Can I install a timer switch without a neutral wire?
Timer does not use neutral wire so you have to be able to identify your load vs. line wires. If your outlet box is not deep you will spend some time arranging the wiring inside the box in order for the timer to fit without protruding.
What if my switch has no neutral wire?
If you want to use smart switches and don’t have a neutral wire in your switch box, you can hire an electrician to run a neutral wire between the light fixture and the switch. You can also have an electrician rewire the switch and light fixture, which is potentially more expensive.
How do I get my smart switch to work without neutral?
The key to creating a smart switch that works without the neutral loop is to make R1 the perfect resistance. R1 needs to restrict the current enough so that the light bulb doesn’t turn on when the switch is off. At the same time, it needs to let enough current through so that the switch can power itself.
How do I install a dimmer switch without neutral?
Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: Pull the light switch forward. So that you can extend. And work with wiring. Okay you're gonna be able to see the wiring here what we've got here is the existing.
Can I use ground as neutral for Smart switch?
While connecting the neutral of a smart switch to ground might work, never do this! The reason it will work is that ground is often connected to neutral in the electrical panel, meaning it will be at a very similar voltage allowing current to flow from hot to ground.
How do you add a neutral wire to an existing light switch?
Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: Find that neutral wire which will be on the other side of wherever the load wire is and you could run that wire back down into the light switch and now you have a neutral wire.
Can I use ground instead of neutral?
a ground and a neutral are both wires. unless they’re tied together with other circuits, and not a ‘home run’ back to the panel, there is no difference between the two where they both end up on the same bus bar in the box.
Is neutral wire necessary?
In terms of a home’s power flow, the neutral wire provides a return path for currents essential to most modern U.S. electrical codes. Combined with a power source and ground wire, you have the makeup of a contemporary light switch, but earlier switches operate without the neutral.
How do you wire a light without neutral?
Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: It's just got a hot wire in a load wire and the other nice thing about this is that these are completely reversible it doesn't matter if you install them in the hot or the load.
What can you use if you don’t have a neutral wire for a smart switch?
Best Z-Wave Smart Switch with No Neutral Wire
The Inovelli Z-Wave Dimmer switch is a really good option if you have a Z-Wave capable hub. You harness the reliability and performance benefits of hub-based smart switches without having to add anything more, and there are some good Z-Wave dimmer switch options on offer.
Do all smart switches require a neutral wire?
Every smart switch needs a neutral wire attached because they need to stay powered all the time. Without a neutral wire, there is a single circuit between the bulb, power source (or junction box), and light switch.
Do older homes have a neutral wire?
Neutral Wires are a Pain
Without a neutral wire, they don’t work, and that’s a problem because most older homes don’t have neutral wires. Instead, you’ll only find load, line, and (hopefully) ground wires.
Can I connect neutral and ground together?
No, the neutral and ground should never be wired together. This is wrong, and potentially dangerous. When you plug in something in the outlet, the neutral will be live, as it closes the circuit. If the ground is wired to the neutral, the ground of the applicance will also be live.
What year were neutral wires required?
The one-neutral-per-lug rule entered the National Electrical Code at the 2002 edition. Here’s how it is stated in the current edition: 408.41 Grounded Conductor Terminations.
