Important – If you are replacing an existing switch, make sure that you take not of how it is wired before you remove the existing wires. Red Wire – This wire is used for 3 or 4 way switches and will connect the switches together so they can each control your lights.Bare Copper (Green) Wire – This is your ground wire.Black Wire – This is the hot or load wire.
WIRE LIGHT SWITCH HOW TO
Tools Needed to Wire a Light Switchīasic Knowledge of How to Wire a Light Switch If you do not know which breaker feeds your switch, then just turn on the light and test each breaker until you find the one that turns off your lights. It is important to also read the directions that come with your particular light switch because there may be something different about the one you purchased or a change in technology that would require a different light switch installation.īefore you do anything, you will need to cut the power to the light switch. Our instructions on how to wire a light switch for a standard light switch, a three-way light switch and a four-way light switch are outlined below. As a homeowner, you will likely need to replace a light switch many times and paying an electrician is not optimal when you can do it in just a few minutes. You can always have them do the wiring, and you can hook up the smart switches yourself.Learning how to wire a light switch is one of the basic skills that every homeowner should do. If you aren't comfortable working with electricity, contact a professional. It can damage the smart switches or KILL you. Be aware that depending on where you live, you may need an inspection before you close up your walls. * Please be safe! Follow all local and national building codes. There will be many more how-to articles, and videos coming from home automation, home theater, and renewable energy topics. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel, leave comments, and to give the video a thumbs up. Please see our supplemental YouTube video, that will show you how to wire these 3 way switches. The savings from not hiring an electrician alone will more than pay for the cost of the switches.
WIRE LIGHT SWITCH PLUS
Granted, the smart switches are much more expensive, they are $35-$50 compared to $1-$2 for a traditional 3 way switch, but when you add in the time it would take to wire, or the cost to hire an electrician, plus all of the additional features you get with the smart switches, I think they are worth it. There are many ways to wire a three way switch, but unless your walls are open, and your not worried about dimming from multiple locations, or being able to control the lighting from other devices, then I think the best way to wire a 3 way switch, is to use smart switches. Here is a 6 button switch Insteon switch. It will only be used to power the second switch, and there is no need to run a wire between the switch boxes.Įven if your second location already has a switch in it, you can get a multi button Insteon switch, and then use the primary switch for the light switch it is replacing, and one of the secondary buttons for your three way switch. Otherwise, you can get power from the nearest location. If you already have a location for the second switch, and it has power, then you don't need to run any additional wires. You can use the old work (wing) boxes for putting an electrical box into a wall that is already covered with drywall. The only additional wiring you need, is to get a feed to wherever you want the second switch, using a 14/2 wire. Then you only need to run a 14/2 feed to the second switch location.Įxisting/Replacement- If you want to add a 3 way switch to an existing light switch, then you don't need any additional wiring at that location. New- If you are adding a new switch, then you run the 14/2 from the light, and a 14/2 from the electrical panel, or from a sub feed, into the same box. Similarly, 14/3 has a black, a white, and a bare ground wire, but includes an additional red conductor, hence the 3 in the name instead of the 2. 14/2 wire has two power carrying conductors, a black, and a white, plus a bare ground wire. You will need 14/2 Romex, and 14/3 Romex. You will need two different types of 14 AWG wire, to wire your three way switch. Keep it at 12 Amps or less when using 14 AWG wire and standard 15A three way switches, to be safe. This will give you the approximate number of Amps.
MATH: Add the wattage of each light together, and then divide it by 120.A 14 AWG is good for 15 Amps, which is good enough for most lighting applications. The lower the AWG, the more current the wire can carry. AWG stands for American Wire Gauge, and describes how much current the wire can carry. In most circumstances, for residential lighting, you will be using 14 AWG Romex wire. First let’s talk about the different types of wire you are likely to use when wiring a three way switch for lighting.
0 kommentar(er)
