I'm The Electrical Dummy

[GTV]

But I want to change that. I'm mechanically inclined but electricity has always been one of those black magic things that I don't completely understand (especially when it comes to home/garage electrical). I've got a small electrical issue in the house that I want to tackle as a first step in finally getting a grasp on this. Soon I hope to electrify my home garage, but for now, baby steps.

My problem is with the garbage disposal. Like all of them it uses a wall switch to turn it on, except my switch is located under the sink, directly below the GFCI 110v outlet that the disposal plugs into. Not an ideal location but it'll do for now. The disposal does work (I plugged an extension cord to it from another working outlet) but the outlet is not getting power from the switch. I tried hitting the reset and flipping the breaker back and forth but that's the extent of my knowledge. I don't know where to go from here, any help is appreciated!

Zach

 

[pattenp]

Is the GFCI tripped and the reset button not stay depressed? You may need to take the cover plate off the outlet and use a meter to check for power at the outlet connections. If no power at outlet then check at the switch.

 

[safetyman665]

Is the outlet wired through the switch? By its proximity to the outlet it seems it should be wired through the switch but you never know until you look. Is there not a switch mounted on the wall behind the faucet? That's where I've seen the switches located on every house I've been to. Never seen one under the sink like yours.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Hold on there.

So the GFCI outlet is controlled by the switch?

Well if thats the case the GFCI wont reset with the switch off because GFCIs wont reset without having power.

Who wired this up? Sounds like hack work!!

 

[pattenp]

Hold on there.

So the GFCI outlet is controlled by the switch?

Well if thats the case the GFCI wont reset with the switch off because GFCIs wont reset without having power.

Who wired this up? Sounds like hack work!!

Duh..that didn't dawn on me. Good catch.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Who wired this up? Sounds like hack work!!

Common in homes built before disposals became popular. Someone upgraded it with the GFCI.

Replace the switch with a duplex switch/outlet combo and wire the GFCI upstream of the switch.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Common in homes built before disposals became popular. Someone upgraded it with the GFCI.

Replace the switch with a duplex switch/outlet combo and wire the GFCI upstream of the switch.

It was "common to put a switch underneth a sink before disposal became popular?" :

The switch is practically inaccesable so that makes no sense.

And if it was popular to do that before disposals then what would the switch be for?

I still say its hack work!

 

[slow]

turn switch on, press reset on the GFCI, and if the GFCI is good, it will work. If the GFCI is bad, it will not reset.

The switch and GFCI is not a good method of this, it is likely an older install, that had been replaced with a GFCI receptacle to be code compliant, but installed in the simple, remove old outlet, replace with GFCI. This would be ok, if the switch was not upstream of the outlet. (metaphorically speaking)

 

[rburke65]

Is there a reset/breaker on the bottom of the disposal?

 

[GTV]

Hold on there.

So the GFCI outlet is controlled by the switch?

Well if thats the case the GFCI wont reset with the switch off because GFCIs wont reset without having power.

Who wired this up? Sounds like hack work!!

We have a winner!

I flipped the switch on and the GFCI reset like it should when I pressed the button. Plugged the disposal in and it works like magic.

It's an old house, 1939. Some areas have been updated, other areas like this... not quite all the way. Someday the kitchen will receive a proper remodel, for now we can deal with the terrible switch location.

I feel pretty dumb now but I've gotta start somewhere. Thank you all for the help, it was a valuable lesson learned.

 

[Longhair]

 

[TexasKen]

glad you solved your problem. can't tell you how many times I have wired an outlet/switch only to have nothing work. 90% its because a wire broke while shoving all the wires back in the box.

 

[theoldwizard1]

It was "common to put a switch underneth a sink before disposal became popular?" :

The switch is practically inaccesable so that makes no sense.

It make perfect sense if you are retro-fitting it into a house older than 1960 and the kitchen has tile back splash that a sparky doesn't want to mess it up.

Call it a hack, but I have seen it several houses from prior to 1960.

 

[GTV]

That's nifty, I really like that. Unfortunately I don't have an existing hole to repurpose, or any other reasonably easy place to drill a hole and put something like that.

The kitchen is fairly new, but when they did it they really should have started over from scratch. It's pretty much a lipstick job, but a decent one. Light switches aren't in intuitive places and there is a decent amount of wasted space and colliding doors (fridge and dishwasher, for example). It works for now though. My objective over time is to cut my teeth remodeling/organizing the garage, then apply those skills to the house.

Thanks again everyone for the help. I'm a DIY guy and yet my girlfriend nearly called an electrician out for this. You really saved us some money.

 

[ard]

.

I feel pretty dumb now but I've gotta start somewhere. Thank you all for the help, it was a valuable lesson learned.

Do you know how to draw diagrams? not engineering works of art, but just rudimentary cartoons so you can visually SEE how current flows, switches, receptacles etc all

Like a 3 way switch. Draw that a few times; translate that between wires in a box and how it works on paper and you will start getting it. Once these simple things get imprinted on you brain, you'll struggle less and be able focus on the higher level issues.

My 2 cents.

 

[GTV]

Do you know how to draw diagrams? not engineering works of art, but just rudimentary cartoons so you can visually SEE how current flows, switches, receptacles etc all

Like a 3 way switch. Draw that a few times; translate that between wires in a box and how it works on paper and you will start getting it. Once these simple things get imprinted on you brain, you'll struggle less and be able focus on the higher level issues.

My 2 cents.

Good advice, I'll give it a try. Thanks!

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

Hold on there.

So the GFCI outlet is controlled by the switch?

Well if thats the case the GFCI wont reset with the switch off because GFCIs wont reset without having power.

Who wired this up? Sounds like hack work!!

 

[Shiftless]

My garbage disposer was Hardwired in when the previous owner (flipper) remodeled the kitchen without permits in 1985. The switch was under the sink. I changed it to an air pressure plunger activated switch mounted in an extra hole in the sink meant for a sprayer. IMHO this is way better than a wall switch.
No matter how wet your hands are, you are never close to electricity because the plunger switch just moves air through a small hose down to the box under the sink. And no soiling of the wall switch because there is none.