Why does my light switch have 2 hot wires?
2 Answers. The wire from the other switch is almost certainly the line hot. If so, it will be always hot no matter what position either of the switches is in. This is electrically the same as having a separate wire going to each switch from a common line hot.
Can I wire a switch without neutral?
Yes, you can install a smart switch without a neutral wire. There are some smart light switches and dimmers that do not require a neutral wire. These are great for DIY installers looking for an effective smart lighting solution. For example, Lutron Caseta devices do not use a neutral wire.
What happens if a light switch doesn’t have a neutral wire?
The neutral wire allows the completion of the circuit and the switch to have power even when it’s turned to the off position when you want the lights off. Without this neutral wire in place, the circuit is broken any time the switch is now in the off position. It remains has power when the switch is in the On Mode.
Why would both wires be hot?
like the title says both wires (black and white get or turn hot). To answer your question, Yes, that is correct. The reason you are getting 120 volts when the fan/light is on is because the voltage is feeding trough the motor or the light bulb (or both).
Do all 3 way switches have a neutral wire?
The most common wiring requirements of any hardwired automated 3-way light switch is a neutral wire and a traveler. Yes, there are a few… (read very, very, very few) switches that don’t require a neutral, but those will limit you to incandescent only.
Why does my light switch have a neutral wire?
Neutral Wire. The neutral wire provides power to the light switch, even when the lights are off. (A neutral wire does not control the lights.) Neutral wires are typically white and may be found bundled inside the back of the switch box.
Can you connect two neutral wires together?
Neutral wires from different circuits are NOT tied together except at the neutral buss in the panel. Neutral wires carry current. If you tie neutral wires together from different circuits then you run the risk of overloading the neutral wire, which could cause a fire.
Can a light switch be wired without a neutral wire?
One way to wire a light switch is to have the power source wiring enter the light fixture directly and the switch is used to complete a circuit. In this case you will not have a neutral wire and your existing configuration will look like this: Switch without neutral wire
Are there hot wires in a light switch?
I was replacing a light switch and found it has two hot wires. Actually it looked like this. 3 black wires, one single and two together and pig tailed into one. I seperated all of the wires and found the 2 wires that were pigtailed, one was hot one was not. The single wire was hot.
Why are there no neutral in a switch box?
You don’t have any choice what colors come in Romex.. Because of that, you sometimes must use white as a hot. A rare wiring method in homes is “loose wires in conduit”. In this case, a pipe is laid between junction boxes, and individual wires are worked down the pipe.
Where is the neutral wire in a smart light?
The circuit’s neutral wire is in the junction box holding the light fixture. The two wires that come down to the switch from the hot leg powering the light itself. For smart switches that function without a neutral wire, a home hub is essential.
