I want to turn a exterior light into a receptical.?

Question

Heres what I got. I took off the light and found 2 white wires hooked up together and a black. What do i need to do to get the receptical on.

Answer 1

You just want to plug in some Xmas lights?, have you considered a s***w in, (to the bulb socket), receptacle? This is not a recommended use, because there would be no ground. It can work in a pinch.

While it is probably physically possible to wire in a surface mounted receptacle, it appears you have no ground wire. There should be a 3rd wire, either bare copper, or green, to serve as a ground. This is an important building code and safety issue.  Building codes also require, (for good reason), all outdoor outlets to use a GFI. The GFI, is a safety device that protects someone from becoming the ground, (receiving electrical shock), in the event of a short circuit with a failure of the ground. You may already have one or more in your home.  Contrary to popular belief, the GFI would protect someone from shock without using a ground wire. The problem is, that with no ground wire, if there was a short circuit, and GFI were to fail, the possibility of a fatal shock exists. Keep this and future liability for any accidents in mind if you make an unsafe connection.

That being said, assuming there is an overlooked ground wire, I just tried to type answers to all the potential problems and issues that this task involves. The post would be so long, I doubt it would all be displayed. I understand, and appreciate the fact that it seems like a simple request.  However, it is not a "normal" kind of   installation, and in the interest of your safety, I ask that you have a person with the necessary experience and understanding of the codes, preferably licensed, look at this job, in person, before continuing. There may be a better solution, other than this conversion.

Answer 2

An electrician! :)

Answer 3

You could have bought the adapter that screws into the bulb socket and had both the light and the plug-in. Now you need to hook the wires up to both sides of the receptacle. Black wire on one side and the white wires on the other. You should see screws on the side of the receptacle for this. Hopefully you bought an outside rated receptacle and mounting box.