I would like to install a security light on the outside of my garage. The only electricity in that area is an electric outlet on the inside of the garage wall. Can I tap into the inside wall outlet to connect a switch and a light? Or, can I put a light only on a dedicated lighting circuit?
Thank you
You can use that one. Most receptacles in a home are on a "general lighting circuit" anyway. (exceptions are bathroom, laundry and kitchen)
"Walter R." wrote
If your area is coded like mine, yes you can do either one. Check though with your area to be sure. It's a free call for questions to your county offices. Same ones you get permits from in my case.
Hmm. Can you plug a trouble light into the outlet and be code-compliant? What's the diff?
For most cases this should be okay provided the circuit will not be overloaded. For high-wattage security lamps you may need another circuit.
You can do what you like, it's yours.
You can do what you want. it's your garage, right?
s
Depends on how strictly your inspector wants to interpret the code. Technically, you're not supposed to have lighting and receptacles on same circuit. The theory is that if you're using something like an iron or soldering gun and overload the circuit, you could also burn yourself as you tried to leave a dark room. I suppose the inspector could argue that if you ran an extension cord outside the garage and used it to power a saw while your work area was lit by your security light, you could saw your hand off as the blade powered down after overloading the circuit.
Just because they never did it that way in the past doesn't mean you're grandfathered in. Any time you make an electrical improvement on a circuit, that improvement is supposed to be up to the current code.
could you cite the "Technically, you're not supposed to have lighting and receptacles on
s
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