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 two wire switch leg?
The switch-leg is still made up of two wires, but the hot wire connects directly to the switch and the two wires connect directly to the outlet. The second wire completes the circuit by connecting to the house neutral wire in the switch wiring box, instead of in the outlet wiring box.
Can I use a neutral as a switch leg?
Registered. The rule states that a neutral must be available at each switch location. It’s not required to be terminated on a switch, however; you can wirenut it, and leave it.
What are switch legs used for?
The switch leg brings power to the fixture when the switch is turned on. The ground screw is for the circuit ground wire connection. Standard single-pole switches do not connect to neutral circuit wire.
Can a white wire be used as a switch leg?
White is power source not return source, so it can’t be the switch leg.
Under the new requirement you can still do a switch loop as long as there is a neutral. So if you’re going to do a switch loop it has to be done with 12/3 or 14/3, and just cap off the neutral at the switch.
Are switch loops against code?
The 2011 NEC code requires that the switch loop use wires of the proper color code to signify hot wires. The neutral, white wire, which would not be used is simply capped off inside the electrical box. Figure 3 shows the wiring configuration using 14/3 wire in a switch loop.
Why are switch loops used?
In layman’s terms, a switch loop is another term for a wiring circuit created to connect a light fixture to a wall switch. Instead of pulling a cord every time you want to turn the light on or off, you flip a switch or push a button to activate the light.
What is 2 way switch?
In a two-way switch, there are two, one-way switches combined in one. One of the terminals can be connected to either of the two, but not both at the same time. The advantage of a two-way switch is the ability to control a single device from two separate locations.
Where does the red and black wire go on a 3-way switch?
The black “hot” wire enters the switch on the left. Three-way wire(which includes red, black and white wires) runs from the switch on the left to the switch on the right, with the white wire carrying ground and the red and black wires carrying the output from terminals in the left switch.
How do you wire a 3 wire to a 4 wire switch?
Connect the ground wire of the 3-wire cable to the ground wire of the 4-wire cable. Connect the black wire of the 3-wire circuit to either the red or the black wire of the 4-wire circuit. The red and black wires are the”hot” wires. Either wire can be used to power a circuit.
Where does the red wire go in a light 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. Push both switches into their boxes and secure them with screws at top and bottom. Turn on your power and test the switches.
Where does black and red wire go on light 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.