Questions tagged [switch]
For questions about switches, i.e. electrical devices used to manually open and close an electric circuit on a routine basis.
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Replacing a 4-way switch
I am trying to replace this switch which has 2 white wires, 2 red wires:
I want to use this switch, which is labeled with in and out holes:
This is not correct, but I am not sure which way it should ...
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Is my switch a four-way? [duplicate]
I need to replace an old 15A switch. It has 2 white wires on the left and 2 red wires on the right, plus a ground wire at the bottom. Does this mean it is a 4 way switch?
I want to use a new Leviton 3-...
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Light fixture works after flip switch multiple times
I have a ceiling fixture with long fluorescent bulbs in the kitchen. Not sure how old it is, but going to guess 20 years.
There are two wall switches connected to it. There is one wall switch that ...
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Would two switches in parallel in the same box meet code?
For convenience, I'd like my workshop light to be controllable by the home automation.
For safety, I'd like to be able to bypass that and force the lights to stay on when unexpected sudden darkness ...
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Single gang to double with a switch
I'm trying to turn a single gang outlet into a 2 gang outlet. I got the old outlet and box out and the new box in. Now l'm trying to figure out how to wire 2 outlets from the wires shown as well as ...
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Single pole switch with two hot wires?
I discovered a switch in a house we purchased that seems to have a red (test hot) and a black (test hot) hooked up to a wall switch. I cannot find what the switch controls. All the lights work and all ...
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Light switch that is flush or recessed (next to fridge door)
I have a light switch on wall next to a fridge.
Replaced the fridge with a larger one. Now the fridge door slams into it. It's a normal toggle switch, not the wide kind.
When pushing the fridge in, ...
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Convert double rocker switch into single digital timer - how to make this work
I'm trying to convert this double rocker switch into a single switch with a digital timer. This switch controls my spa and pool lights and want them to turn on and off at specific hours. It also ...
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Can't put screw back in toggle switch
I removed this screw from toggle switch and can't put back in. It just won't go back in. Is it possible to put it back or I was not supposed to take it out completely?
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What am I missing when attaching this light switch?
I thought that I was embarking on what was going to be a very easy fix. Instead, I found that the light switches were apparently a homeowner special. I looked through the attached dimmer switch, and I ...
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Replacing a single pole light switch with a wireless module, but there are 3 wires
I have a light switch in the hallway to operate the attic lights. There is no switch in the attic but between the lights is a junction box for a fan if I decide to put one in. I went to replace the ...
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I want to have 8 light bulbs and 8 switches in the circuit. Any switch should be able to put all light bulbs on or off [closed]
All the bulbs can be put on/off by any of the switches.
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Should I connect the 4th wire
Wiring help
I had a Leviton Decora combination switch which broke. It was wired like below
4 sets of wires were coming from the wall.
1 from lights, 1 from the exhaust fan and 1 from circuit. I’m not ...
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Adding an outlet from an existing switch outlet
I have an existing outlet that is switch controlled. I want to add another outlet from the existing outlet that will be half switch controlled and half always on. Can I do this with the wiring shown ...
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One of two LED Kitchen Light Fixtures Not Working on 3 way circuit
Recently replaced 2 older light fixtures in our kitchen. The one fixture was failing to light which we took to be the ballast which was too expensive to replace for this old fixture. As a result we ...
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No Ground Wires - Can I connect a wire to the metal box for ground?
I want to install new z-wave light switches that require a ground, but it appears that none of the electrical boxes in my house have ground wires and the previous light switches didn't use a ground.
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Home with all electric AC & Heat Pump. Want to set up with 2 thermostats -- one of first floor for winter and one on 2nd floor for AC
At the moment we only have a thermostat for both AC & Heat on the top floor and it is fine for the AC but VERY hard to regulate the heat so the bottom floor is warm. When we had gas/radiator heat, ...
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What wrong with how I've wired this double switch
I went to replace a double light switch in my mom's dining room for a ceiling fan with a light kit (house built circa 1970). The top switch was for the light, the bottom switch was for the ceiling fan....
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Replacing a discontinued VanEE 20 min wall switch
I've got a VanEE air exchanger with some extra exhaust fans in my basement (the original owner was a heavy cigar smoker who wanted to keep the basement pristine). In the basement bathroom, I had a ...
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Adding a Vanity Light
I am adding a vanity light. I open up the cover plate to the existing light, and find it is on the same circuit as the hall (3-way) and the bedroom overhead light. I find 120V from the white wire to ...
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Dimmer Switch Needs me to move and keeps shutting off when I'm sitting in my office - how to get it to stay on [closed]
I have a dimmer switch on my light switch at work that dims every 3 mins if I don't move in the room. I have to wave my arms to get it to re-activate and come on. To further complicate it, I set my ...
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Question about Contactor types and wiring between a float switch & well pump?
Can a Siemens 42AF15AF, furnace contactor be used, with a relay,as the connection between a float switch & well pump?
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Replacing single switch with dimmer switch
Single switch has a blue and a yellow wire attached with no ground wire attached nor in the box. The box has 2 white wires capped together, one black wire capped and one red wire capped.
Trying to ...
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Why is my Bosch drill working intermittently?
My cordless Bosch drill/driver will only work the first time the switch is pressed after attaching the battery. As soon as I release the pressure, it won’t work again until I remove the battery and ...
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How to inversely wire a switch that driven by a light sensor [closed]
I’m looking for a light sensor that operates inversely: turning off my garden fountain pump when it gets dark and turning it on when it gets light. I guess you could rewire a commonly sold light ...
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How high to set sump pump switch
So, we live in an area that is pretty wet. Sump pump runs all the time and frequently. Interestingly, heavy rain does not seem to change the amount of flow. It is pretty steady.
What I noticed ...
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How to connect an outlet across the room to the light switch by the door
How do i connect an outlet across the room to the light switch by the door. The light switch by the door only controls a ceiling fan and light fixture in the fan. I want the light switch to control an ...
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How do I wire the switch for my ceiling fan with remote from 2 switches down to one?
I have a ceiling fan currently connected to 2 switches.I would like to take it down to One switch, but I have no black wire in the ceiling And the red wire Does not appear to be hot.
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Single pole light switch changing to smart switch
I have a single pole flip switch connected to my pool light. It runs from a gfci switch that trips incase of any water issues in the light housing. I have a hot wire neutral and ground connected to my ...
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Replacing a light switch with three black wires
I am trying to replace a Skylink Home switch with a regular switch to control the fan with ceiling light in my room.
The switch box has three sets of black, white and copper wires coming.
All the ...
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Proper Connections for a Light Switch
I had an electrician out this weekend and he replaced 3 light switches. I just opened two of them to check and I noticed that none of the wires are wrapped around the two gold screws or the green ...
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5 white wires in a ceiling light fixture
I live in half of a duplex built in the 80s. In my kitchen I replaced the ceiling light for an LED one. It doesn't come on right away, not sure why. The problem is that there are 5 white wires in the ...
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4 motion sensors to cover 2 lights
I have a hallway where 4 switches control 2 lights. I want to switch out all 4 switches with motion sensors so what ever room you leave it will kick on the hallway lights. I am trying to figure out ...
CommunityBot
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What requirements are needed to replace an attic fan control switch?
I have an emerson high speed fan switch in one of our houses. It is just a a knob that controls the fan speed. I would like to replace it with a different color one and one that includes a timer....
CommunityBot
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Converting from 1-phase to 3-phase
In the Netherlands, the energy company says that, in order to convert my 1-phase electrical configuration into a 3-phase one, I need to add a 4-pole 40A main switch for their safety.
In the picture ...
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Replace a light switch with a dial timer
I have a switch that controls the light in the laundry room. There are two black wires going to it. The white wires are all in one wire nut. I have a dial timer with a black and red wire. How do I ...
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I need to replace a switch to another one with different symbols and I'm confused because all the cables have the same color
I have a shelf that will cover this wall switch:
So I bought an external switch that I will install on the shelf:
The problem is that the switches have different symbols and the cables have the same ...
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Hot wires connected together and the neutrals go to the switch
I was looking to replace this old box and the switches. I noticed something I had never seen before, the hot wires (black) are connected together in a nut whereas the neutral (white) wires are ...
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Wiring a 66DFG-10T single pole device to be used as a dual pole with switches between the device and the fan/light
I have a question that I was hoping this forum could provide me an answer. I have a Leviton 66DF-10T single pole device that controls a fan and a light fixture from one location. It has a black (hot) ...
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How do I remove a 3 way switch from this system?
I've got a light that's on two three-way switches. The setup is like the image below, where power comes into a junction box, and there are two sets of wires coming out, one set that goes to the light ...
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Why did a new switch switch trip three breakers?
I replaced an old light fixture over my kitchen sink with an LED light. Everything worked well. The switch beside the sink with a standard outlet in same box were old ( at least 40 years) also. I ...
CommunityBot
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Why switch flashes when I turn it off
When I turn off electric switch for my water heater ( 3 phase domestic electric connection ) ,it flashes ..as if there’s arc or short circuit
Switch off
Switch on
Please see the flash appears when ...
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How should I connect a new fan switch to the house wiring?
I have a 3 speed fan with a 4 wire switch. There is no light fixture. The new switch has pre-installed wires. Do I connect the switch wire marked L directly to the hot wire? The other 3 wires are ...
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Non-contact voltage detector beeps on certain areas of the switch despite being Off
I just replaced a pair of single-pole switches in a metal two-gang box and when I went over it with a non-contact voltage tester, they alarmed despite being off.
I have a Fluke 1AC II Non-Contact ...
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How can I replace a two-way switch with a three-way switch? [closed]
Old 1960s light switch controls ceiling light with just 2 screws, 1 red wire to 1 screw, 2 black wires wrapped around 1 screw. I want to change to new switch that has 3 screws. I tried separating the ...
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Can I use a smart switch with a normal switch?
I have 2 ceiling lights controlled by 2 switches. So each switch can turn on and off both lights simultaneously. I want to replace one of the switch with a smart wifi switch but not sure it it's ...
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Can you wire a second light to have constant power from a switch?
I have a ceiling light on a dimmer. A second light is also wired in that is also controlled by the dimmer. Is there any way for me to convert this second light to constant power for a ceiling fan ...
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I'm replacing a dimmer switch with a regular switch, but the only configuration that works involves wires from my another switch. What's going on?
EDIT: Per the excellent answer below,this was (to my surprise) a three way switch. Thankfully I had a few extra three ways lying around! In addition, the other switch on the three way was wired ...
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Can a GFCI outlet intentionally and explicitly be used as a switch without violating code?
I'm working on adding several outdoor outlets in the eaves of my roof for holiday lighting. I have a switch in my garage for these outlets right next to the garage light switch. Thing is, I keep ...
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Best way to hog out material for a doorway jamb switch’s electrical box?
I keep splitting the thin wood of the jamb itself when trying to use a chisel because when the needed hole size is correctly cut, the remaining amount of material is like razor thin (<1/4”).
I have ...
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