Replacing light switch question
#1
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Replacing light switch question
We recently bought an older home built in the late 70s. The floorplan is perfect for our growing family and it has been update throughout the years. However, the light switch in our utility room doesn't stay on, you have to hold the switch in the up position and hope that it will stay on when you let go, there is no firm "click" to it.
It is a single pole switch with "ON" and "OFF" embossed into it. I bought a new single pole switch with the light behind the switch to replace it. So today I turn off the power to remove and replace the old switch and find that there are two sets of 3-wire coming into the box. The switch itself has only two screws on the side, no actual ground screw on it. Both black wires from each set of 3-wire are connected to the switch, the white wires are tied together with a wire-nut and the bare copper wires are twisted together and tucked into a hole in the back of the metal box.
I'm really at a loss, I expected (actually my wife expected) this to be an easy fix for a small problem.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
It is a single pole switch with "ON" and "OFF" embossed into it. I bought a new single pole switch with the light behind the switch to replace it. So today I turn off the power to remove and replace the old switch and find that there are two sets of 3-wire coming into the box. The switch itself has only two screws on the side, no actual ground screw on it. Both black wires from each set of 3-wire are connected to the switch, the white wires are tied together with a wire-nut and the bare copper wires are twisted together and tucked into a hole in the back of the metal box.
I'm really at a loss, I expected (actually my wife expected) this to be an easy fix for a small problem.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
Last edited by PJmax; 08-08-16 at 10:30 AM. Reason: reoriented picture
#2
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Welcome to the forums. This is actually two wire cable, the ground is not counted.
This is as I would have expected it, as one of the black wires is the incoming hot and one is the outgoing to the light.
What did you expect to see?
This is as I would have expected it, as one of the black wires is the incoming hot and one is the outgoing to the light.
What did you expect to see?
#4
The ground should have been connected to the box with a ground screw or clip.
Just turn off the power and move the blacks over to the new switch.
Just turn off the power and move the blacks over to the new switch.
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Shortly after posting this I located a video on YouTube that showed the exact same setup.... Apparently that's how it should be and I just didn't know.... Thank you all so much for the replies!