Adding light switch to light with pull chain

[TechBoyJK]

In my basement, all of the lights have pull chains, and there's no switch to turn them on/off, except for one.

And it looks like the light switch isn't part of the loop. The light fixture is part of a chain of lights, and it has a separate, single wire that runs to the switch, and the switch only controls that single light. Turning it off doesn't turn off the lights further down the chain.

So this might be a silly question because I think the answer is likely self evident, but I just want to confirm.

It seems the wire to the light switch can disrupt the power source to the light without disrupting the chain as a whole.

And if this is the case, as it seems the rest of the light fixtures are the same as the one with the switch, I'm hoping I can just wire in a switch directly to each light without having to mess with the existing wiring too much.

 

[Greenman]

You might be able to wire the existing switch to control all of the lights at once. If the non switched lights are fed out of the junction box that has the switched light, it might be as simple as disconnecting the the hot wire to the lights and attaching it to the switched leg.

The other answer is a remote switch that mounts in the junction box, they make one that doesn't require battery's and works quite well.

 

[Slacker]

Wireless switch with bulb adapter

https://www.google.com/search?q=wir...Z0eLNAhVI5YMKHVgRDeQQ_AUICCgC&biw=360&bih=516

There are some in there that are a bulb with the receiver integrated if space is a concern

 

[natto fire]

How comfortable are you working with electric? As Greenman said, you need to take apart the keyless base that is switched and see what is going on in the junction box. You will have 3 or more "sets" of wires in that box if that is the case. One for feed in, one for the switch leg, and one for feed out.

The switch leg will most likely be a two conductor cable, probably Romex. I usually use the white for the switch leg and black for the constant. It might also be taped black, or even using a 3 conductor cable with the white capped off. Either way, it should be hooked up to the brass screw of the keyless fixture at that box. The feed in and feed out would be tied together black to black and white to white.

Obviously, even if you reconfigure it as we are talking about, the pull chains will still turn the lights off even if the switch is on, so you will probably want to tie or cut them out of the way so they don't end up pulled in confusion.

If the box is exposed, you should be able to see how many cables are going into it without even shutting off the circuit and removing the fixture.

 

[stormkroe]

OP, it could be super easy. If you're lucky, the switched light could be the one with the 'power in' wire for the light array. If so, you can simply run a 14/3 from the existing switch to wherever you want the new switch, then make a minor change in the switched-light box. Simply take the hot leg of the 'power-out' wire (the one running constant power to the remainder of the lights) and pig-tail it to the hot wire connecting to the brass screw on the switched lampholder.
In the existing switch, replace with a 3-way switch, connect the black wire from the light to the common screw (usually black), connect the red and black wires of the new 14/3 to the other 2 screws and wire-nut the power-down-from-the-light leg (usually the white one) to the white of the 14/3. At the other end, connect the white to the common screw of the new 3 way switch, and the red and black to the other 2 screws.
Power comes down from light, splices on through the white across the room to the second switch, runs back on the black/red to the 1st switch and on up through the black to the light.
If you can wait for a month or so, I might be in MO and could swing by and beer, er I mean do it for you

 

[natto fire]

OP, it could be super easy. If you're lucky, the switched light could be the one with the 'power in' wire for the light array. If so, you can simply run a 14/3 from the existing switch to wherever you want the new switch, then make a minor change in the switched-light box. Simply take the hot leg of the 'power-out' wire (the one running constant power to the remainder of the lights) and pig-tail it to the hot wire connecting to the brass screw on the switched lampholder.
In the existing switch, replace with a 3-way switch, connect the black wire from the light to the common screw (usually black), connect the red and black wires of the new 14/3 to the other 2 screws and wire-nut the power-down-from-the-light leg (usually the white one) to the white of the 14/3. At the other end, connect the white to the common screw of the new 3 way switch, and the red and black to the other 2 screws.
Power comes down from light, splices on through the white across the room to the second switch, runs back on the black/red to the 1st switch and on up through the black to the light.
If you can wait for a month or so, I might be in MO and could swing by and beer, er I mean do it for you

First of all, hello fellow white wire as common in 3 way switches, don't like when I get into a place and someone uses white as a traveler. Second, thank you for making me re-read OP's post and realize that I might be confused in what they are asking for. I assumed one switch to control the whole bank of lights, but it seems like he might want a proper switch at each light? Your 3 way idea is probably better if there are two logical places to switch the common area lights, like a bedroom or walk-out basement. Otherwise, no point in putting a 3-way in a basement. On the same token, no point in putting a single gang wall SPST switch at every single light, when the pull chains are doing that.

In any event, the OP seems to have been electrocuted, so we can't really be sure what they want and the exact layout of the basement.

 

[stormkroe]

First of all, hello fellow white wire as common in 3 way switches, don't like when I get into a place and someone uses white as a traveler. Second, thank you for making me re-read OP's post and realize that I might be confused in what they are asking for. I assumed one switch to control the whole bank of lights, but it seems like he might want a proper switch at each light? Your 3 way idea is probably better if there are two logical places to switch the common area lights, like a bedroom or walk-out basement. Otherwise, no point in putting a 3-way in a basement. On the same token, no point in putting a single gang wall SPST switch at every single light, when the pull chains are doing that.

In any event, the OP seems to have been electrocuted, so we can't really be sure what they want and the exact layout of the basement.

Actually, after reading the OP again later, I realized that he wasn't actually asking to add a 3 way (the way I read it seemed that he was disdainful of there only being 1 light switch).
As to the white wire; how on earth does it make sense to do it the other way? You come down on the white with a SP switch, why not with a 3 way/4 way? Thanks for furthering the march of logic
Also, I hope OP didn't die yet, he didn't ever say anything about beers.

Side note, I stumbled upon a facebook group called Electrical hacks and something or other, it's been a huge blast. Lots of people posting unbelievable pics.