The light switch in my bedroom doesn't seem to control anything. We have tried lights on the top and bottom of each socket and can't seem to see where the switch runs to. The actual switch has wires connected to it. Does anyone know how to trace it?
2007-10-25 04:01:11 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Is there a ceiling fixture? Was there? Usually that is what those switches control. Look for the wires in the attic above the switch.
2007-10-25 05:55:38 · answer #1 · answered by John himself 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You may simply have a bad switch and it is easy to test.
For just a few dollars you can purchase a "signal tracer" at Home Depot, Lowe's Lumber or your local hardware store. It looks like a pen, and when you turn in on and place the tip near a wire it will beep if power is going through it.
So you take your new signal tracer and place it near the wire on each side of the switch. If nothing happens then you don't have power going to the switch. You then need to back trace the input cable to see why.
If one side beeps and the other doesn't, then power is getting to the switch but not through it. Next flip the switch and see if the tool beeps on the wires coming out of the switch too.
If it doesn't then you have a bad switch. If it does then run your new signal tracing tool along the wall in the direction that the wire is going and see where the signal ends. There is your wires final destination or your problem.
2007-10-25 04:17:09 · answer #2 · answered by Perplexed 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Sounds like a remodeling has clipped the wires to where it originally went. If it is not controlling light fixtures or any of the wall sockets, it's a dead end switch. It needs a flat plate over it so other folks aren't so frustrated. Would be nice if an electrician put a meter on it to determine if it is still live........
2007-10-25 04:08:58 · answer #3 · answered by fluffernut 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is entirely possible that during renovations some light fixture was removed but the light switch not removed and the wires just left (hopefully capped off somehow). I would go with the idea of plugging something into every outlet you can see and see if that switch is controlling an outlet somewhere.
2007-10-25 04:12:01 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Turn everything on in the house. Plug something into every receptacle in the house and turn it on , then turn the switch on and off, surveying the entire house with each flick of the switch. Only way, unless you hire an electrician to trace it.
2007-10-25 04:08:19 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I suggest calling an electrician...
2007-10-25 04:10:44 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋