Issues Converting Light Switch to Outlet

[NewRehabber]

I'm installing an alarm system and want to convert a light switch to a power outlet so I can have an easy spot to plug in the panel. The perfect spot in the house also happens to be by a light switch that seems to have been altered to provide constant power to some nearby (previously switched) outlets. There's only two outlets that I can find that seem to be connected to this circuit. When I cut the breaker to the light switch, the two outlets also turn off. It seems kind of an odd wiring, but I admit I'm new to this.

In the attached picture I've numbered each wire involved.

• 2 & 3 feed into a wire nut, that then feeds into another wire (#6) that was connected to a light switch. These wires are all hot.
• 1 (red) is also hot. It was connected to the other terminal of the light switch.
• Both the on and off positions of the switch did not affect any nearby outlets, and with my multimeter I found a current was still traveling to both terminal of the switch. This tells me that two hot wires were being fed into the switch.

What sort of setup is this? Or is it just a rigged setup to allow the 2 outlets to always stay on?


Here's what I think I should do if I want to put in a outlet:

• Put a wire nut on #1 and stuff it back in the box.
• Cut off #6 and it's wire nut
• Connect #2 to the top hot wire terminal of the new outlet and #4 to the top travler/white terminal of the new outlet
• Connect #3 to the bottom hot wire terminal of the new outlet and #5 to the bottom travler/white terminal of the new outlet
• Connect ground one of the two ground wires to the outlet.

Any issues with doing this?

 

[muttley04]

That's a very dodgy bit of wiring. Power outlets should not be connected lighting circuits. If you are new to electrics I would strongly urge you to get a quailified electrician to sort out the mess and install a new outlet for your alarm.

 

[MrModify]

that set up is for a 2 way switch. Not being a smart ___ but take muttley04's advice.