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Tie all the white wires together under a wire nut and push them back in the box. Tie the black incoming power wire and outgoing power wire, if there is one, together under a wire nut with a black wire pigtail. Connect this pigtail to one screw on each light switch. Connect the black wire going up to the lights to the appropriate switch you wish to use to control that light.
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Is there a danger if you mix up ground wire and common wire when wiring a light switch?
Power out of a switch is not negative. It is still the "hot" conductor. The ground wire in a switch junction box in home wiring is the bare wire. It is nearly impossible to mix these two wires up. Most likely if the "hot" supply comes into the switch box the neutral wire will be with it. Just wire nut the two white wires together, incoming and outgoing. The two black wires will be connected to the switch to operate the light fixture.
How do you add another porch light to an existing switch?
Piggyback off the box for the existing light. Run a wire from the existing junction box to a new junction box (which is placed wherever you want the new fixture). Then, in the existing box, connect the wire coming from the switch, the wire for the existing fixture, and the wire for the new fixture together using wire nuts. Wire up the new fixture, and presto, you have two fixtures on a switch where there was only one before.
How do you fix a light switch after two live wires touch?
There has to be more to this question for a good answer. For the most part a light switch has two contacts, with a wire at each one. One live wire and another going to the light itself. There is also a neutral wire return (from the light to the electrical panel). There is only one live wire in any electrical circuit. [Please, don't flame me with examples of multiple electrical sources in circuitry. We're talking about home lighting.] If somehow you shorted the live wire from the switch to the electrical box (ground) or to another wire in the box, it was only momentary and you can just proceed with replacing the switch. It's a good idea to turn off the power first.
How do you wire a basic off switch to a light?
Light switch connection is usually straight forward. Find your incoming hot wires, black and white. With the switch in the off (down) position and the power disconnected , connect the black wire to the top screw of the switch. Find the load wires and connect the black to the bottom screw of the switch. Connect the two remaining white wires together with a wire nut and push them to the back of the switch box. Install the switch into the wall box, replace switch plate cover. Turn the breaker (power) back on. Flip the switch to the up position and the light should come on.
Why would a light switch have two black wires for power and two whites caped off?
Black represents Hot and White common. For the light to operate it needs a white and black wires. The switch box has two cables with a white and black wire plus a ground. One wire is from the supply and the other to the light. Connecting the whites just provides common directly to the light. The blacks go into and out of switch because it is the hot side that is being switched.
What type of prewire for a ceiling fan light?
The pre wire for a ceiling fan light should be made with a three wire cable. This cable will have a red, black, and white wire as main conductors. This cable will also have a bare ground wire. This wire should be strung between a two gang switch box to the fixture junction box. This pre wire allows the supply to be either fed to the two gang box. From the two gang switch junction box, one side will be used for the light in the fixture and the other side of the switch junction box, itwill be used for the fan portionin the fixture.
Is there a danger if you mix up ground wire and common wire when wiring a light switch?
Power out of a switch is not negative. It is still the "hot" conductor. The ground wire in a switch junction box in home wiring is the bare wire. It is nearly impossible to mix these two wires up. Most likely if the "hot" supply comes into the switch box the neutral wire will be with it. Just wire nut the two white wires together, incoming and outgoing. The two black wires will be connected to the switch to operate the light fixture.
How do you add another porch light to an existing switch?
Piggyback off the box for the existing light. Run a wire from the existing junction box to a new junction box (which is placed wherever you want the new fixture). Then, in the existing box, connect the wire coming from the switch, the wire for the existing fixture, and the wire for the new fixture together using wire nuts. Wire up the new fixture, and presto, you have two fixtures on a switch where there was only one before.
How do you hook up a switch leg?
Describe what kind of switch leg you want and I'll send you a diagram. Do you want 3-way (light and two switches)? If so, is the power at the one of the switches or at the light? Do you want a single switch? If so is the power at the switch or at the light? Do you want 4-way (or more)? Light and 3 or more switches? Again, is the power at the light or one of the switches. Drop me an e-mail at a_d_kirkwood@excite.com describing what you want, and I'll send you a diagram. THE ARE TWO WAYS TO HOOK UP A ELECTRIC SWITCH LEG. 1. RUN THE SOURCE OR HOT WIRES TO THE WALL SWITCH BOX. RUN TWO WIRE WITH GROUND TO LIGHT FIXTURE; CUT, STRIP, TWIST WHITE WIRES TOGETHER AND PLACE IN REAR OF BOX; TWIST AND PIGTAIL BARE GROUND WIRES TO HOOK TO THE GREEN GROUND SCREW ON SWITCH. THIS LEAVES TWO BLACK WIRES, ONE HOT AND ONE SWITCH LEG TO LIGHT. PUT WIRES ON S/P SWITCH. 2. HOT WIRES FEED THROUGH CEILING BOX. RUN 2 WIRE WITH GROUND DOWN TO WALL SWITHCH BOX. STRIP AND TWIST TOGETHER THE TWO WHITE WIRES FEEDING THROUGH THE CEILING BOX, BUT NOT THE WHITE WIRE GOING DOWN TO THE WALL BOX. TIE THE HOT SOURCE BLACK WIRE TO THE WHITE WIRE FEEDING DOWN TO THE WALL BOX.(PUT BLACK TAPE ON THE WHITE WIRE TO SHOW THAT IT IS HOT). IF THERE IS ANOTHER HOT WIRE FEEDING ON THROUGH THE CEILING BOX TO ANOTHER BOX, TIE BOTH BLACK WIRES TO THE WHITE WIRE GOING DOWN TO THE SWITCH. HANG YOUR LIGHT USING THE WHITE WIRES TO WHITE ON THE FIXTURE AND THE BLACK WIRE OF THE TWO WIRE GOING DOWN TO THE WALL SWITCH. IN THE SWITCH BOX JUST PUT THE WIRES ON THE SWITCH. (PUT BLACK TAPE ON THE WHITE WIRE IN SWITCH BOX TO SHOW IT IS HOT)
How do you hook up one light to one switch in a basement lighting system that has all 10 lights connected to one switch?
If you have good access to the wiring this is relatively easy to do. Each of the 10 lights is connected to another in parallel in a "daisy chain" fashion. Light 1 is connected to the switch, light 2 is connected to light 1, light 3 is connected to light 2 and so forth. Let's say it is light 5 that you wish to switch separately. You can first install the new switch by either adding a new box or modifying old switch box. There are two gang switches that will fit the form factor of a single switch. TURN OFF THE POWER TO SWITCH BOX. Using the same supply input at original switch, add a new black wire to the wire nut for input to original switch and connect this to the input of new switch. Then run a new wire to light 5 and connect black wire to the output of new switch. Connect all the white wires together in switch box and separately connect all bare wires together in switch box. Now at light 5 undo the black and white wire coming from the fixture, and reconnect the wire nuts so that there is a direct connection between light 4 and light 6. Do the same for the ground if present (bare wire). You now have the fixture wires hanging free. Now connect the black wire from new switch to the fixture black wire and white to white and you are done.
How do you fix a light switch after two live wires touch?
There has to be more to this question for a good answer. For the most part a light switch has two contacts, with a wire at each one. One live wire and another going to the light itself. There is also a neutral wire return (from the light to the electrical panel). There is only one live wire in any electrical circuit. [Please, don't flame me with examples of multiple electrical sources in circuitry. We're talking about home lighting.] If somehow you shorted the live wire from the switch to the electrical box (ground) or to another wire in the box, it was only momentary and you can just proceed with replacing the switch. It's a good idea to turn off the power first.
How do you wire a light with a switch to another light with a switch in a different room?
Run the power line to a light box in each room, then drop a switch leg from each light box. The power line should daisy-chain to each box, with a "tap" off for the lights of each room. If you do not have experience with lighting or switch logic, it would be much more safe for you to contract with a qualified electrician.
How do you connect a ceiling fan with white green black and blue wires one the ceiling fan?
This sounds like a ceiling fan that also has a light attached to it. The black and white wires are used for the incoming supply voltage. The green is the ground wire. The blue wire is most likely the wire that goes to the lamp portion of the ceiling fan. The black and blue wires are separated from each other in the fixture so that the fan motor and the light can be independently switched. In these types of installations a three wire cable is strung from the fan switch box to the fixture box.For independent switching, the junction box should be a two gang box. From the power source in the switch box, the white wires all connect together. The incoming black connects to the top of the two switches in the two gang box. Bottom of the first switch to the black in the three wire cable, Bottom of the second switch to the red wire of the three wire cable.At the fixture junction box, incoming white wire to the fan white wire. Incoming black wire to the fan black wire and incoming red wire to the fan blue wire. If wired this way the light and fan motor can be individually switched on and off.If there is only one switch box, at the fan junction point connect the black and blue wires together to the incoming black wire. White to white wires together and green wire to the ceiling junction boxes ground terminal. In this configuration the switch will turn on both the fan and light at the same time.
How do you wire a basic off switch to a light?
Light switch connection is usually straight forward. Find your incoming hot wires, black and white. With the switch in the off (down) position and the power disconnected , connect the black wire to the top screw of the switch. Find the load wires and connect the black to the bottom screw of the switch. Connect the two remaining white wires together with a wire nut and push them to the back of the switch box. Install the switch into the wall box, replace switch plate cover. Turn the breaker (power) back on. Flip the switch to the up position and the light should come on.
Why would a light switch have two black wires for power and two whites caped off?
Black represents Hot and White common. For the light to operate it needs a white and black wires. The switch box has two cables with a white and black wire plus a ground. One wire is from the supply and the other to the light. Connecting the whites just provides common directly to the light. The blacks go into and out of switch because it is the hot side that is being switched.
Can you use 14-2 wire to operate a ceiling fan using two switches one for the fan the other for the lights?
On these types of installations an electrician would use a three wire cable set from the switch box to the fixture's junction box. At the fixture's junction box both the fan neutral and the light neutral would be wire nutted together with the incoming neutral from the switch boxes. From the three wire, the white wire would go to the fan and light's neutral wires. The Black would come from the bottom of one of the switches and go to the fan's motor lead. The red wire would come from the bottom of the other switch and go to the light fixture's lead. It can be done with two runs of two wire to the fixture. You will need a two gang switch box for this project to hold the two separate switches. You could use a single gang light switch box if you can still find where duplex switches being sold. A duplex switch is one that has the configuration of a duplex receptacle with the switches being one on top of the other. The cover plate is the same one used for duplex receptacles. To answer this question fully more information is needed. See discuss in the left margin.
How do you connect a ceiling fan with white green black and blue wires on the ceiling fan?
Black wire goes to (line) which is 110v comming in to ceiling box from light switch. It will connect to either black or red, which ever they ran. White is neutral and connects to white in box. Blue is for the light kit if you are using one. You may also connect it to the black if you just use the chain to turn on light.
