It looks like something else is controlled by that switch. The red wire is constant power to the top receptacle and sends power to the switch. The power comes back from the switch on the white wire and feeds the bottom receptacle but also feeds the black from the original romex? Also, your grounds should have a wire nut with a 3rd wire ‘pigtailed’ to the receptacle.
It’s a switch loop. The 3 wire coming in with red white and black is feed supplying neutral and power to the outlet. White on neutral screw, then red is spliced into the top half as a constant and the second wire coming off that goes to the switch box hits the first screw at the switch, comes back on the white wire in the same Rolex as a hot wire. Then hits the bottom screw on the receptacle allowing one of the outlets in that room to be toggled on and off based on the position of the switch.
This is done to add a “lamp” to the room. Not the fixture itself but the suitable place to plug it in and toggle it via the light switch opposed to on the fixture itself.
What your going to do is instead of having your black and white be a switch loop take all the wires off the outlet and do the following.
Splice your whites together make a pigtail and place the pigtail under the neutral screw on your device.
Then splice together the hot coming into the box, which you will have to identify as the red or the black out of the 12/3 Romex however one of these hots whichever it is will be spiced into the black of the 12/2 going to the switch. This way now at our switch box we have our white as a neutral and a black and a hot which is what you want.
The red wire I’m having trouble identifying it, seems like what you need to do is splice red and blacks together. Then pigtail off this and put it under each hot terminal or replace the outlet and place it under one (your middle tab is broken so you cannot make both outlets hot without the tab or doing each screw individually)
You can reply here for more help. However this seems to be the case. Remember to splice grounds also
The red is the line in to the outlet box, the two wire romex is the switch leg, with the white being the line coming back from the switch. The black in the three wire is the switched line back to other outlets/loads. the neutral is the white in the three wire.
Your solution would dead end a hot and neutral at the switch, and leave no power to the additional switched outlets.
The OP was vague as to where the new light was going, but I got the impression they didn't want to run new wire.
I wouldn’t mind running new wire. I’d just like to get rid of this outlet, but would like to use the switches that are already running to the outlet for the light. Preferably I’d like the light to be mounted from the ceiling.
Then you need to run a new 2 wire romex with ground, the same gauge wire that is existing, from that outlet box up into the ceiling where you intend to mount the new light. connect to the new wire just like I described below. and put a cover plate on the old outlet box. If you have an accessible attic, it will be fairly easy.
From the outlet pictured. The top is always hot and the bottom is turned on/off through a switch. We’d like to change this to a light that can also use the same switch. I’m confused about the two wires coming in and why they’re joined the way they are. Can anyone explain what’s going on here?
where is the new light going to be?
right now, as jd807 pointed out, it appears that the switch controls at least one other outlet, maybe more.
If you are replacing the outlet with a light, the red, from the three wire romex will connect to the black of the two wire romex. The white of the two wire romex, which is a hot wire coming from the switch, will connect to the black wire of the new light fixture and the black of the three wire romex. The white, the neutral, from the three wire romex will connect to the white wire of the new light.
Now the existing switch will control the new light and any other outlets it controlled originally.
It looks like something else is controlled by that switch. The red wire is constant power to the top receptacle and sends power to the switch. The power comes back from the switch on the white wire and feeds the bottom receptacle but also feeds the black from the original romex? Also, your grounds should have a wire nut with a 3rd wire ‘pigtailed’ to the receptacle.
I’m starting to follow. So I wouldn’t just be able to just use the Romex for the light?
It’s a switch loop. The 3 wire coming in with red white and black is feed supplying neutral and power to the outlet. White on neutral screw, then red is spliced into the top half as a constant and the second wire coming off that goes to the switch box hits the first screw at the switch, comes back on the white wire in the same Rolex as a hot wire. Then hits the bottom screw on the receptacle allowing one of the outlets in that room to be toggled on and off based on the position of the switch. This is done to add a “lamp” to the room. Not the fixture itself but the suitable place to plug it in and toggle it via the light switch opposed to on the fixture itself. What your going to do is instead of having your black and white be a switch loop take all the wires off the outlet and do the following. Splice your whites together make a pigtail and place the pigtail under the neutral screw on your device. Then splice together the hot coming into the box, which you will have to identify as the red or the black out of the 12/3 Romex however one of these hots whichever it is will be spiced into the black of the 12/2 going to the switch. This way now at our switch box we have our white as a neutral and a black and a hot which is what you want. The red wire I’m having trouble identifying it, seems like what you need to do is splice red and blacks together. Then pigtail off this and put it under each hot terminal or replace the outlet and place it under one (your middle tab is broken so you cannot make both outlets hot without the tab or doing each screw individually) You can reply here for more help. However this seems to be the case. Remember to splice grounds also
The red is the line in to the outlet box, the two wire romex is the switch leg, with the white being the line coming back from the switch. The black in the three wire is the switched line back to other outlets/loads. the neutral is the white in the three wire. Your solution would dead end a hot and neutral at the switch, and leave no power to the additional switched outlets. The OP was vague as to where the new light was going, but I got the impression they didn't want to run new wire.
I wouldn’t mind running new wire. I’d just like to get rid of this outlet, but would like to use the switches that are already running to the outlet for the light. Preferably I’d like the light to be mounted from the ceiling.
Then you need to run a new 2 wire romex with ground, the same gauge wire that is existing, from that outlet box up into the ceiling where you intend to mount the new light. connect to the new wire just like I described below. and put a cover plate on the old outlet box. If you have an accessible attic, it will be fairly easy.
From the outlet pictured. The top is always hot and the bottom is turned on/off through a switch. We’d like to change this to a light that can also use the same switch. I’m confused about the two wires coming in and why they’re joined the way they are. Can anyone explain what’s going on here?
where is the new light going to be? right now, as jd807 pointed out, it appears that the switch controls at least one other outlet, maybe more. If you are replacing the outlet with a light, the red, from the three wire romex will connect to the black of the two wire romex. The white of the two wire romex, which is a hot wire coming from the switch, will connect to the black wire of the new light fixture and the black of the three wire romex. The white, the neutral, from the three wire romex will connect to the white wire of the new light. Now the existing switch will control the new light and any other outlets it controlled originally.
Thank you this makes sense. I appreciate your comments.