How should I connect to an integrated GFCI outlet/switch combo?

Question

What kind of switch can I use for remote control of patio lights?

I found that the outside receptacle with a switch controlling the patio lights is also wired to a GFCI on the inside of our home. When I turn the lights on using the outside switch, I discovered that I could power the lights off by depressing the set/reset buttons and turn them back on using the same set/reset combination on the inside GFCI outlet.

I snooped around and found a switch & tamper-resistant GFCI outlet that has two wires for the actual switch on the unit. It's a Leviton 15A-125V Switch & Tamper-Resistant GFCI Outlet. It comes with two wires for the switch and four 'inputs' (2-line; 2-load; a ground). The existing GFCI outlet is wired with 2 white and 2 black (1 is hot) and a ground. Standard wiring I suppose for one of these.

I managed to wire the one hot (black) wire coming from the the wall receptacle to the black wire on the switch and managed to wire the other black (not hot) wire successfully so that the switch actually turned the lights on and off.

My problem came when I tried to wire the GFCI outlet with no success. I have the two white (neutral) wires but couldn’t figure out how to wire the GFCI under the switch so that it would work. I’m at a loss. I may not actually be able to do want I want to given the current configuration. Thanks for any help!

Answer 1

It's no different than if you had separate switch and outlet devices in a box. You need to pigtail from the hot black to both the switch and the outlet. The instructions indicate doing this with a jumper.

You also need to pigtail from the white pair to the outlet.

Make sure you connect to the line side of the outlet. The load side is an output.