Changing light switch with plug to just light switch

Question:

In the bedroom the main light switch also had a plug.plug cover broke off.Want to put just a light switch.But in the box there are four black wires,four white,and 4 ground.One goes to the light mounted on the wall which has a turn knob.and two hanging lights on each side of the room.How do I know which black and white to hook to the switch to make it work.I beleive I'll have to cap a white and a black wire to eliminate plug wires but what do I do.

Answer

Hi Alexia,

I will do my best to help you here. This is a good project for a beginner. You should be proud of yourself for taking this on but if you don't feel comfortable it is OK to call an electrician. Better safe then sorry.

OK Here we go.

First, tie all your ground wires together. Put hem under one wire nut and use a 6inch scrap ground wire to jump out of the wire nut to attach to the switch.

Second, place all the white wires under one wire nut. Since you will not be using the outlet you will not need to attach any white wires to the switch. In this situation the white wires are being used as the return path for the electricity or you neutral. Push all the white white wires to the back of the box.

Third, Put all the black wire together. turn the power on. The light should go on. Now remove one wire at a time until the light goes off. When you find the wire that controls the light tie the other three wires together and use a scrap wire as a jumper. Put the jumper on one side of the switch and the wire that controls the light on the other. When the switch closes the light will go on an when the switch open the light will go off.

That is all there is to it.

Good luck


--
Bill Lutz
Generation 3 Electric, Inc.
http://generation3electric.com
http://www.philadelphia-electricians-how-to.com/

Piggyback Plug with Switch

Question

I'm looking for a product exactly like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Do-Best-Imports-RM-PT2162-15X-WH-Extension/dp/B000HEFDGU/ref=pd_cp_hi_0

However I need the plugs to be 3 prong instead of 2. I can't find anything like what I have in mind. Have you seen something along those lines or know where I should look? I'm trying to connect a switch to the power strip that's behind my stereo and tv. I've looked at Belkin's remote control power strips, but I'd really prefer a wired solution as I'm aiming more for reliability and low-cost. Thanks,
Jack

Answer
Hi Jack

That is a good idea. Turning off the power to your electronics is a good way to save power. Most people don't realize how much power is wasted by unused electronics. Here are some web links that might have something that will work for you.

http://www.usa-best.com/remote-electric-control-outlet-pack-p-34.html

http://www.kaboodle.com/reviews/outlet-switch-5

http://www.safety-express.com/e_shop.aspx?gc=S&pc=S01&sc=

http://cableorganizer.com/trc/gfci-quad-boxes.html

Good Luck,


--
Bill Lutz
Generation 3 Electric, Inc.
http://generation3electric.com
http://www.philadelphia-electricians-how-to.com/

wiring lights

Question:

Hi Bill,
I am looking to wire a room using 3 different switch points. My problem is in the second switch point. In this gang box I will have one 3 way switch used to light the room and a second single pole switch to light an outdoor patio light.
Currently I have a 14-3 line coming in with power from the first switch, a 14-2 coming in from the patio light and finally a 14-3 line coming/going to the final switch in the room.
The 14-3 line are red/white/black/ground and the 14-2 are white/black/ground. I thought I had it figured out, but the way I currently have it the indoor switch only shuts power off to the other switches and the patio switch will turn on the outside light, but only with the other switch "on".
Any help would be GREATLY appreciated! Thanks!



Answer:

Hi Ryan,

Great job attempting this yourself. Switch is not as easy as most people seem to think until they get stuck. This is not a beginners project so don't feel bad if you need to call in a pro. Let me see if I can give you some advice to help you out.

I can't see you wire so it is not possible to give you a wire diagram or to tell what goes where.Instead I want you to think abut what you are trying to do. You have a pair of three-way switched and a single pole switch. They are two separate controlling systems.

What I want you to do is find your feed in the 2 gang box and put two jumpers off of it. One for the single pole switch. The other for the three-way switches. Solve them separately. It sounde like you are trying to do it all at once when you really need to be breaking it down into smaller sub-systems.

Good luck,


--
Bill Lutz
Generation 3 Electric, Inc.
http://generation3electric.com
http://www.philadelphia-electricians-how-to.com/

Standard height of light over bathroom vanity?

There is no standard height for a bathroom vanity. In new construction a loose wire is normally left in the wall space behind the vanity. After the vanity is installed a height is determined by the mirror height and the light fixture style. The a hole is cut into the wall the loose wire is found and placed into an old work box.

recessed lighting

Questioner:	ILLYA
Category:	Electrical Wiring in the Home
Private:	No
Subject:	recessed lighting
Question:	I have installed 16 recessed lights in my kitchen. We do not have insulation in our attic. When we turn on the lights sometimes 6 may come on, some times 10 may come on, or maybe only 3 will come on. When I first installed the lights all of the lights were coming on but over the years (3 years) this problem has occurred. I thought the bulbs were just blown, but sometimes one of the lights that was not on, may come on when I turn the lights on again. Again thank you so much ILLYA
Answer:	Loose conection Hi Illya, I'm sorry to hear that you are having this problem. The first most likely cause of this if they were professionally installed would be bad heat detectors from the manufacturer. This happens often if you buy off brands from home centers. They are just not built to last. The second most likely problem would be bad connections done by the installer. This is a common problem we find do it yourselfers making. Following the directions out of a book is easy for many people. Running wires is not too difficult of a job to learn. The craft of terminating wire safely and in a way that will last can't be learned by reading a book. I thing you could have a loose connection. This is something to be concerned with because loose connections build up heat as electricity tries to jump or spark across the gap. Loose connections are a huge fire risk. It is for that reason I suggest that you call in a pro to check out this problem.

Light switch

Questioner:	David
Category:	Electrical Wiring in the Home
Private:	No
Subject:	light switch
Question:	I have a light switch that has old knob & tube wiring it is hot on one side and dead on the other when the switch is off, like it should be but when the switch is on both sides are dead, the light does work but what do they have going on with it?
Answer:	knob and tube Hi David, I think you are reading your tester incorrectly. I say this because the light bulb is the simplest of testers. It only works correctly when there is a 120 volt difference between each side of the screw base. I'm thinking that when you switch is closed that you are not getting a reading because the voltage difference is 0 volts. That is as it should be in old knob and tube. The bigger question is have you consulted an electrician about replacing that knob and tube wiring yet. I is probably about 70 years old now. I don't have anything that is 70 years old that work in a reliable way. You should be putting together a plan for the wires replacement.

Ceiling fan light combo

Questioner:	tate
Category:	Electrical Wiring in the Home
Private:	No
Subject:	ceilung fan-light wiring
Question:	i just fit my nutone 763rln fan and light into my bathroom. there are two cables in the attic space for the unit to attatch to. the first is white and holds 3 wires, (a white one a red one and a black one.) the second cable is white and has two wires in it, (a white wire and a black wire also). both cables have a ground wire also. my new exhaust fan has 2 plug ins, one for fan, one for light. one plug is black with a green ground wire, a black wire and a white wire. the white plug has only a white wire and a blue wire. i have two switches. main concern is what to do with the red wire. thank you
Answer:	Bathroom fan/light diagram Hi Tate, I will try to walk you through this but I can't be 100% sure without a tester and seeing the situation. First thing is the wire all have a white jacket that means they are 14 gauge or 15 amp wires. Now you have two plugs for your fan. One is for the light the other is for the fan. I will have to assume that the 14-2 wire is your feed. That means you should have 120 volts between the white and black wire. If this is true you will hook the hot black of the 14-2 to the white wire of the 14-3. That will sent the hot down to the switches on the white wire. At the switches the White wire will jump to the bottom of each switch. At the top of the switch you will attach either the Red wire or the Black wire. You will be making one switch become the controller of the Red wire and the other switch become the controller of the Black wire. Back at the fan attach the white wire from the 14-2, the neutral to the white wire from each outlet. Then Attach either the switched Red or switched Black to the blacks of one or the other outlets. Tie all the grounds together and you are done. I know that this could be hard to follow. Switching something like this maybe outside of what most home owners ability.

Questioner:	Dennis
Category:	Electrical Wiring in the Home
e:
Subject:	switching to GFI outlets
Question:	I want to switch some outlets in my kitchen and bath to GFI outlets. When I pulled out the old outlet it has a ground, a red wire attached to the top right side, a black wire attached to the bottom right side and only one white wire attached to the top left side. The white wire is tied into a connector that has two other white wires in it. The instructions for the GFI tell me what to do if there are two wires (one black, one white) and if there are four wires. (two black, two white). What do I do with three wires, one red, one black and one white (other than the ground)? Thanks
Answer:	Outlet tab Hi Dennis, First off it is a very good idea to up date your old outlet to GFCIs in the kitchen and bathrooms. Your white wires are your neutrals and they attach to the silver screws on the side you your GFCI marked "LINE" The Red and Black wire are hot wires. Was this 1/2 outlet switched? Normally the Red wire is controlled by a switch and the black wire is hot 100% of the time. On outlets there is a small break away piece of metal between the screws that allows you to control the top and bottom individually. On a GFCI outlet you will not have that option so you will have to chose to either switch the whole GFCI or have the GFCI hot 100% of the time. This is a job a home owner can do but there is nothing wrong with calling in a pro. Better safe then sorry. Bill Lutz Generation 3 Electric, Inc. http://generation3electric.com http://www.philadelphia-electricians-how-to.com/ 215-512-4102

wire new central air unit

Questioner: Richard Wencl

Question: What size wire do i need .i think it is #10 %26do i have run a#12 also and can i put both wires in a one inch conduit. i have run about 45 feet.

Answer:Hi Richard

10-2 is the most common wire size for a residential AC unit. You will have to refer to the name plate or instruction manual of your AC unit to know for sure.

It will never hurt to run your wire in conduit but it is often not necessary.

I think that this job is best done by a professional electrician. It is not a basic repair and you could hurt someone if this is not install correctly.

Bill Lutz
Generation 3 Electric, Inc.
http://generation3electric.com
http://www.philadelphia-electricians-how-to.com/
215-512-4102