That is a perfectly functional way of splitting a single hot (highlighted green in your sketch) to supply power to two separate switched fixtures. However, most smart switches require a neutral conductor in the switch box so there can be an always-on connection for the “smart” circuitry.

Can two switches share a hot wire?

The pigtail gives you two hot wires instead of just one. Connect one wire to the first switch in the box and the second wire to the other switch, and connect the black wire from each of the lights to the other terminal on its respective switch.

What happens when two hot wires are connected?





Two hots of same circuit – nothing should happen.

Why is there a wire connecting two light switches?

In building wiring, multiway switching is the interconnection of two or more electrical switches to control an electrical load from more than one location. A common application is in lighting, where it allows the control of lamps from multiple locations, for example in a hallway, stairwell, or large room.

Can you have two switches in a circuit?

Controlling a light with two or more switches



A light or lights can be controlled by more than one switch. The usual practice in home construction is to use 3-way switches. “3-way” is the electrician’s designation for a single pole double throw (SPDT) switch.

Can 2 hot wires share a neutral?

What is a multiwire branch circuit? A multiwire branch circuit is a branch circuit with a shared neutral. This means there are two or more ungrounded (hot) phase or system conductors with a voltage between them and a shared neutral.

How do you wire two switches together?





Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: Down below take your wire hook it cl on a clockwise. Position. And you are gonna just tighten it real. Well. Ground again clockwise hook it up on a clockwise. Position. And tighten it up.

Can you pigtail hot wires?

Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: About 3/4 of an inch on both sides of both pieces of wire and this is going to be our pigtail. So now I'm going to take this pigtail. And I'm going to combine it with the other two hot wires.

Why are both black and white wires hot?

Here’s a rundown of electrical wires: The black wire is the “hot” wire, it carries the electricity from the breaker panel into the switch or light source. The white wire is the “neutral” wire, it takes any unused electricity and current and sends it back to the breaker panel.

What happens if you connect 2 circuits together?

The faulty neutral on the other circuit will cause overload of the wire ampere carrying capacity when power is being used from both circuits but the one good neutral has to return current to the breaker box for both circuits. Overloaded wires can cause melting insulation and electrical fires.

How do I wire an outlet with two switches?



Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: All with the same switch in this video David who is the licensed master electrician shows how to wire a double switch. Hi there this is David and Marcille in but just a little further crew.

What is daisy-chain wiring?

In electrical and electronic engineering, a daisy chain is a wiring scheme in which multiple devices are wired together in sequence or in a ring, similar to a garland of daisy flowers.

Can you daisy-chain light switches?

Daisy chaining is a simple way to connect two or more light fixtures. Multiple light fixtures operated by a single switch can be most easily wired through a process known as “daisy chaining.” This is a simple, serial wiring scheme that connects the wires of the light fixtures one to the next in a single circuit.

How many neutrals is a hot?



You can only have one neutral per circuit in a single phase system, it is a current carrying conductor. If you use one neutral with two circuits you can exceed the capacity of the conductor and damage the conductor.

Can two separate circuits share a ground wire?

So if your area has adopted NEC 2014, you can connect a grounding conductor to the grounding conductor from another branch circuit, as long as both circuits originate from the same panel.

Can you tie neutrals together from different circuits?

Tying neutrals of different circuits together is effectively paralleling wire, which unless larger than 1/0 is also a violation of 310.4. 300.3 references 310.4, tho 300.3 says all conductors of a circuit must be in the same cable, raceway, etc unless allowed elsewhere.

What happens when two neutrals touch?

If two neutrals are under one lug and you only switch off one circuit breaker the second circuits return path will remain energized causing a dangerous hazard if contact is made by the electrician or arcing if the neutral wire comes in contact with any grounded parts of the panel.

Can you put 2 neutral wires together?



Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: So what you want to do is you want to twist them just enough. So that they can be joined. Together so let's just go ahead and twist them together just.

Can two separate circuits be in the same junction box?

The answer is yes you can have 2 separate circuits in the same box (they can have a splice also but not needed in your case). The only concern would be the total box fill. Based on the NEC the wire fill would be calculated at 2.0 for each conductor for 14 gauge wire and 2.25 for 12 gauge wire.

How many circuits are allowed in a junction box?

For example, the smallest 2-by-4-by-1-1/2-inch-deep box can comfortably splice only two cables (four or five conducting wires), while the largest 4-by-4-by-2-1/8-inch-deep boxes can handle as many as four to six cables (up to 18 individual conducting wires).

Can two circuits share an outlet?

It’s possible to have 2 circuits legally on one receptacle (the 2 sockets and frame called a “yoke”). However, if you do have 2 circuits on a yoke, the breakers MUST be handle-tied with a factory provided handle-tie.