Depending on how it is wrongly wired, it might appear to work or appear not to work. There is a severe risk of electrocution whenever switches are incorrectly wired. Get an expert to check it and rewire it properly. If this switch is not right, perhaps all the other circuits should be checked too!

I remember my ex-husband "trying" to wire a new light switch in the bathroom. Thinking he knew what he was doing, he tried wiring it like you would a wall receptical.

He routed the hot wire to one end of the switch, and the neutral to the other end. (shows how much he knew)

When he turned the breaker on, and flipped the wall switch, WOW, you should of seen what it did.

The wires literally jumped about 7 inches high near the junction box, there was a loud "thud" and the breaker naturally tripped.

I tried to tell him that you actually split the hot wire that is coming from the breaker box to the light itself and put each an end on each side of the wall switch, and the neutral runs from the breaker to the light and doesn't go near the switch at all.

I told him that it's not the same as a wall receptical, but dummy wouldn't listen.

Related Questions

Why did the new light fixture fizzle out when you wired it?

You likely wired it wrong. Not sure what you mean by "fizzle out".

What could be wrong if you replaced an existing ceiling fan with a fan with a light attachment and the fan and remote control work but the light does not although it is wired correctly?

Are you sure the light bulb is good? Perhaps it's not wired correctly even though you think it is, or maybe it's a bad light socket/connection, or a bad switch.

1987 Honda Civic fan sensor wired direct to lights battery dead why?

maybe it's wired on the wrong side of the switch

How do you wire a light switch?

A light switch breaks one half of the circuit to the light. "CODE" says to break the black wire. I usually break the white since this is the ground and should have less chance of a shock from a bad switch. Since it is only half the circuit if you are replacing a switch it does not matter which wire goes to which terminal on the switch. This applies to a single pole switch. A double or triple switch is something else. If a light that turn on from only one place is a single. If it turns on from 2 places, two doorways into a room or top and bottom of stairs it is a two way switch and it does matter how it is wired. Nothing will blow up, it simply will not work from both if wired wrong.

Why does my light stay on Even though I turn the switch off?

1. THE SWITCH IS BAD 2.THE SWITCH WAS RECENTLY REPLACED AND WIRED INCORRECTLY (POSSIBLE IF THERE ARE MULTIPLE CABLES IN BOX 3.THE CABLE IS SHORTED (UNLIKELY, BUT I'VE SEEN IT) 4.YOU'RE TURNING OFF THE WRONG SWITCH-HA

Modification of Old Electrical WorkHome ElectricityCar BatteriesCar Stereos and SpeakersHeadlights Tail and Brake LightsCars & VehiclesFord Ranger XLHome & GardenAmerican CarsChevy SuburbanChevy Trucks and SUVsAuto Parts and RepairsAir Conditioning and CoolantCar Electronics and Lights