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Does it matter which wire goes where on a light switch?
Originally Answered: Does it matter which black wire goes where when changing a light switch? If it’s a single pole switch with two terminals, the answer is no. One wire is the power to the switch and the other wire goes to the light.
Which wire goes where on a switch?
The black (hot) wire goes to the brass screw or into the hole in the back of the device on the same side as the brass screw. This wire is sometimes red. The green or bare copper (ground) wire, if the device has one, attaches to the green screw terminal on the switch or to the electrical box.
What are the 3 wires on a light switch?
A 3-wire NM connects the traveler terminals of the first and second 3-way switch together. Traveler wires are interchangeable on each switch. The common terminal of the second 3-way switch connects to the light fixture(s). The white neutral wires are connected together in each switch box.
Why does my light switch have 2 black wires?
You should see two black wires, each connecting to a different screw on the side of the switch. These are called terminal screws. These are ground wires.
Which wires go where in a light fitting?
If the light fitting you have purchased has just two cores – live (brown) and neutral (blue), connect the live to the switch live terminal and neutral to the neutral terminal. If the fitting has an earth core, it must be sleeved with a yellow and green coat and connected to the Earth terminal.
What happens if I wire a light switch wrong?
This makes things like lamps and many appliances more safe to operate. But here’s the catch: If you connect the circuit wires to the wrong terminals on an outlet, the outlet will still work but the polarity will be backward. The white (neutral) wire should be connected to the silver-colored terminal.
Which wire is hot when both are black?
The black wire is the “hot” wire, it carries the electricity from the breaker panel into the switch or light source. The white wire is the “neutral” wire, it takes any unused electricity and current and sends it back to the breaker panel.
Does my light switch have a neutral wire?
Check the Switch Electrical Box: If you are unsure whether or not you have neutral wiring, look at your switch box, the metal box on the back of your light switch. If you see a white wire, or a group of them, then you have neutral wiring. Do not remove any of the wires from the existing switch.
What happens if you wire a 3-way switch wrong?
Finding the common wire: When wiring a 3-way light switch, you’ll need to find the common wire and connect it to the common screw. If you don’t correctly connect this wire, then your lights won’t work from more than one switch. Since improper wiring is one of the main causes of home fires, this is a serious problem.
Why does my switch have three black wires?
One of the black wires is probably the feed from the breaker box. One is probably a feed to the receptacles. The third one would go to the light. The receptacle wire should be connected to the feed wire along with one terminal of the switch.
What color is common wire in 3-way switch?
Two of the terminals are a light color—bronze- or copper-colored—and are called travelers. The single dark-colored screw is known as the common terminal. The ground screw is usually green.
How do you wire a switch with two black wires?
Connect the top screw to the wire that feeds to the light. Connect the bottom screw to the hot wire. When you turn the power back on, and if you want to swap the direction of the switch (as in press down to turn off, or turn on), turn off the power and switch the two black wires.
How do you wire a light with two sets of wires?
Connect the lead wires from the fixture to the black hot wire in the electrical box by twisting a wire connector to the ends of the lead and hot wires. Repeat these connections with the two white neutral wires from the light fixture and the white neutral wire in the light fixture box.
What happens if you connect 2 hot wires?
Two hots of same circuit – nothing should happen.
Why is there 4 wires in my light fitting?
Since the switch cuts the power on and off, there will be a black wire coming into the switch and a black wire leaving. The whites are normally just connected together with a wire nut and the coppers are connected together with a wire nut or grounded to a metal junction box. So the new switch has four wires.
What Colour wire goes to L and N?
The N is for the neutral side or the white wire, and the L is for the load side, the black wire.
