Switch controls outlet???

[NickJHa]

DYI guy here with some basic knowledge of electrical craft. I am helping a buddy in his remodeled bathroom. His GFCI outlet was powered off vanity light and every time you shut off the light, the power of receptacle goes off. That makes sense.
What doesn't make sense is I moved outlet on other side of vanity and ran 14/2 over to switch where power comes in. I pigtailed the blacks from power to switch and to outlet. Tied all neutrals together. And yet, when you flip light switch, the power of outlet goes off.

Wire diagram of what I did is below. Make this make sense!

 

[westward10]

From your drawing it should function, does the light also go off when you flip the switch.

 

[NickJHa]

From your drawing it should function, does the light also go off when you flip the switch.

That's what I thought too. Yes the light shuts off when you flip the switch.

 

[westward10]

Is that definitely how it is wired, you only have one cable at the light fitting.

 

[NickJHa]

Is that definitely how it is wired, you only have one cable at the light fitting.

Yes just one 14/2 wire running to light now, coming from switch. As previously stated, the old outlet location was wired off of light so there was 4 wires (not including grounds) in light box before.

 

[westward10]

So you have completely rewired the outlet to the switch position, none of the old wiring is there.

 

[NickJHa]

So you have completely rewired the outlet to the switch position, none of the old wiring is there.

Yes I removed wire that was going from light to old outlet location. New wiring is going from switch, exactly how it's done in attached wiring diagram.

 

[westward10]

Well from your pic it should operate as you assume but it doesn't therefore your pic is not correct.

 

[NickJHa]

Well from your pic it should operate as you assume but it doesn't therefore your pic is not correct.

The pic is right, my wiring is right. Something is off somwhere between the panel and the power that comes into switch is my only guess.

 

[davesparks]

The pic is right, my wiring is right. Something is off somwhere between the panel and the power that comes into switch is my only guess.

The picture does indeed show the correct wiring for what you want. The fact that the outlet switches off with the switch proves that it is not wired according to the picture and the outlet is connected to the outgoing side of the switch, you should double check you have correctly identified each cable at the switch as it sounds like you have mixed up the incoming feed with the cable going to the light.

A problem between the panel and the switch would not cause the outlet to be switched on and off by the switch.

 

[NickJHa]

The picture does indeed show the correct wiring for what you want. The fact that the outlet switches off with the switch proves that it is not wired according to the picture and the outlet is connected to the outgoing side of the switch, you should double check you have correctly identified each cable at the switch as it sounds like you have mixed up the incoming feed with the cable going to the light.

A problem between the panel and the switch would not cause the outlet to be switched on and off by the switch.

The picture does indeed show the correct wiring for what you want. The fact that the outlet switches off with the switch proves that it is not wired according to the picture and the outlet is connected to the outgoing side of the switch, you should double check you have correctly identified each cable at the switch as it sounds like you have mixed up the incoming feed with the cable going to the light.

A problem between the panel and the switch would not cause the outlet to be switched on and off by the switch.

You nailed it. When I originally pulled the switch out, there was a black screw with one of the black wires going to that so I just assumed that was the power. Turns out it was wired incorrectly prior to me working in bathroom which would explain why the switch always shut off the power to receptacle.
I pigtailed the other black and now it works.
Good call, thanks for input!

 

[Megawatt]

The pic is right, my wiring is right. Something is off somwhere between the panel and the power that comes into switch is my only guess.

When you say that your receptacle quits working is the GFCI receptacle tripping or tripped. I have to agree with everyone else that if it’s wired exactly like the diagram then there is no reason why it wouldn’t work independently from the light switch. Did you wire the GFCI correctly and terminate the wire to the line side of your receptacle and not the load side.