Replacing a switch outlet combination with a switch GFCI outlet combination and there is only one cable in the box (14/3)

What device are you replacing... a switch or a outlet?

1) If you are replacing a switch with 3 or 4 wires?
That is either a 3-way switch, 4-way switch, or a DPDT switch and cannot be replaced with GFCI

2) If you are replacing outlet with 4 wires, then it can be replaced with GFCI combo.
http://waterheatertimer.org/How-to-wire-GFCI.html#8

3) If you are replacing ordinary single-pole switch, then you can replace with GFCI combo IF the box has a neutral wire
http://waterheatertimer.org/How-to-wire-GFCI.html#6

4) You can install GFCI protection on any circuit by installing GFCI earlier in the circuit.
http://waterheatertimer.org/Basic-house-wiring.html


Gene

If you need further help, I’m available over the phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/gene_9f0ef4df2f9897e7

Question is a bit unclear and wires are not known.
Are both GFCI devices inside same box?
Not necessary to install 2 GFCI devices inside same box since second outlet/switch can be protected using one GFCI.

1) Typical GFCI outlet device has 4 terminal screws (plus green ground screw for bare copper ground wire)
2) Two of the screws are labeled LINE. These screws are where the black Hot wire and white Neutral wire are connected. Black goes to brass screw and white to silver screw. And now the device has power to outlets, and both outlet are GFCI protected.
3) Two of the screws are labeled LOAD. These screws are where you attach additional outlets/switches that you want protected by GFCI. All outlets connected to LOAD screws would be GFCI protected. So attach black and white wires and run them to an ordinary outlet/switch and it will be GFCI protected. The key is to connect wires to the LOAD screws.
4) If you are using the outlet/switch combo GFCI device, then the same wiring shown above applies. The difference is the wires sticking out of back of device are for the switch. For example if switch controls a light, the wires going to the light connect to the two wires on back of device.

First you have to identify cables.
You have 2 cables that enter box. Each cable has black and white wires.
One cable probably comes from breaker box, and one cable probably goes to Load (which means your fan-light)

Separate wires for testing. Turn power ON.
Test each wire to bare ground wire. Tester lights up on Hot wire. This wire will connect to brass 'Line' screw on back of new GFCI device.
Hot is identified. Test Hot to all other wires except bare ground. Tester lights up on Neutral wire. Neutral connects to silver screw that sits across from Line screw on new GFCI device.
Other two wires inside box go to Load.
These wires connect to the two wires that stick out on back of new GFCI device.

Ground wires are connected together and connect to green screw on new device.

If I understand correctly you are replacing ordinary switch with switch-plug-GFCI device.
And one cable enters the box, and the cable has 1 black and 1 white and 1 ground wire.

To correctly wire combo GFCI device, you need a Neutral wire.
If your switch box has 1 cable, then it does not have a Neutral.
The neutral is required for GFCI operation, and also to power new outlet.

To test for Neutral wire:
Separate wires for testing.
Turn power ON.
Test each wire to bare ground wire.
Tester lights up on Hot line wire from breaker box.
Hot is identified.
Test Hot wire to all other wires inside box, except bare ground wire.
Tester lights up on Neutral wire.

> If switch box does not have Neutral, then device cannot be wired correctly.
> If you do have a Neutral, then open following link for correct wiring of device:
http://www.fixya.com/support/t8269774-okay_same_problem_cooper

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Ok you have GFCI combination switch-plug.

Wires coming out of back of device are connected to "Load" wires.
Load are the black and white wires that go to fan, light, motor.

The black and white wires coming from circuit breaker connect to terminals marked "Line"
Look at back of device for markings.
Black wire from breaker goes to brass screw, white wire goes to silver screw.

There is one more set of screws on device. Device usually arrives with tape over these two screws.
This is what those screws are for: If you are working in a junction box, then three cables enter box.
One cable is for Line wires from breaker box.
Second cable goes to Load (light-fan-motor) that is controlled by switch.
Third cable goes forward to another switch or outlet >> and those wires connect to last set of screws on combo device. Black to brass and white to silver.

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If I understand correctly, you are replacing a single switch that has two wires.
You want to install a switch/plug-gfci similar to one shown below.

You are working on wires inside a box:
To wire this kind of device you need at least 2 cables entering the box.
Each cable has a black-white-ground wire.
Cable 1) One cable comes from breaker box. This is the Hot cable
Hot cable has black-hot-from-breaker & white-neutral-from-breaker

Cable 2) One cable goes to the Load (light, fan motor). This wire is controlled by the switch. This is the Load cable
Load cable has black-to-load & white-to-load.



Leviton combo GFCI and Switch
There are 2 screws on either side of switch
There are 2 screws to either side of plug
There are two wires on back of device

2 screws on either side of switch: there is a brass-colored screw and silver-colored screw.
Black-hot-from-breaker connects to brass colored screw on side of switch
White-neutral-from-breaker connects to silver colored screw on side of switch

2 black wires on back of device
Black-to-load connects to black wire on same side of switch as brass-colored screws
White-to-load connects to black wire on same side of switch as silver-colored screws

2 screws on either side of plug
These screws are used when your box is a 'junction' box that feeds wires forward to another box ... for example you have 4 receptacles in a room, the cable enters first box and then goes to the next box and to the next box. Suppose your switch was one of the boxes. Wire arrives from a previous box (this is the Hot cable, every box has 1 Hot cable). Your switch box sends one cable to the Load (light, fan etc), but it also sends another cable to the next box which has a receptacle or another switch.
If your box has a third cable that feeds forward to other boxes, then the screws on either side of plug are used. The black-to-next-box goes to brass screw. The white-to-next-box connects to silver screw.
And all further boxes and devices are protected by the GFCI device.

If you need more information, please answer back and I will help.

If the switch is an integral part of the GFCI outlet then it shouldn't need wiring.
I'm running on the assumption that your outlet is the same as those I have installed myself...
To wire a switch AFTER a GFCI...
There should be two brass coloured and two silver coloured screws on the outlet. The power from your panel attaches to the screws marked LINE and the wires that go to the switch are attached to the screws marked LOAD. This protects anything plugged into the outlet as well as the "fixture" served by the switch.
One VERY important issue is the grounding...Cut yourself a small (7" should do, 10" is about the limit) of bare groundwire from a spare piece of cable and marrette this "pigtail" with the two ground wires inside the box, then attach the end of the "pigtail" to the green screw on the GFCI.
As an added safety step, I run the "pigtail" around the green screw of the outlet and the ground screw of the metal box you're working in.
The wiring then goes to the switch where the black wire can be cut, then each end is wired to the screws and the white wire is continuous to the fixture

Dave, So you have a GFCI outlet, and a 3way switch and a 3way dimmer switch, right? First off, if you want the GFCI to protect the switches & light you will use both output terminals of the GFCI which have tape over them. The white wire (from the silver screw output of the GFCI) will go to the lights, passing through the switch boxes, but not connecting to anything. The black wire (from the brass screw output of the GFCI) will feed the first switch. Both the switch and the dimmer must have 3 terminals (plus ground). One terminal is the input/output, the other two are "travelers". On a full size switch the input/output will be on the top and the two travelers will be on the bottom (or upside down from this - the key is that the travelers will be on two sides of the switch but on one end. There will be 3 wires (plus ground) going between the two switch boxes 1-the neutral which does not connect to either switch, 2,3 the two travelers. Connect the two traveler wires to the two traveler terminals on the dimmer. The other terminal on the dimmer is the hot wire output to the lights. I hope you found this helpful. Good luck

power coming in from the breaker box: black wire will go to line-hot screw, and the white wire will go to the line-white screw. the switch wires coming out of the back of the gfci- 1 will go to the load-hot screw & the other black wire will wire nut to the black wire going to the light. the white wire going to the light must go to the load-white screw.

power coming in from the breaker box: black wire will go to line-hot screw, and the white wire will go to the line-white screw. the switch wires coming out of the back of the gfci- 1 will go to the load-hot screw & the other black wire will wire nut to the black wire going to the light. the white wire going to the light must go to the load-white screw.