Timeline for How should new switches be connected in this box?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
9 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 16, 2023 at 1:06 | vote | accept | 3mw | ||
| Jun 13, 2023 at 2:01 | comment | added | 3mw | And I just realized I've been using line and load in the wrong direction | |
| Jun 13, 2023 at 1:19 | comment | added | 3mw | Yes, I am 99% out of my depths – this has been much easier in other areas of my house, so I figured this would be the same. I thought I could swap a few terminals and call it a day, and that does not seem to be the case here. I assumed the top terminals for the middle and right switches were lines because they are the only two wires coming in/out of the wall that aren't shared between them, but it sounds like I'm not correct. Also, I saw neutral & ground bundles, but I don't know why the current switches weren't wired to utilize them (I definitely didn't wire this up). Time to make a call. | |
| Jun 13, 2023 at 1:00 | comment | added | Ecnerwal | Your picture shows that the back wire and the "looped" wire are connected to the same point on the "middle" switch - one from the backstab, one from the screw. that terminal is the line, or unswitched hot, in this case, and in your pictures it's "lower" not "upper" so your words and pictures disagree, and I'll believe the pictures. And you have a bundle of neutrals and a bundle of grounds staring you in the face. At which point one does have to wonder if you are out of your depth more than you should be... | |
| Jun 13, 2023 at 0:48 | comment | added | 3mw | I think I know what to do, based on this explanation. I think I can take the "stab" wire from the back of the left switch and use that as the load on the middle switch. Then, the wire that loops around that bottom screw on the middle switch can become the load for the far right switch. From there, the top wires from the middle and right switches are their respective lines, if I'm following correctly. The last detail is neutral and ground, which it looks like I have neither of accessible here. | |
| Jun 13, 2023 at 0:25 | comment | added | 3mw | Very unskilled, but I think I'm following: Yes, bottom right screw on the left switch is black – I didn't catch that. You're saying that wire is hot, top left & right are terminals. That adds up. You're saying the wire in back of left switch feeds power to back of middle switch? In that middle switch, that would make the top right the line? Where I'm confused is the wire that loops around the bottom right screw on middle switch. One end comes in/out of wall, then loops around the bottom right screw, then plugs into the back of the right switch. You're saying that's power? | |
| Jun 12, 2023 at 23:40 | history | edited | Ecnerwal | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
added 261 characters in body
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| Jun 12, 2023 at 23:33 | history | edited | Ecnerwal | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
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| Jun 12, 2023 at 23:28 | history | answered | Ecnerwal | CC BY-SA 4.0 |