The switched leg of a switch simply refers to
the wire that is supplied electricity when the switch is turned on
. When the switch is on, the switched leg then provides power to the fixture or device to be powered.
What is a switch leg in wiring?
The switched leg of a switch simply refers to
the wire that is supplied electricity when the switch is turned on
. When the switch is on, the switched leg then provides power to the fixture or device to be powered.
Does the hot wire go on the top or bottom of 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.
Does it matter which wire goes where on a switch?
Unless the new dimmer is specifically marked with LINE and LOAD or similar,
it doesn’t matter which wire goes to which
screw/pigtail in a simple two wire switch or dimmer. Since your new switch can be used as a three way, the instructions should say which screw should not be used.
How are single pole switches wired?
A single-pole switch has
two brass terminal screws on the side that receive the black (“hot”) wires of the circuit
. One black wire comes from the power source and the other goes to the light(s).
Are switch loops legal?
A switch loop wired properly is legal
. … You don’t actually have to use the white wire at all in the switch loop. That rule allows for the use of common 2-conductor cable that has white and black insulated conductors for a switch loop.
What is a switch leg for?
The switch-leg portion of
electrical circuits controls the flow of electricity to lights or receptacles
. The type of circuit wired for a switch depends on where electricity is delivered to the circuit: at a switch or at the light or receptacle.
Which wire is hot if both are black?
Place the prong of the multimeter’s
black wire
on the bare metal on the end of a white wire, then read the meter. If you get a reading, the black wire is hot; if you don’t, the black wire isn’t hot.
Why are there 2 black wires on light switch?
The bare or green-wrapped ground wires serve as a backup to divert the power safely away in case of an electrical fault. In most cases, two black wires will be
attached to the switch’s two terminal screws
. … The ground wires will be connected to each other and attached to the grounding screw on the switch.
What happens if you wire a light switch wrong?
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
. When this happens, a lamp, for example, will have its bulb socket sleeve energized rather than the little tab inside the socket.
Does it matter how you wire a single pole switch?
In the case of a single-pole switch, these
wires are interchangeable
—it doesn’t make any difference which wire is attached to which screw terminal. … Usually, it’s a simple matter of pigtailing the switch’s grounding screw to the circuit grounding wires.
Where does the red wire go on a light switch?
Attach the white wire from the light fixture, which is now the hot wire, to the nut at the top right of the switch. Attach the red wire from the light fixture to
the nut at the top left of the switch
. Connect the bare copper wire to the green nut at the bottom left of the switch.
How many wires can be in a single pole switch?
A single pole switch is used to control the light in a small closet or bathroom. It’s called a single pole switch because there are
two wires
connected or separated by the switch mechanism. There’s also a ground wire to protect against electrical faults.
What is the difference between a single pole switch and a 3 way switch?
The most common household switch, a single-pole, has two terminals and simply turns power on or off. A
three-way switch has three terminals
; a four-way has four.
