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Hello,
Let me start by saying that I am a bit of a newbie, and I did not find a good answer to this question after searching the forum. This is a bit long, but I would really appreciate it if someone could give me some guidance on this project.
I have a 1920's house with a lot of original wiring. There is a set of 3 older light switches next to the back door off the kitchen. One switch controls an interior ceiling light by the door, one switch controls an exterior porch light and flood light, and the third switch is an old 3-way switch that does nothing now (the kitchen was remodeled before we bought the house and I think this switch used to control a now nonexistant light fixture). All 3 switches are connected in series at the bottom from one old wire that feeds into the box (presumably the power in), and the top of each switch has an individual wire that leaves the box (except the dead 3-way, which has 2 wires leaving the box).
If possible, I want to remove the dead 3-way switch and replace it with an X-10 transmitter base (XPT), as I am adding X-10 to my house along with a wireless security system. This XPT module seems unique in that it functions as a switch but it requires a hot and neutral wire, which is more like wiring a standard electrical outlet than wiring a switch. Fortunately there is a newer grounded non-GFCI outlet one foot directly below the 3-switch box.
My question is whether or not I can run some romex wire from the existing outlet, behind the plaster wall, and into the old electrical box where the XPT module will be installed (where the dead 3-way switch used to be).
If this is possible, I have a bunch of other "newbie" questions about the installation:
1) Should I run both hot and nuetral up from the outlet, or can I just run a neutral wire up there and use the existing hot wire that feeds the existing switches (the outlet and switches are likely on 2 different circuits)?
2) Can I just run the hot/neutral wires directly off the existing outlet terminal screws or do I need to splice in the new wires using wire nuts?
3) Can a hot/neutral connection to an X-10 module be safely contained in an old electrical box that is shared with 2 other light switches?
4) What gauge wire would you recommend for such a short run?
5) Will a small DIY electrical job like this be within "code"? If not, what would I need to do (short of hiring an electrician to do such a small job) to keep everything kosher?
I have already replaced many of the house's old crumbling outlets and I know my way around the circuit breaker, so I feel confident that I can handle dropping a 1' wire down behind the wall to connect the XPT module to the existing outlet. I just want to make sure that this is an acceptable and safe solution to my problem.
Thank you,
Noah
Let me start by saying that I am a bit of a newbie, and I did not find a good answer to this question after searching the forum. This is a bit long, but I would really appreciate it if someone could give me some guidance on this project.
I have a 1920's house with a lot of original wiring. There is a set of 3 older light switches next to the back door off the kitchen. One switch controls an interior ceiling light by the door, one switch controls an exterior porch light and flood light, and the third switch is an old 3-way switch that does nothing now (the kitchen was remodeled before we bought the house and I think this switch used to control a now nonexistant light fixture). All 3 switches are connected in series at the bottom from one old wire that feeds into the box (presumably the power in), and the top of each switch has an individual wire that leaves the box (except the dead 3-way, which has 2 wires leaving the box).
If possible, I want to remove the dead 3-way switch and replace it with an X-10 transmitter base (XPT), as I am adding X-10 to my house along with a wireless security system. This XPT module seems unique in that it functions as a switch but it requires a hot and neutral wire, which is more like wiring a standard electrical outlet than wiring a switch. Fortunately there is a newer grounded non-GFCI outlet one foot directly below the 3-switch box.
My question is whether or not I can run some romex wire from the existing outlet, behind the plaster wall, and into the old electrical box where the XPT module will be installed (where the dead 3-way switch used to be).
If this is possible, I have a bunch of other "newbie" questions about the installation:
1) Should I run both hot and nuetral up from the outlet, or can I just run a neutral wire up there and use the existing hot wire that feeds the existing switches (the outlet and switches are likely on 2 different circuits)?
2) Can I just run the hot/neutral wires directly off the existing outlet terminal screws or do I need to splice in the new wires using wire nuts?
3) Can a hot/neutral connection to an X-10 module be safely contained in an old electrical box that is shared with 2 other light switches?
4) What gauge wire would you recommend for such a short run?
5) Will a small DIY electrical job like this be within "code"? If not, what would I need to do (short of hiring an electrician to do such a small job) to keep everything kosher?
I have already replaced many of the house's old crumbling outlets and I know my way around the circuit breaker, so I feel confident that I can handle dropping a 1' wire down behind the wall to connect the XPT module to the existing outlet. I just want to make sure that this is an acceptable and safe solution to my problem.
Thank you,
Noah
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