electricalwiring
The previous owner of my newly-purchased house had someone wire garage. There is power running out to garage but the only way to use garage door openers, lights and plugs is to flip the regular light switch next to door.
There is a junction box where the power comes into garage and then one wire running to the switch that turns on the power.
How can I change the wiring so that there is constant power in garage without flipping the switch?
Yes, but probably not in a terribly convenient manner as you seem to be hoping for.
You'll need to find where the power is supplied to the lighting circuit:
See this little tab here?
Turn the power to this box off at the circuit breaker, and verify it's off. Then grab the little tab with a pair of needle nose pliers, and bend it back and forth until it breaks off. Once you restore power, half of the receptacle will be controlled by the switch, while the other will be always on.
When wrapping wires around screw terminals, you always want to wrap them clockwise. To tighten the screw you'll turn it clockwise, if the wire is wrapped clockwise it will be "pulled in" by the tightening action. If the wire is wrapped anticlockwise, the wire could be "pushed out" by the tightening action.
You'll also want to try and avoid getting insulation under the screw terminals. The insulation can prevent you from tightening the screw enough, which can lead to a poor connection. A poor connection causes higher resistance, which increase heating, which leads to deterioration of the wiring, which leads to higher resistance, which leads to more heat, which leads to fire.
Best Answer
From the junction box where the power runs into garage.... you say you have one wire that runs to switch? so hot or switch leg is on either white or black wire on that "wire" that runs to switch?
You simply need to open junction box and identify wire that has power incoming to garage, wire that goes to lights, and wire that goes to garage door openor... From the hot wire... connect white and blacks to outlet that garage door is hooked up to. Then if you have a white or black being used as either power or switch leg to the lights from the switch.... identify which is constant hot and which is switched... either white or black and splice the the non constant hot (switch leg) to the light hot in the junction box.
Or provide more details....