;
two brass screws on the other side;
a grounding screw.

I have a black wire and a white wire coming in. I have a ground wire
attached to the box.

I have wired it currently to enable the bathroom light to go on or off;
the outlet is not hot.

Can anyone help me figure this out? I was doing trial-and-error but
blew a fuse during one trial that involved the ground going to the
switch (yeah, wildly dumb), so I figured I should just stop and step
back.

Unfortunately, now The Wife is going to miss blow drying her hair in
the bathroom. And that means I'm gonna start missing something real
soon.

-R

This was a Rube Golberg arrangement. They used the box ground for the
neutral. Dangerous and illegal. Install a single pole switch. Just connect
the two wires to the switch. If you need an outlet, install a new feed and
GFCI outlet and forget about trying to make that work again



wrote in message
oups.com...
I wanted to replace a switched receptable in the bathroom with a GFCI
receptacle. The current one has one outlet, and one switch. The
switch controls the bathroom light. The outlet is always hot. The
incoming wires number two. Somehow, this combination plus the
grounding wire to the box enabled the outlet to stay hot, while
controlling the bathroom light separately.

I can't, for the life of me, figure out how to wire this up. Forget
the GFCI for now, that got me confused and I abandoned until until I
evolve. For right now, I have a receptable with the following:

one brass screw , one silver screw on one side;
two brass screws on the other side;
a grounding screw.

I have a black wire and a white wire coming in. I have a ground wire
attached to the box.

I have wired it currently to enable the bathroom light to go on or off;
the outlet is not hot.

Can anyone help me figure this out? I was doing trial-and-error but
blew a fuse during one trial that involved the ground going to the
switch (yeah, wildly dumb), so I figured I should just stop and step
back.

Unfortunately, now The Wife is going to miss blow drying her hair in
the bathroom. And that means I'm gonna start missing something real
soon.

-R

I haven't seen one of those set-ups in quite a while (Thank goodness). If I
recall correctly the bathroom light would dim when something is plugged into
the receptacle.

RBM is correct. You need to run a separate 12/2 cable to feed a bathroom
receptacle. Your current situation is not right. It was probably done by a
clueless amateur. Perhaps it is time to call in an electrician.



wrote in message
oups.com...
I wanted to replace a switched receptable in the bathroom with a GFCI
receptacle. The current one has one outlet, and one switch. The
switch controls the bathroom light. The outlet is always hot. The
incoming wires number two. Somehow, this combination plus the
grounding wire to the box enabled the outlet to stay hot, while
controlling the bathroom light separately.

I can't, for the life of me, figure out how to wire this up. Forget
the GFCI for now, that got me confused and I abandoned until until I
evolve. For right now, I have a receptable with the following:

one brass screw , one silver screw on one side;
two brass screws on the other side;
a grounding screw.

I have a black wire and a white wire coming in. I have a ground wire
attached to the box.

I have wired it currently to enable the bathroom light to go on or off;
the outlet is not hot.

Can anyone help me figure this out? I was doing trial-and-error but
blew a fuse during one trial that involved the ground going to the
switch (yeah, wildly dumb), so I figured I should just stop and step
back.

Unfortunately, now The Wife is going to miss blow drying her hair in
the bathroom. And that means I'm gonna start missing something real
soon.

-R

RBM, John:

Thanks, I appreciate the help in figuring this out. Now I know I'm not
crazy (I spent hours trying to figure out how one pair of wires could
be both hot and not) and I also know the former owner (twelve years
dead) was a complete disaster in terms of home maintenance. This is
not the first stupid thing I've encountered in the house.

FYI: In one of the iterations of wiring it (sans ground as neutral), it
would dim the lights if the hair dryer ran. Oddly, the light would be
brightest when the hair dryer switches (hold/cold and fast/slow/off)
apparently drew the most load (makes sense).

I'll see what the Wife wants to do about an outlet in there. If I'm
going to get an electrician in, I have a few other items that need
tending (new thread coming).

Thanks again.

-R