In this instance, and in most situations, the white wire is your neutral (return line). The basis of an electrical circuit is that electrons travel in a loop, toward your light bulb on the black wire, and return from the light bulb on the white wire. To turn off a light bulb, you only need to open the circuit (create a break in the loop) at one location. Therefore, switches are usually installed on the black wire. Because you only need 1 break, the return white wire can bypass the switch.
Look dude...I spent 7 frickin' hours trying to wire one damn light switch. Watched this video and BAM!!! Problem solved. You da man. Thanks for posting this time saver.
easy and straight to the point. i have been working on electrical for awhile but have stepped away from it for years now and needed a refresher. thanks alot!
I can't thank you enough for this easy to follow simple tutorial.... this is seriously the best one out there .... thank you thank you. I live off grid and have been struggling with my solar electrical system and am so excited to find this channel.
This is a perfect video explaining how to wire a switch with two cables, one coming from the electrical panel (source) and one leading to a light or another device, but do you have a video that explains all that is needed to know to wire a switch to a single cable, where the white wire acts as a black wire,? Also, does the white wire in that instance need to be painted black or taped black?
The general accepted practice for a single pole switch would be to bring the black wire in at the bottom (from the breaker/fuse panel), and send it out to the light/outlet at the top. I would stop short of calling it "pertinent" since the switch would work fine wired vise-versa. NOTE: It's important to not confuse the bottom with the ground screw. Also, a three-way switch would be different; for a three-way switch it becomes very important what wire goes where.
Greetings, I like this video and so i would like for you to kindly display how to install a double switch pole to the fuse box. Thanks. I look forward to the video.
Yo just bought a house and had some really funky stuff going on, tried to fix it and then nothing worked, this video let me get it back in service (although I still want to redo the wiring) it at least works for now.
Matt Bartolovich um im no rocket scientist but I’m pretty sure the unemployment rate is at an all time low! So if you know people who don’t have jobs then it’s because A. They don’t want to work or B. You live in an rural area where there are not enough jobs! Not because of the economy , do your homework Einstein
When you turn the light switch off, are you breaking the power to just the light? I'm trying to find out if I daisy chain off one of my kitchen circuits for an overhead kitchen light above the sink, when I turn the light switch off for the light, will it also turn off the power to the multiple outlets on the kitchen counter circuits?
Either Bane has turned to being a Electrican or this guys doing a bad imitation of Clinton. Either way it did answer my questions on how to finish my wiring. Thanks
here a question for you if for some reason I needed to turn the switch upside down should it just be possible to switch to location of those to wires instead of turning the swtich upside down? I meant if for some strange reason I needed the switch to be on in the down position could I just not switch the way the upper and lower wire does that sound right? thoughts please thank you
Just use the wire strippers to cut the insulation and strip wires, also use it to make the 180 loops. No need for needle nose or a box knife. Another good tip is to us a str8 head screw driver to tighten the screws as the philips doesnt get them as tight and they run the risk of being stripped.
Thanks you sir. This video was very helpful. I used it as a guide when my Honeywell automatic switch failed after a brief power outage and needed the light on so had to retrofit the original switch in the dark and was not sure which wire went where. Thanks again.
@Martin Teerly - If a single pole light switch is installed correctly, then up should be on. Three-way light switches (2 switches controlling the same light) will alternate between up and down (on and off). In most cases, single pole light switches will have the words on and off embossed in raised letters directly on the toggle.
I know this is 5 years ago. But this is for the current return to complete the circuit. The switch is just a break in the live line, the white is constant from the panel to the switch
Now I hope I can do this at our mobile home. I can't get anyone to come look at it. And or fix it. So now it's up to me. I'm also going to check to see if the light fixture is also connected as well. One side of our kitchen won't come on and the hallway light and the back porch light hasn't worked since 2011. So I'm going to attempt to fix it.
Idk if ur a master electrician and trying to do it fast, but I’m a 15 year old apprentice in trade school and can locate many issues, I mean yeah this works but it has many issues that any good electrician wouldn’t make
hi there. great video. I have a question. I am powering a 115 v dc at 15 amps. automotive component. will a regular light switch power the component up? the light switch is rated at 120V AC at 15 amps. everything seems right but my uses are dc volts with that light switch. please I appreciate your help back. thank you.
what if you have the light closer to the line that comes from the panel than where the switch will be positioned? it s kind of dumb to run 2 wire lines (6 wires total) to the switch and back. what i do is in the light box i have the main line coming in then another line that goes to the switch (3 wires in 3 wires to the switch), the hot wire is connected to the hot wire that goes to the switch and nothing else, then the ground is the ground with everything, neutral from the panel goes to the light and neutral from the switch is your new hot wire. for lights use 15 amp breaker or even 10, (15amp x 110volt = 1650 watts available for that breaker if it s 15 amp, if it s 10 amp 1100 watts available, which is a lot for just a light that nowadays is maybe just a few watts so feel free to use that line for mutiple lights, if you get the math behind breakers amps and wats that i just gave an example of add together all the lights you are planning to put on the same line,)
I have a single-pole switch in my house that controls a single power receptacle at an outlet (for use with a lamp). There is only a single 14/2 Romex cable coming into the box that contains the switch. There is of course the white, a black, and a bare copper wire in the Romex. The white wire is connected to one switch terminal screw, and the black wire is connected to the other terminal screw. What I learned is that in this case the white wire is supposed to be marked with black electrical tape to indicate that it is a hot wire. It wasn't marked as it should have been. I corrected that by marking the white wire as a hot wire with black electrical tape. So in this case, the white wire is *not* a neutral wire; it is a hot wire. The lesson here is that if you are working with electrical, you had better understand exactly how your circuits are wired, and why. Otherwise, have a professional electrician perform the work for you.
I found this same thing recently. The white was being used on one of the terminals of the switch and was not marked with black tape as it should have been. Good comment - points out something that is potentially dangerous.
i have 6 lights in series controlled by one switch and one power sores., can i use one of those lights independently with its own switch fed by the same power sores ? and how can i do this without making a two way switch on the lights ? thank you ....Wilf Saulnier
From what you've described I would assume that your five screws would indicate a four-way switch. A four-way switch would be used in situations where you would want 3 or more light switches toggling on/off a single circuit (most likely a light or series of lights). Google image search four-way switch and you'll find some diagrams that may help you. Try looking at the rear of the switch for amps, etc... modern stuff has that embossed on the rear. Be safe, cut off the power and use a tester.
You think darkness is your ally. I was born in the dark: MOLDED by it. I didn't see the light until I installed a new light switch and by then, it was nothing but BLINDING!
I just want to point out something extremely important and basic thing electricians do. I know you assumed people already know they are supposed to turn off the breaker/fuse of the interruptor/switch. Never assume people know that! I’ve met a lot of people that don’t and get a SHOCKING surprise. Never work with live wire, ever. Even professional electricians don’t unless they have to but they know exactly what they’re doing.
how can i have constant power in a single pole switch that will feed power to the fan switch next to it. Since i want to be able to turn on bathroom fan in dark or turn fan in middle of day without main light on. fan switch receives power when single pole switch is on. There is a red wire connected to same connection where black wire is connected to on single pole switch. The red wire is then connected to black screw on fan switch which powers it if its on the on position.
Things you didn’t mention (I’m not doing this to be smart, I’m doing it to be helpful information to other people.) 1. While stripping the wire, use the stripe gage on the back of the switch/outlet. Whatever you’re wiring 99% of the times there’s a strip gage on it. 2. Tighten your loop with the way the screw tightens to pull the loop in and make a tighter connection. 3. (Just a fyi) you don’t need to use a box cutter for wire. It is ideal and nice because it’s fast. But the professional way to do it is to use a wire ripper. 4. Although this is very rare. Your ground wire (bare copper) goes in the green screw. But very VERY rarely instead of green, they can be red. Note. The reason why you use the strip gage on the back of your switch and or outlet. Whatever you’re wiring. Is so the installation of the wire doesn’t make contact with the screw of the metal plate surface underneath the screw. The wires are called hot for a reason. They have power and heat going through them. And if that installation is to long it will rub against the plastic on the frame.
Boss Candle82184 Never is the ground wire indicated by red insulation. Only green, and green with yellow stripes, or bare. There is no other color allowed as a substitute for this.
The instructor in the video did explain about the direction of the wire loop being in a clockwise direction, the same as the direction the screw is tightened.
Good vedeo on wiring a switch ,but you should have been more detailed showing the basics in electricity .but a good vedeo on how to connect a light switch when power comes from switch box
It is the ground wire and was the last connection that he made. You can't take the ground wire from each of the two 14/2's that are there and put them both under the same screw. You can get the wire from the 14/2 wiring that you buy, just cut it loose and install!
Why there is no white wire connected to switch? I understand that this is not a terminal or end switch. Maybe that's the reason? Because the electricity needs to keep flowing to the next outlet or switch? What happen if you connect a white wire in one of the silver screws in this particular setting that we just watched? Thank you.
The white wire is a return for the current therefore it doesn't need to be disconnected. If you google home electric genie thats what i used and it explained a lot of that to me. hope that helps :)
Please help. Removed an old yard light to replace it with an LED light. By the way there was nothing wrong with the previous light. I try three times and unfortunately, I blew the fuse 3 times and fuses are not cheap. What is the problem!? I followed the instructions coming in the box with the LED box!!! Please help.
Weird situation: I connected single pole switch one way and if the light was open, all good, when closed the fuse would blow. If I reversed the 2 black cables everything would work right. Why?
I know this was 9 months ago. But on these switches it doesn’t matter as all it’s doing is “breaking” the circuit. Which screw you place the “hot” and the “load on will just determine which direction you install the switch in the box. example if you were to connect the hot/source to the bottom screw opposite side of the green/ground screw and your load to the top screw. Then the switch would be installed this way. If you installed these wires opposite then when putting the switch into the reciprocal you would simply twist the switch around so the ground screw is upwards. So that when the switch is down it’s off and when it’s up it’s on. Sorry for the drawn out explication without a video it’s hard to explain in my head ha
In only have a copper wire the black and the white I don't have two black and I tried to wire it without the white and just one black and the copper on the blue screw and it's not working any help ? Please.
+Aleexandriaxoxo : The copper wire is ground (it goes in the green screw of the switch) The white is neutral (it goes in the silver screw on the switch) And the black is the HOT [like you] (it goes in the copper or bronze screw). This is might be a late of a answer, but, here it is, anyway. Thanks...
The black wire is always the feed. That is why the white / neutral is connected to itself at the fixture. Sometimes a romex cable is run from the switch to the fixture, and one of these will be colored white. This should become the return from the switch, and be tagged as HOT by wrapping some black electrical tape onto it, signifying that it is not a Neutral line, but has been converted to a Feed line from the switch to the fixture.
Not a bad tutorial, but never, NEVER, use a box knife to strip the insulation. There is a very good chance that it will slice the wire inside insulation as well and it can leave the bare copper exposed. I learned this the hard way. Also, it doesn't matter which black wire goes where, the switch will still work.
trippingonmushrooms thats a cable stripper but you can just cut a lil down the middle on one end with a utility knife and tear down till desired length and cut off the tiny part you knicked in the end of the wire (if you knicked it)
Get that fanny tore up if caught doing it like that lol tbh, it's way faster and it just feels natural and if you don't have the wire stripper at hand well, thats when I do it but lord did my boss tear my fanny up. He let me go since at the time I was new but said if caught again, I was out immediately. Btw he always told stories and always said fanny lol
Thanks for inadvertently giving me an idea for a tutorial video! I've been an electrician for 11 years and never had a problem with that method of exposing the wires... I'll definitely be teaching that one on my channel!
I've stripped tens of thousands of cables with a utility knife the same way, except I use a side cutter to cut the jacket off. The strippers that score the jacket can knick the wire's insulation too. I've seen it many times.
Why do some people use the holes in the back of the switch to make the connection? My understanding is that its dangerous to connect that way because the connection may become loose. If its that dangerous why are the light switches made with the option of using the holes and why are they allowed on the market. I would think this would be a extremely dangerous safety hazard.
popacapnyoass2 The predominant reason for using the holes in the back is speed; it's faster to install. In terms of danger, well, installing via screws can be equally hazardous if not done correctly.
ANSWER" IF THE SWITCH SAYS 12 GAUGE WIRE ONLY AND YOU PUT 14 GAUGE IN THEM HOLES THE WIRE BECOMES LOOSE AND COULD FALL OUT, REMEMBER 12 IS THICKER THEN 14, LOT OF PEOPLE USE 14 GAUGE WIRE BUT i DON'T KNOW WHY , I USE 12 GAUGE WITH 20 AMP BREAKERS AND IF YOU USE 10 GAUGE WIRE YOU CAN GO WITH 30 AMP BREAKERS,
When you push the wire in the hole, it goes in to a copper clip. When the lights are on, the wire becomes hot and when off, it cools. This is a very thin copper clip. Heat and cold = expansion and contraction. Over ti.e this connection will become loose causing an arc which could lead to a fire. Most new homes have this type of wiring because it's faster. I regularly get clled to these junk half million dollar ryan homes because the outlets aren't working. When I pull the outlet out, the wire isn't even connected most of the time. Why do they put these awful holes in the outlets? Great question. It is not against code to use them so they are still able to produce them.
This is exactly what I have been searching for. The enigma is solved now. Thank you much for this video.
Best tutorial I have ever watched. Simple and well illustrated.
After 2 switches caught fire i had a co-worker come help me wire a new switch. this video is a life saver.
In this instance, and in most situations, the white wire is your neutral (return line).
The basis of an electrical circuit is that electrons travel in a loop, toward your light bulb on the black wire, and return from the light bulb on the white wire.
To turn off a light bulb, you only need to open the circuit (create a break in the loop) at one location. Therefore, switches are usually installed on the black wire. Because you only need 1 break, the return white wire can bypass the switch.
T
Thank you for keeping it simple and short.
Didn't know Bill Clinton could also help me with my lights!! Thanks bud
He DOES sound like Bill Clinton
I did not have sexual relations with that light switch
Hahahahah this is awesome. And yet the video helped me
Lmao!! I thought it was him too.🤣
Extremely annoying voice. It makes the video painful to watch.
Look dude...I spent 7 frickin' hours trying to wire one damn light switch. Watched this video and BAM!!! Problem solved. You da man. Thanks for posting this time saver.
easy and straight to the point. i have been working on electrical for awhile but have stepped away from it for years now and needed a refresher. thanks alot!
I can't thank you enough for this easy to follow simple tutorial.... this is seriously the best one out there .... thank you thank you. I live off grid and have been struggling with my solar electrical system and am so excited to find this channel.
This is a perfect video explaining how to wire a switch with two cables, one coming from the electrical panel (source) and one leading to a light or another device, but do you have a video that explains all that is needed to know to wire a switch to a single cable, where the white wire acts as a black wire,? Also, does the white wire in that instance need to be painted black or taped black?
Thanks for a very clear instructional video, easy to understand and to the point.
The general accepted practice for a single pole switch would be to bring the black wire in at the bottom (from the breaker/fuse panel), and send it out to the light/outlet at the top. I would stop short of calling it "pertinent" since the switch would work fine wired vise-versa.
NOTE: It's important to not confuse the bottom with the ground screw. Also, a three-way switch would be different; for a three-way switch it becomes very important what wire goes where.
Clear instruction, visually and verbally. Good teaching voice and pace.. Thank you.
Thank you for clear and simple instructions. They helped a lot.
ALWAYS attach the ground wire first. Saves you from a shocking burn.
How so if it's not energized! Which it shouldn't be if you are doing new wiring or tripped your braker!
Thank you!!! Adding a light to a closet with existing outlet. This is super easy to understand
Greetings, I like this video and so i would like for you to kindly display how to install a double switch pole to the fuse box. Thanks. I look forward to the video.
Yo just bought a house and had some really funky stuff going on, tried to fix it and then nothing worked, this video let me get it back in service (although I still want to redo the wiring) it at least works for now.
Thanks for tutorial, but isn't it pertinent which black wire you use at the top (on) of the switch?
Peggy Kirk no because the switch is either open or closed does not matter which wire is where
@@detectingohio5614
Yes, if the light turns on when you turn the switch in the down position, turn the whole thing upside down.
When did Dr Phil become an electrician?
weidow1 what if you wire to wrong terminal
I was thinking more Bill Clinton, but I can hear it. Haha
Bill has to do something to avoid Hillary, so now he does electrical work
When Clinton was in office people had job's
Matt Bartolovich um im no rocket scientist but I’m pretty sure the unemployment rate is at an all time low! So if you know people who don’t have jobs then it’s because A. They don’t want to work or B. You live in an rural area where there are not enough jobs! Not because of the economy , do your homework Einstein
Also to get the screws tight use a good straight blade or a Robertson slot screwdriver not a Phillips?
Great job Bill.
Thanks
When you turn the light switch off, are you breaking the power to just the light?
I'm trying to find out if I daisy chain off one of my kitchen circuits for an overhead kitchen light above the sink, when I turn the light switch off for the light, will it also turn off the power to the multiple outlets on the kitchen counter circuits?
Either Bane has turned to being a Electrican or this guys doing a bad imitation of Clinton. Either way it did answer my questions on how to finish my wiring. Thanks
I was born in the dark, molded by it. I didn't see the light until I was a man and then only because I learned to wire light switches.
Great explanation and video. Clear instruction. Worked well for me. Thanks!
This was a great how-to. Thanks for taking the time. One suggestion: Next video, would you mind hiring Morgan Freeman to do the voice-over?
here a question for you if for some reason I needed to turn the switch upside down should it just be possible to switch to location of those to wires instead of turning the swtich upside down? I meant if for some strange reason I needed the switch to be on in the down position could I just not switch the way the upper and lower wire does that sound right? thoughts please thank you
Just use the wire strippers to cut the insulation and strip wires, also use it to make the 180 loops. No need for needle nose or a box knife. Another good tip is to us a str8 head screw driver to tighten the screws as the philips doesnt get them as tight and they run the risk of being stripped.
Screws on switches and outlets are actually Robertson 1 or square head screws. They can just also be turned with a standard or Phillips.
Thanks for saving my idiocy. I knew I was mixing up something easy.
joey g why don't they come with torz head screws?
so does it matter hot line or travel line set top or bottom crew? thank
thank u sir finally somebody thats speaks english....you tube this is what videos sound like....and not like i jus walked into the kwiki mart
You sound like my favorite comedian
The other black wire is the only one connected to the light fixture. Since both white wire are cap together?
Thanks, you deserve more subscribers.
Sooi is the hot power going in on the top or is the hot light on the top
Thanks you sir. This video was very helpful. I used it as a guide when my Honeywell automatic switch failed after a brief power outage and needed the light on so had to retrofit the original switch in the dark and was not sure which wire went where. Thanks again.
Straight to the point 10/10 liked and subscribed bonus:cool voice
i want to hotwire the light to stay on...can i just lay a wire between the 2 screws?
Thank you for the tutorial, this solved my problem.
Idk what was so confusing about hooking up a light switch guys lol.
Dude!!! are u giving the instructions back to us? the people! - Bane from Batman
Thank you,.. that was Very Easy to follow.
Smartest teaching on TH-cam though, thks
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
@KFLY67 That white wire is your Neutral Return. Its for the return of the current that isn't been used. But connects direct to your light.
@Martin Teerly - If a single pole light switch is installed correctly, then up should be on. Three-way light switches (2 switches controlling the same light) will alternate between up and down (on and off). In most cases, single pole light switches will have the words on and off embossed in raised letters directly on the toggle.
what is the white wire for since not connected to the light switch? thanks for the video.
I know this is 5 years ago.
But this is for the current return to complete the circuit. The switch is just a break in the live line, the white is constant from the panel to the switch
Best and simplest explanation ever!
Now I hope I can do this at our mobile home. I can't get anyone to come look at it. And or fix it. So now it's up to me. I'm also going to check to see if the light fixture is also connected as well. One side of our kitchen won't come on and the hallway light and the back porch light hasn't worked since 2011. So I'm going to attempt to fix it.
just make sure you turn the breaker off LOL
Idk if ur a master electrician and trying to do it fast, but I’m a 15 year old apprentice in trade school and can locate many issues, I mean yeah this works but it has many issues that any good electrician wouldn’t make
hi there. great video. I have a question. I am powering a 115 v dc at 15 amps. automotive component. will a regular light switch power the component up? the light switch is rated at 120V AC at 15 amps. everything seems right but my uses are dc volts with that light switch. please I appreciate your help back. thank you.
nice and simple. good video. shame so many haters.
what if you have the light closer to the line that comes from the panel than where the switch will be positioned? it s kind of dumb to run 2 wire lines (6 wires total) to the switch and back. what i do is in the light box i have the main line coming in then another line that goes to the switch (3 wires in 3 wires to the switch), the hot wire is connected to the hot wire that goes to the switch and nothing else, then the ground is the ground with everything, neutral from the panel goes to the light and neutral from the switch is your new hot wire. for lights use 15 amp breaker or even 10, (15amp x 110volt = 1650 watts available for that breaker if it s 15 amp, if it s 10 amp 1100 watts available, which is a lot for just a light that nowadays is maybe just a few watts so feel free to use that line for mutiple lights, if you get the math behind breakers amps and wats that i just gave an example of add together all the lights you are planning to put on the same line,)
I have a single-pole switch in my house that controls a single power receptacle at an outlet (for use with a lamp). There is only a single 14/2 Romex cable coming into the box that contains the switch. There is of course the white, a black, and a bare copper wire in the Romex. The white wire is connected to one switch terminal screw, and the black wire is connected to the other terminal screw. What I learned is that in this case the white wire is supposed to be marked with black electrical tape to indicate that it is a hot wire. It wasn't marked as it should have been. I corrected that by marking the white wire as a hot wire with black electrical tape. So in this case, the white wire is *not* a neutral wire; it is a hot wire. The lesson here is that if you are working with electrical, you had better understand exactly how your circuits are wired, and why. Otherwise, have a professional electrician perform the work for you.
I found this same thing recently. The white was being used on one of the terminals of the switch and was not marked with black tape as it should have been. Good comment - points out something that is potentially dangerous.
your voice like BANE from batman rises
You merely adopted the electric. I was born in it.
you sound like Bill Clinton dude
It’s the dark Knight rises not Batman rises
i have 6 lights in series controlled by one switch and one power sores., can i use one of those lights independently with its own switch fed by the same power sores ? and how can i do this without making a two way switch on the lights ?
thank you ....Wilf Saulnier
Why you talking like that so soothing and informative,sirXD
Curious, line goes to bottom screw and load goes to top screw ? Putting in a new switch so can’t copy from old one.
Very helpful in what I’m trying to do, I appreciate this👍🏽
I followed along and got zapped with 110v,
now my wife wants to know where my afro came from
I got zapped and had a boner for a week..the wifey was very pleased.
From what you've described I would assume that your five screws would indicate a four-way switch. A four-way switch would be used in situations where you would want 3 or more light switches toggling on/off a single circuit (most likely a light or series of lights). Google image search four-way switch and you'll find some diagrams that may help you.
Try looking at the rear of the switch for amps, etc... modern stuff has that embossed on the rear. Be safe, cut off the power and use a tester.
Isn’t there a chance of cutting the insulation on the conductors if you use a utility knife to strip sheathing ?
'' Oh yes ,I was wondering what would break first, your spirit or your body?'' lol
You think darkness is your ally. I was born in the dark: MOLDED by it. I didn't see the light until I installed a new light switch and by then, it was nothing but BLINDING!
His morale after learning that we have been sold the F out as Americans....
I just want to point out something extremely important and basic thing electricians do. I know you assumed people already know they are supposed to turn off the breaker/fuse of the interruptor/switch. Never assume people know that! I’ve met a lot of people that don’t and get a SHOCKING surprise. Never work with live wire, ever. Even professional electricians don’t unless they have to but they know exactly what they’re doing.
Where did that 3rd ground wire come from? The pigtail?
how can i have constant power in a single pole switch that will feed power to the fan switch next to it. Since i want to be able to turn on bathroom fan in dark or turn fan in middle of day without main light on. fan switch receives power when single pole switch is on. There is a red wire connected to same connection where black wire is connected to on single pole switch. The red wire is then connected to black screw on fan switch which powers it if its on the on position.
Things you didn’t mention (I’m not doing this to be smart, I’m doing it to be helpful information to other people.)
1. While stripping the wire, use the stripe gage on the back of the switch/outlet. Whatever you’re wiring 99% of the times there’s a strip gage on it.
2. Tighten your loop with the way the screw tightens to pull the loop in and make a tighter connection.
3. (Just a fyi) you don’t need to use a box cutter for wire. It is ideal and nice because it’s fast. But the professional way to do it is to use a wire ripper.
4. Although this is very rare. Your ground wire (bare copper) goes in the green screw. But very VERY rarely instead of green, they can be red.
Note. The reason why you use the strip gage on the back of your switch and or outlet. Whatever you’re wiring. Is so the installation of the wire doesn’t make contact with the screw of the metal plate surface underneath the screw. The wires are called hot for a reason. They have power and heat going through them. And if that installation is to long it will rub against the plastic on the frame.
Boss Candle82184 Never is the ground wire indicated by red insulation. Only green, and green with yellow stripes, or bare. There is no other color allowed as a substitute for this.
The instructor in the video did explain about the direction of the wire loop being in a clockwise direction, the same as the direction the screw is tightened.
Thank you great video, possibly saved my families lives
I’m scared that you messed up
Can the white wire connect to switch (instead of black)
Good explanation. Thanks.
Thank you for this step by step!!
top terminal (on position) goes to the fixture... bottom terminal is the feed or HOT.
thanks. that's what i was really after! i can never remember....
I was wondering why nobody was mentioning this..one of the most important parts!!
thanks man im 16 an u made it to where I could do it myself 👌👍👍👍
Why did you have to tell us that you are 16?
Can I connect two neutral wire to the switch? In this case one side is safe when switch off.
Thanks for the short & sweet on this !!
👍
W
Great video.
Good vedeo on wiring a switch ,but you should have been more detailed showing the basics in electricity .but a good vedeo on how to connect a light switch when power comes from switch box
Where did that 3rd copper ground wire come from?, "the pig tail" can someone elaborate on that.
It is the ground wire and was the last connection that he made. You can't take the ground wire from each of the two 14/2's that are there and put them both under the same screw. You can get the wire from the 14/2 wiring that you buy, just cut it loose and install!
Why there is no white wire connected to switch? I understand that this is not a terminal or end switch. Maybe that's the reason? Because the electricity needs to keep flowing to the next outlet or switch? What happen if you connect a white wire in one of the silver screws in this particular setting that we just watched? Thank you.
The white wire is a return for the current therefore it doesn't need to be disconnected. If you google home electric genie thats what i used and it explained a lot of that to me. hope that helps :)
justin brody
wow this was such a big help thank you so much
Thank you, you answered my questions and helped me out.
Thank you.. your video helpe me ...
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What happens if you don't connect the grounding wire to the green screw?
***** It is less safe for users. The grounding wire provides an alternative way for electricity to return when there is a short, etc.
So this is what Bane does when he isn't trying to take Gotham.
What amp and type of switch has a total of five screws, one being bare copper ground?
Please help. Removed an old yard light to replace it with an LED light.
By the way there was nothing wrong with the previous light.
I try three times and unfortunately, I blew the fuse 3 times and fuses are not cheap.
What is the problem!?
I followed the instructions coming in the box with the LED box!!!
Please help.
Might need more that 14/2 as they are only supposed to go on like a 15amp fuse.
The video doesn't mention which screw is for the hot from the breaker box and which is for the light/switched fixture.
Weird situation: I connected single pole switch one way and if the light was open, all good, when closed the fuse would blow. If I reversed the 2 black cables everything would work right. Why?
What will happen if the load and line wires are reversed in a single pole switch?
I know this was 9 months ago. But on these switches it doesn’t matter as all it’s doing is “breaking” the circuit. Which screw you place the “hot” and the “load on will just determine which direction you install the switch in the box. example if you were to connect the hot/source to the bottom screw opposite side of the green/ground screw and your load to the top screw. Then the switch would be installed this way. If you installed these wires opposite then when putting the switch into the reciprocal you would simply twist the switch around so the ground screw is upwards. So that when the switch is down it’s off and when it’s up it’s on. Sorry for the drawn out explication without a video it’s hard to explain in my head ha
In only have a copper wire the black and the white I don't have two black and I tried to wire it without the white and just one black and the copper on the blue screw and it's not working any help ? Please.
+Aleexandriaxoxo : The copper wire is ground (it goes in the green screw of the switch) The white is neutral (it goes in the silver screw on the switch) And the black is the HOT [like you] (it goes in the copper or bronze screw). This is might be a late of a answer, but, here it is, anyway. Thanks...
How should I wire my heat pump?
are there additional steps if I change a dimmer switch to a standard light switch?
WHICH ONE IS FEED AND YOUR SOURCES
The black wire is always the feed. That is why the white / neutral is connected to itself at the fixture. Sometimes a romex cable is run from the switch to the fixture, and one of these will be colored white. This should become the return from the switch, and be tagged as HOT by wrapping some black electrical tape onto it, signifying that it is not a Neutral line, but has been converted to a Feed line from the switch to the fixture.
In regard to my question here posted. It has been answered. Thanks again.
Hi,the power to my vanity light is hot and the switch controls the on off when i test it but when i hook the light up it dosent work any ideas?
thanks a lot you just helped me out!! 👍
Not a bad tutorial, but never, NEVER, use a box knife to strip the insulation. There is a very good chance that it will slice the wire inside insulation as well and it can leave the bare copper exposed. I learned this the hard way. Also, it doesn't matter which black wire goes where, the switch will still work.
what would you use to strip it then?
trippingonmushrooms thats a cable stripper but you can just cut a lil down the middle on one end with a utility knife and tear down till desired length and cut off the tiny part you knicked in the end of the wire (if you knicked it)
Get that fanny tore up if caught doing it like that lol tbh, it's way faster and it just feels natural and if you don't have the wire stripper at hand well, thats when I do it but lord did my boss tear my fanny up. He let me go since at the time I was new but said if caught again, I was out immediately.
Btw he always told stories and always said fanny lol
Thanks for inadvertently giving me an idea for a tutorial video! I've been an electrician for 11 years and never had a problem with that method of exposing the wires... I'll definitely be teaching that one on my channel!
I've stripped tens of thousands of cables with a utility knife the same way, except I use a side cutter to cut the jacket off. The strippers that score the jacket can knick the wire's insulation too. I've seen it many times.
Great video. Thank you!!!!!!!
How do I connect the old wire, to the new wire, so I can relocate the light switch.
+Nrfa a junction box, some wing nuts and some tape. connect them together inside the box. then run the wire. just make sure the wire is the same Gage.
@@stanleycard6867 or if the old is 14-2, you can use 12-2. Whatever you do just dont downgrade on the gauge of wire.
lot easier than what i was thinking 😀
Why do some people use the holes in the back of the switch to make the connection? My understanding is that its dangerous to connect that way because the connection may become loose. If its that dangerous why are the light switches made with the option of using the holes and why are they allowed on the market. I would think this would be a extremely dangerous safety hazard.
popacapnyoass2 The predominant reason for using the holes in the back is speed; it's faster to install. In terms of danger, well, installing via screws can be equally hazardous if not done correctly.
they aren't extremely dangerous... but if the fixture breaks, the exposed wires may become a fire hazard
ANSWER" IF THE SWITCH SAYS 12 GAUGE WIRE ONLY AND YOU PUT 14 GAUGE IN THEM HOLES THE WIRE BECOMES LOOSE AND COULD FALL OUT, REMEMBER 12 IS THICKER THEN 14, LOT OF PEOPLE USE 14 GAUGE WIRE BUT i DON'T KNOW WHY , I USE 12 GAUGE WITH 20 AMP BREAKERS AND IF YOU USE 10 GAUGE WIRE YOU CAN GO WITH 30 AMP BREAKERS,
I dont see a ground wire when I put my switch in? where would it be, there are 3 wires that are white that are capped off is it one of those?
When you push the wire in the hole, it goes in to a copper clip. When the lights are on, the wire becomes hot and when off, it cools. This is a very thin copper clip. Heat and cold = expansion and contraction. Over ti.e this connection will become loose causing an arc which could lead to a fire. Most new homes have this type of wiring because it's faster. I regularly get clled to these junk half million dollar ryan homes because the outlets aren't working. When I pull the outlet out, the wire isn't even connected most of the time. Why do they put these awful holes in the outlets? Great question. It is not against code to use them so they are still able to produce them.