Changing a Single Pole Light Switch with 3 black wires and no ground.?

I have just recently bought a house and was changing some of the light switches to new ones. In one of my boxes i have a 3 way light switch that controls an overhead light, i have changed that with little difficulty because of the way it had been rigged previous to me. the other light switch is for my outside light. keep in mind this is a finished basement with a drop ceiling etc.. apparently somehow the power from that light switch also controls some of my outlets in the room. because once i flipped the breaker i lost power to those outlets, still no biggy. i changed the switches out and the outside light didnt work, i changed the wires around and eventually got the light to work but i still have no power to my outlets. so then i got to messing with it again and now i cant get the right combo to get the light back on, there are the 3 black wires feeding into the box and each of the 3 lines running in have the white wires and the ground wires tapped off. im definitely not an electrician but know a little bit about DIY home repairs but im confused as heck right now. any help would be great!|||This is what you have, 1 black wire is your positive feed. (can be found with simple voltmeter, its the one that makes the little needle move) 2 black wires going to 2 different circuits, one to the light, one to the outlets. Find the power feed wire, plug it in to the switch, plug either black wire into the switch, in the hole next to the feed wire. See which circuit turns on, If the light turns on, the other black wire is your outlets, and vice versa, if the outlets power up, the other black wire is your light.





Now you need to piggy-back power off the feed wire directly to the black wire that goes to your outlets. Replace that switch with a regular switch, and put the light supply wire and feed wire on this switch.





That puts your outlets on constant circuit, that leaves the 2 black wires for your light, and that%26#039;s all you need for a light. Power to the switch, then supply to the light.





Your grounds and neutrals are correct, but not just taped. They need to be wire capped, then taped.





Wait, are you saying the grounds and neutrals are not connected just taped off, or are you saying the are connected to each other, just taped up?





Your white wires should be connected to the other white wires, all 3. The same with the bare copper wires. All 3 together.|||the configuration is power in to the common terminal power out though the switch-legs, this is improper ! find the wire that runs the outlets and hard wire it to the hot going into the switch. pigtail a wire from these two to a single pole switch then connect the other ( ceiling light) wire to the switch, a three way switch should only be used in conjunction with another three way switch.