I mistakenly was told to wire all neutral(white) together, and all hot(black) together. What the store rep didn't tell me was that it doesn't work when I have more than 1 switch-controled recepticals in that junction box. Now, all recepticales are hot, and the switches turn everything off. How can I rewire the box to allow multiple switch-controled recepticals, while maintaining multiple contstant hot recepticals?
2007-03-13 10:03:11 · 4 answers · asked by Bubba S 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Do It Yourself (DIY)
The whites will all go together. The blacks need to be unwired for the moment. Once you have determined which one is the hot wire, then you can hook it to the upper contact on the switch, the lower contact should be connected to the black wire going to the load. We call that a switched hot.
For the second switch repeat the process, hook the top of the switch to the hot wire and the bottom one to the load, the switched hot. Now the 2 switches will operate two loads.
If you have three-way switches (where the load can be turned on or off by more than 1 switch, the wiring is somewhat different.
2007-03-13 11:18:37 · answer #1 · answered by Fordman 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
yes all white go together, including the outlets, the loads that the switches are turning off and on... (the switches will only have black going to them) and all the ground go together (green or stripped)... now with the black... find the one feeding the junction box that is HOT... now connect the black wires to the two outlets, they will be on all the time... with the switches... on each... the black wire (hot) connects to one side of the switch and the other goes from the other contact on the switch to the load (what ever the switch turns off/on... so basically only the hot to the loads is controlled by switchs... if you ran the black past the switch, the load would be on all the time... do you see the theory...
2007-03-13 17:47:56 · answer #2 · answered by prop4u 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
bubba, just remove the hot from the one you want to switch in the J/box and leg thru the switch and back to the multiples. that way the only one switched will be the one you want.
what you've done is switched all the receptacles.
in other words all the power comes from one source, but you switch all the one necessary thru the switches . either one at a time or all at once.
you may need a battery of switches if you're switching everything.
rule: power to the switch then to the item switched if its a direct wire.
otherwise the legs into the recpts have to be powered on the way out.
rule: is your pwr to the switch or to the recpt 1st???
2007-03-13 17:37:14 · answer #3 · answered by ticketoride04 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't think this could be done by the limited number of words permitted here, as well as you haven't completely described the required circuits.
Your best and safest bet, shy of a licensed electrician, is to consult the diagrams and examples in a basic wiring book such as this $15 from Home Dept...
2007-03-13 17:38:47 · answer #4 · answered by KirksWorld 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋