Electrical – Can a mix of receptacles and light fixtures be installed on a single circuit

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A while ago we had some renovations done in our house. After the electrician was done, we realized we now had one light switch in our kitchen that was no longer connected to anything. It is in a 2-gang box. The other switch in that box still is connected to a light in the kitchen. Suffice it to say that this isn't exactly what we wanted, but the electrician is done and won't be coming back.

So, now we have this useless switch and are trying to decide what to do with it. It happens to be above the counter (and it's more than 6 feet from the sink — if that matters). So, we thought it might make sense to replace the switch with a receptacle, giving us an extra place along the counter where we can plug in small kitchen appliances (toaster, food processor, what have you). My question is, are there any problems with mixing receptacles and light fixtures on the same circuit? Does it make any difference if it is in a kitchen?

I realize that this means that if an appliance plugged into the receptacle trips the breaker, the lights will also go out. I'm personally not concerned about that.

Best Answer

To directly answer your question about the unused switch in your kitchen, you have to check a couple of things before you install a receptacle in it's place:

  1. Is there a source voltage feed in the box?
  2. If there is only one cable entering the box and both the black and white conductors are connected to the switch(es), then the voltage feed is coming through the light fixture. In this configuration, there is no neutral and you cannot install a receptacle.
  3. Technically, if the source wiring is not 12/2wg, AWG and controlled by a 20 amp breaker, it does not meet current code for use with a receptacle.
  4. If you do find that you can install a receptacle, be sure to use a GFCI type.
  5. Determine if the wires on the unused switch are energized and where they go.
  6. If you use the line side (source) wires for your receptacle, be sure to safely terminate the unused switched load side wires in wirenuts.