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I’m trying to change an old double set of switches and after I unscrewed them from the wall, I found two black wires going to each, one to a gold screw and one to a silver screw. They were also connected together and that connection wire was also attached to the brass screw on each switch..making two wires a screw, which I thought was a huge no-no?? So if my new switches have the usual 2 screws and a ground screw on each, how the heck do I connect the new ones to the wire “mess”? enter image description here

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    Have you moved any of these wires, or is this as you found it? If it's as-found, mark the solo wire on one switch with red electrical tape, and the solo wire on the other switch with blue electrical tape. These are your switched-hots.
    – Harper - Reinstate Monica
    Commented Jul 21, 2021 at 0:13
  • This is how I found the wires. I’m not sure what you mean solo wires on each?
    – Kris
    Commented Jul 21, 2021 at 12:29

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You've got hot coming in to one switch, then jumpered over to the second switch, then going out to elsewhere (other lights or receptacles in another box).

Cleaner install is to use the existing jumper as one pigtail and add another similar one (get a short piece of 12 AWG or strip off a piece from some NM cable, but don't try to cannibalize from existing wires in the box) - connecting all 4 with a wire nut. The two pigtails then go to the two new switches.

The other black wire on each switch is the switched hot.

On an ordinary switch, it doesn't matter which screw is hot vs. switched hot, but on a smart/dimmer/motion/timer it does. If you are putting in any special type of switch, check the directions for screw locations and you will likely need to pigtail in from the neutral bundle as well.

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  • Thank you so much for these instructions! But I’m kind of limited in my electrical knowledge:( so I’m struggling to fully understand the pig tail portion ?
    – Kris
    Commented Jul 21, 2021 at 12:31
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You can pig tail the hot to each switch but that screw, however the screw has a spacer one wire on top and 1 wire under is normal the 2 wires are on separate clamping surfaces. This is one of the cases that 2 screws are listed by MFG instructions and are code legal.

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