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shunut79 · Joined: 31 Dec 2007 Posts: 2 Location: Gilbert, AZ

I'm turning part of my garage into a workshop. I put in a couple outlets mainly because I only have 1 outlet accessible to me in the entire 3 car garage. There are 2 on the ceiling for the garage door openers but they are hardly accessible. When I installed the outlets I decided it would be a good idea to have a switch that controls all the outlets. So, I got a single pole switch with pilot light. I got a switch with a pilot light so it would be easy to tell if the outlets were on or off. I just wanted to be sure that a kid couldn't accidentally flip on the table saw and cut their hand off. I got it all wired up, switch works, the pilot light is on when the switch is on and off when the switch is off. Here is the problem, it only controls 1 of the outlets. I have a total of 3 outlets that I put in and wired to be controlled by the switch. 1 goes on and off with the switch, the other 2 are hot all the time. I tried wiring it a couple different ways with the same result, so is there some sort of trick to this, to make them all work on the same switch. Here are a couple pictures of how I wired it:

Black = Hot (of course)
Grey = White/Neutral
Everything is grounded the way it should be.

The outlet all the way to the right is the outlet that is working on the switch like I want it to. The other 2 outlets that are grouped together (because they are in the same box) are hot all the time.

thescruff · Moderator Joined: 03 May 2003 Posts: 4401 Location: Bath

I'm not a sparkie but its obvious from your sketch that either it is wrong or you must have a feed back from somewhere.

What you say cannot happen if it is as the drawing.

The hot from the switch is feeding all 3 sockets.

b · Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 7:22 am Post subject:

The first drawing is an inaccurate wire. The second should work if you have it wired that way. The hot from the panel comes to the switch. The other side of the switch goes to the outlets... make sure you pigtail with wirenuts not run through the devices. The nuetral goes to the outlets. It sounds like you have the hot wire from the panel going to 2 of your plugs. With what you want to do, the hot wire should only go to the switch and then the switch leg carry on from there. Double check your wires.

shunut79 · Joined: 31 Dec 2007 Posts: 2 Location: Gilbert, AZ

I've checked the wires multiple times, but I'm going to take it apart again today or tomorrow to check it again. I'll let you guys know.