Electrical switch installation

In this instance, the white wire is being used as a hot wire, and it should be labeled as such with a tab of black or red electrical tape. If it doesn't, you can add this tab during the replacement. If there are other white wires in the box that are not connected to the switch, these are neutral circuit wires that are simply passing through the box; they should be left as is.

Loosen each screw terminal and remove the circuit wire. If your switch is connected via push-in wire connectors on the back of the switch, you can release the wires by pushing a small nail or screwdriver into the release slot next to the push-in connection.

Push-in connections are regarded as inferior by electricians, and it's best to use the screw terminal connections when you install the new switch. Some "smart" switches, which can be controlled by smartphones and other wireless devices, require a neutral wire to maintain a wireless connection. Install these according to the manufacturer's directions.

Connect the green grounding screw on the switch to the circuit's bare copper grounding wires. If the circuit has just a single grounding wire, then it can be attached directly to the switch's grounding screw. If there are two grounding wires, then attach a grounding pigtail to the switch's grounding screw and join the pigtail to the circuit grounding wires with a wire connector.

Pigtailing is also the method used to connect a metal electrical box to circuit grounding wires—a box pigtail isn't necessary with a plastic electrical box. Inspect the end of each hot circuit wire. Bend the end of each wire into a C-shaped loop and wrap it around a screw terminal on the switch in a clockwise direction.

Tighten the screws down firmly. Tug on all connections to make sure they are tight. Gently tuck the wires into the electrical box, then mount the switch to the box with its two mounting screws.

Reinstall the switch cover plate. Restore power to the circuit by switching on the circuit breaker or reinstalling the fuse. Test the switch for proper operation. Actively scan device characteristics for identification.

Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Next, remove the old light switch. Start by taking off the switch plate by removing the two screws that secure it to the light switch.

Then remove the two screws that hold the switch to the electrical box in the wall. Now is a good time to carefully examine the way the existing switch is wired. This is called the wiring setup, and you want to duplicate it with the new switch, exactly. You may want to take a picture of it in case you need to refer to it later or you can mark the wires with colored tape. Now remove the old wires. To install the new switch you first need to make sure it is oriented correctly.

Check to make sure the word TOP is on top of the switch. Then reconnect the wires exactly how you disconnected them. This particular light switch has both terminal screw connectors on the side as well as push wire holes in back. It helps to have a pair of needle nose pliers for this step to bend a loop on the end of the wire before placing it around the terminal screw.

Simply connect the black wire to the brass screw and the neutral wire to the silver screw. Then connect the ground wire to the green screw on the opposite side of the switch. Now, carefully push the switch back into the box and secure it with screws. Then replace the switch plate and turn the power back on to test. If you have questions about this or any other home improvement project, be sure to read our list of Frequently Asked Questions for this video.

And be sure to print out our Project Instructions, which includes a Tools and Materials checklist, before visiting your local independent home improvement retailer. I am installing a led fluorescent light into an existing circuit. I am disconnecting one light and adding the fluorescent light fixture.

You are all very well done. According to the rules and standards. Very high quality you have got it. You probably where that work in this direction? I was replacing a ceiling light which has one power feed in and another out with a line to the switch. With all 3 black wires connected and no switch installed should one of the white wires have power?

I have two switches controlling different lights. I want to replace both switches but when I wired them thee way they had been, I thought the switches control multiple lights, outlets that they did not control before.

One was only for a ceiling light the other was for an outdoor light. How will my husband fix it? I nhave house and the bathroom switch control the light in the bedroom next to it and a wall socket across the hall and I turn on the switch in bathroom u can turn on. The advantage of this configuration is clear: If the receptacle goes bad, there is still an unbroken circuit pathway leading to outlets and fixtures downstream of the receptacle.

Most electricians will use this second configuration where the box has ample room to fit the wire connectors. Polarity is part of a safety system that keeps the electricity flowing in the proper direction.

In a typical household electrical circuit, the black circuit wires and sometimes red are the "hot" wires that carry power from the source to the switch or receptacle. The white wires are "neutral" and carry the electricity back to the home's service panel breaker box after it flows through all of the devices or fixtures in the circuit. To maintain proper polarity when wiring a receptacle, connect the black hot wire to one of the hot bronze-colored terminals.

Connect the white neutral wire to one of the neutral silver-colored terminals. When wiring standard switches, the wires connected to the switch are both hot.

If neutral wires are present in the electrical box, they are simply joined together with a wire connector, bypassing the switch. With all switches and receptacles, connect the circuit's ground wire bare copper or with green insulation to the device's ground screw.

Many switches and receptacles have holes in the back of the device's body for making "stab-in" connections. The stripped end of the wire is inserted into the hole, and a spring clip inside the hole holds the wire in place. High-quality devices have screws that can be tightened down after inserting the wire for a stab-in connection.

These devices provide a secure connection and are acceptable to use. Cheap devices often don't have these screws, and the connection relies entirely on the spring tension inside the hole. For this reason, this type of connection is not recommended. If a device has no screws for clamping the stab-in connections, use the standard side screw terminals instead of the stab-in connections.

Three-way switches control a light fixture or outlet from two different locations. These switches have two "traveler" wires and a single "common" wire. The trick to replacing a three-way switch is to mark the common or "COM" wire on the old switch before removing the wires. The traveler wires don't need to be labeled because either traveler wire can connect to either traveler screw terminal on the switch.

To wire the new switch, connect the labeled common wire to the COM terminal usually bronze or dark-colored on the switch.