Why is there an extra wire in my light switch?
And, spoiler-alert, they were all intended to be always-hot or “line”. Since they’re meant to be together and are the same thing… Connect them all together. So you’d join the 2 black wires from the wall (i.e. not yellow) with the 2 black wires or pigtails to the new switches. That did it!
Why would a single pole switch have 3 wires?
The 2 wire source feeds to an adjacent switch for a different light which then feeds this switch with 2 wires. The switch in question is a single pole. From it, there is 3 wire cable that leads to a light which then connects to other lights controlled by their own switches.
How do you replace a switch with two black wires?
Connect the top screw to the wire that feeds to the light. Connect the bottom screw to the hot wire. When you turn the power back on, and if you want to swap the direction of the switch (as in press down to turn off, or turn on), turn off the power and switch the two black wires.
How do you replace a back wire with a light switch?
Youtube quote:Find your two hot black wires. And unscrew the copper ends loosen up the screws. Slide up now if you flip your switch over a lot of times you'll see a copper wire attached to a green screw.
Why are there 2 black wires on light switch?
You should see two black wires, each connecting to a different screw on the side of the switch. These are called terminal screws. You will also see two white (neutral) wires that connect to one another in the box.
Why does my light switch have two black wires and two white wires?
So, why are there two black and two white wires in your outlet box? There are two black and two white wires in an outlet box because the outlet is in the middle of a series circuit, accepting power from another source and sending it on. Two cables are hot wires, bringing the power in and carrying it onward to the next.
Can you use 3-way switch single pole?
Yes it can work. 3-way switches are spdt (single pole double throw) with 3 screw terminals, and regular switches are spst (single pole single throw) with 2 screw terminals. Just pick the correct two contacts and you are good to go. .
What is the red wire on a single pole switch?
When you see a red wire in a light switch box, it can mean two things. It could be there is (or once was) a three-way switch in play. Or it could be the red wire is the wire going to the fixture, and the black wires are the live wires.
What happens if you wire a 3-way switch wrong?
Usually when a 3-way switch fails, lights can be toggled on and off at one switch, but not the other. If one of the two 3-way switches toggles the light(s) on and off, the other 3-way switch has probably failed.
How do you replace a double pole switch?
Youtube quote:And in fact this old switch doesn't even have a ground. But in the new single pole switch it's going to be marked on and off you're going to have two screw terminals. And then a green ground screw.
What is the black screw on a light switch for?
This screw serves one of two purposes depending on where it is positioned in the circuit run: Either it accepts the incoming black (hot) wire from the power source, or it connects to the black (hot) wire that leads onward to the light fixture.
What color wire goes to black screw on switch?
Black screw terminal: The black (or darkest in color) screw attaches to the black common wire from the 14/2 cable. The terminal may be labeled COM. Green screw terminal: The green screw is the ground terminal.
What color wire goes to the black screw on a light switch?
yellow cable
The black wire goes up to the light through the yellow cable. The green ground screw on the switch is used to connect the two grounds. The black screw can get either the wire from the electrical panel or the wire going to the light.
Does black wire go to black screw?
A black or red-hot wire usually connects to a brass-colored screw terminal or black wire lead on electrical devices. A white neutral wire usually connects to a silver-colored terminal or white wire lead.
What happens if you connect a black wire to a white wire?
What happens if black and white wires touch? First of all, nothing will happen, if the two wires aren’t connected to any power source. Therefore, you won’t have much to worry about. Even if you just let the bare wires touch each other, you’ll encounter a short circuit.
What are the three screws on a light switch?
Youtube quote:Switched up the current flows from the common screw to one of the other screws. Switch down it disconnects from that screw and the current flows to the opposite. Screw.
Is black screw load or line?
The color for the Line wire is usually black and the Load wire is usually red, black, or blue (less common). If you notice that both are the same color for you, please use the guideline below to determine which wire is which.
What happens if you switch the load and line wires?
Here’s what happens when somebody wires a GFCI receptacle with the load and line wires reversed: The GFCI will work, in the sense that you can plug in a hair dryer and the hair dryer will blow hot air. But when you push the little “test monthly” button, and the “reset” button pops out, the receptacle stays live.
What happens if you mix up line and load?
If you mistakenly connect the LINE wires to the LOAD terminals, the GFCI will not reset and will not provide power to either the GFCI receptacle face or any receptacles fed from the GFCI.
