Timeline for Light switches On in the Off position and Vice Versa
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
16 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 6, 2021 at 14:52 | comment | added | Aloysius Defenestrate | Good answer below, but when you get into the box with your multimeter, check to see if you can make ~240v with any two wires. If so, you have a legit mess on your hands. (And extra reason to be cautious, as flipping one breaker isn't necessarily going to save your bacon.) | |
| May 6, 2021 at 14:46 | comment | added | Aloysius Defenestrate | @FreeMan -- it's a regional thing... in California now and none of my electricians have ever heard of a marrett. Canada is a different world sometimes. | |
| May 6, 2021 at 14:21 | comment | added | FreeMan | Thanks, @P2000 like the difference between Kleenex™, kleenex, and tissue. Got it. I'd have just called it a "wire nut". #TIL | |
| May 6, 2021 at 14:19 | comment | added | P2000 | @FreeMan "Marrette" is a Twist-on wire connector, named after the brand and inventor, and is now a common name for the connector regardless brand | |
| May 6, 2021 at 13:59 | comment | added | FreeMan | I'll bite... What is "marrett"? Maybe it's a wiring term that I'm just not familiar with... | |
| May 6, 2021 at 4:49 | comment | added | P2000 | With your multimeter in continuity/resistance setting (beep or Ohm measurement) you can confirm that your single pole switch is on in one position and off in the other, and unfortunately there is no re-wiring that would change the orientation. Of course, for this test you must entirely unwire the switch from the box. Almost by universal convention up is on and down is off, in northern as well as southern hemisphere. | |
| May 6, 2021 at 1:51 | comment | added | Fixit Darkie | I'll reply to all comments here: 1. I labelled the marrett "b", its hidden inside the box not visible in the photo. 2. There is no brass screw ( its single pole) 3. Yes I have a multimeter, it just controls one light - but there are wires in the box that if you disconnect them results in the kitchen light not working 4. I'll take a better picture when I'm there on Friday. | |
| May 5, 2021 at 23:13 | answer | added | Harper - Reinstate Monica | timeline score: 5 | |
| May 5, 2021 at 18:50 | comment | added | Jim Stewart | Looks to me like non standard and possibly unsafe wiring that might require an expert to correct. There are experts here but they would need a picture of the inside of the box with better lighting. | |
| May 5, 2021 at 18:40 | comment | added | Jim Stewart | You have a lot of wires and you are connecting them without understanding which is the line hot (always hot), which is switched hot, which might be neutrals, which might be ground. Do you have a voltage tester? Is this switch one of a pair of switches which controls a light or set of lights? | |
| May 5, 2021 at 18:11 | comment | added | P2000 | We can help but need more info: did you wire this kind switch at other places in the house too? And we need pictures from the back and other side. It seems wrong and dangerous as wired in the picture, but hard to tell from the angle. | |
| May 5, 2021 at 17:14 | comment | added | HABO | Is there a brass screw on the other side of the switch? If so, you have a 3-way switch. | |
| May 5, 2021 at 16:46 | comment | added | tnknepp | How do you define "off position"? When you say "2 position switch" I assume you mean it's either on or off. If that's the case then there is no way to change what position is on or off. | |
| May 5, 2021 at 16:43 | comment | added | FreeMan | What is a "B marrett"? Also, the green pigtail (which is the grounding wire) from the switch should NOT be connected to the neutrals (the white & grey wires). It should be connected via a 10-32 screw to the appropriate hole in the back of the metal junction box. Leaving it connected creates a dangerous situation here and at other switches & fixtures. | |
| May 5, 2021 at 16:41 | history | edited | FreeMan | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
deleted 51 characters in body; edited title
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| May 5, 2021 at 16:36 | history | asked | Fixit Darkie | CC BY-SA 4.0 |