Power comes into a switch at my house and the wire is connected to an outlet in my garage. The switch controls both plugs. I want to keep this wiring the same, but add a light out in the garage. Can I add wire to the outlet and connect the light that way? Any diagram/suggestions would be helpful.
Electrical – Adding light to existing outlet controlled by switch
electricalwiring
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Ok I read your question a few times, so hope I understand what you want to do. You want GFI prtection on the outlet , but no GFI protection to the fridge. This will be easy to do if you can affirm that the load wire leaving the j-box where the switch and outlet are located, is actually the feed for the fridge. To check this out, you need to turn off the power, check the outlet at the sink and fridge to be sure they are ,in fact on same circuit and off. Now disconnect all the wires from the outlet and any wirenuts so everything is isolated. Now, carefully turn the power back on and check the hot (typically black) leads to ground with a volt meter to determine which one is the feed/source wire. Mark this with some red electrical tape. Double check to see that the fridge outlet is still dead.
Next, turn off the power and wire nut the black source wire and associated white neutral to the black and white wires you suspect goes to the fridge.( black to black, white to white) Turn the power back on and check with your voltmeter at fridge outlet again. If there is voltage there now, you have found the right feed wire to the fridge outlet. An alternate method of finding that wire with the power off, is to use an ohm meter. Assure the power is off, then twist the black and white together on the wire you suspect goes to fridge and check the hot and neutral slots of the fridge outlet with your ohm meter. the meter should show 0 ohms or "short circuit".
Now that you have identified the hot feed and load wire to fridge in your box, you can wire it so only the counter outlets are GFI protected. Put the source black wire together with the fridge black wire, along with a separate 8 inch piece of black wire (pig tail) and wire nut them all together. Use the 8 inch black wire to feed your switch/gfi hot. The neutrals tie together as usual with an extra pig tail for your GFI outlet neutral. Obviously, trim the pig tails to a comfortable length to fit in your box before connection to the GFI.
Since all outlets must be GFI protected in the counter outlet and since you cannot split a gfi outlet top and bottom like in your diagram, you have to do your light differently from your previous plan. I would suggest using a switch/single outlet device wired from the load side of the gfi. Wire the switch in series with this single outlet. This means only the single outlet is switched and gfi protected. You must have gfi protection on this outlet, as someone could unplug the lights and use it for something else.
Hopefully, one of my artistic buddies can do an edit and add a nice diagram depicting what I have outlined for you.
This sounds like you have a power outlet on the lighting circuit - I will only suggest that you remove the power outlet from that supply and connect it to a power circuit which should be correctly fused.
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Best Answer
If your walls are open this will be easy. Adding a light is legal in my state. With the power off pull the outlet, add a piece of romex and run up to where you want your light switch, have at least 6" of wire at the outlet and the box connect the new wires to the outlet or pigtail the wires connecting the black hot wire to the brass colored screw and the white or silver colored sctee to the white or neutral wire, the grounds should be pig tailed and then connected to the outlet. Take another piece of wire from the new switch box location to the location you want your light, if this will be a plug in type of light wire the outlet the same as the first (color wise but no pigtails are needed) , now to connect the switch, pigtail the grounds and connect a short length of the bare ground to the switch yoke it should be a green screw, tie both white wires together (wire nut or other listed device) last connect one of the black wires to one screw and the other black wire to the other screw ( if other than a standard snap switch/ or an electronic switch the neutral may be needed). Note wiring below 8' is supposed to be covered by 1/2" sheet rock or plywood but I have seen so many garages that the wiring is exposed I usually go with what is there. Conduit can also be used to protect the wire and that can be left exposed legally. If the walls are covered it will be a bit tougher but still can be done, you will need old work boxes. These boxes you cut a hole between studs that just barely allows the box to slide in put the wires in the box slide it in the hole then 2 screws tighten the wings or fins depending on the brand. Now turn the power back on and plug in your light. Note a pigtail is a junction of wires that usually has the conductors tied together with an extra piece of wire to connect directly to the switch or outlet. Hopes this helps.