blank

[Motorman]

blank

[Tim Wescott]

I have a 4 socket box, 2 switches in a different box and an overhead light. I want 2 sockets to always be hot and the other 2 sockets switched on&off and I want the overhead light to be switched on&off independent of the switched sockets. Can it be done with only one wire between the boxes?

MM

Yes, as long as you have a separate cable to each box from the breaker box.  But probably no.

I just deleted about two paragraphs of bloviating, in no small part because code varies from state to state, and you live in Way the Hell and Gone (at least relative to me).  Even if you're not going to get it inspected, you still want it to be up to code, as an aid to selling your house, or to actually getting your homeowners insurance to pay up in the unlikely event of an electrical fire 100 feet away from where you did any work. 

In short: plan on running more wire than that, but maybe not much.  If you've never worked with house wiring before, get one of those "How to do House Wiring!" books at your local Home Despot.  It probably has samples on how to do just what you want.  Go read it in the house wiring aisle as you pick out your stuff.  If you still can't figure it out, ask one of the people there -- some of them are bozos, but over half really know what they're talking about.  The nice thing about asking (if you haven't done much electrical work) is that they'll know what the code is in your area.

[Motorman]

blank

[Brett Buck]

Thanks, It's all in code and any wiring I do upgrades what I've got and my insurance knows I got wiring from the 60's.

  Careful. In some areas touching the wiring in any case requires the entire circuit, back to the breaker box, to be upgraded to current code. Your insurance company might know about it but if they find you changed something but didn't bring it to current code, you won't get any payout.

    Brett

[Motorman]

blank

[Perry Rose]

Check youtube there must be a video on your question.

[Ian MacNeil]

Hi Motorman,

Since no other electrician has weighed, I will.

First off, you should speak to your electrical inspector to find out how to legally proceed.
I do not know what is required at your location.

Secondly you do not need to run two home runs from your panel and for safety reasons I highly recommend that you don't.

You will require #14 NMD-B cable both 2 conductor [black and white] and  3 conductor [black white and red].
NMD-B is regular residential cable [nonmetallic dry location] rated at 90 degree C.
There is also a ground wire in the cable which is not counted.

You can run the branch circuit to the light, switch or plug box.
If you run to the light box you will require 3 conductor cable between the light, switch and receptacle boxes.
If you run the branch circuit to either the switch or receptacle box then you will only require 3 conductor cable
between these two boxes [simpler method].

Follow this procedure if running power from the panel to the receptacle box.

Properly connect the grounding conductor to each box and each receptacle and the light if required.
Connect the white conductor to the silver screw on each duplex receptacle and the light, splicing it through the switch box.
Connect the black conductor to the always hot receptacle brass screw and to the black wire in the
three conductor cable running to the switch box.
Connect the red conductor to a terminal on one of the switches and the other end to a brass screw on the switched receptacle.
Connect the black conductor in the 3 conductor cable to both switches.
Connect the black conductor in the cable to the light to the second switch and the light.

Power to the switch box is slightly different but you can figure it out if you draw out these instructions.

Since your house is from the early 60's, make sure your electrical panel and neutral buss are properly grounded according to code.
This is high priority with the electrical inspector.

This is probably more information than you require, but better too much than not enough.

Ian