Light switch with three black wires - is it single pole?
All of the wires should be tested. That being said...What is likely the case, you have two wires that are in the "push down" connection and one is on the side screw. The screw connection and the "push down" connection that is beside it are the same connection. What is sometimes done in a tight box is; instead of splicing the wires together which would take up room in the box the electrician will use the side screw connection AND the push down connection and use that as a splice to carry the feed wire to another location. If this is the case When you disconnect all the wires from the switch (Take note of which wire went to each connection on the switch) you will notice that the power turned off in either a receptacle or the lights in another room. If this happens, then you know to connect (splice) the two wires that are next to each other (Push down connection and screw connection).Splice those two together with one of the dimmer wires. and then the other wire will splice to the other dimmer wire. Good Luck
Bedroom light switch "rocker" plate got broken, is it dangerous for me to replace it myself or do I have to hire an electrician?
My son was messing around and broke the "rocker" switch that turns his bedroom light off and on. (It's one of those ~3 inch x 1 1/2 inch large, "flat" type switches.) The upper portion still work and the light turns off and on just fine, but it just looks awful. I'm getting ready to put my house on the market and have spend a small fortune doing small repairs, new paint, etc., (in other words...I'm broke at the moment), so I'm wondering if I can replace this myself or do I have to hire an electrician? I went to the store and a new rocker switch costs $10, but it will cost ~$75 to hire an electrician. The people at Home Depot and Lowes both said it's really easy to replace...but I'm not sure. My also friends told me it's super easy to change it and it only takes a few mins, and I just need to make sure the electricity is cut off to that room, but I'm a little nervous. Has anyone who is NOT an electrician changed one out? If so, was it difficult? PLEASE don't just tell me to hire an electrician, it's not an option for at least 6 weeks, it's either keep the ugly, broken one or replace it myself. Btw, I've never done any electrical work, this would be my first time. Thanks for the advice !
Last night when I had gone to sleep, I had switched off the light, but when I woke up the lights were on. Was I hallucinating or just too tired to notice the lights or is something fishy?
I had the same type of thing happen to me when I was young. At around 2:00 am I remember sitting up in bed because I had felt my dog jump up and I knew he was sleeping in another room, recovering from being attacked by a St. Bernard right on our front porch. I had been worried but my parents weren’t concerned. I looked out the window and didn’t see anything: not sure why I woke up. Then I noticed that there was a roaring fire in the family room fireplace and my door was wide open; I always slept with my door closed. Then I noticed that my curtains were closed; wasn’t I just looking outside? These hallucinations were too much for me so I went to sleep with my sister.Next morning I found that my dog had died during the night.
Why is my light switch only turning off the fan and not the new light fixture that was installed?
In the condo where I live, 3 of the wall switches are each connected to an outlet of a duplex plug. This is designed for a floor lamp. Use the other side of the duplex to plug in your fan, and install a lamp in the switched plug.If a new light fixture was installed in the ceiling, then call the installer to investigate. He will show you which switch to use to turn on the light. I have never heard of anyone installing a light and not testing if it works, so maybe you may need a new bulb.
If the light switch is off can I touch the electrical wires safely? If the light switch is off, can I touch the electrical wires behind the light socket? Or do I need to go the extra step to take out the fuse/circuit breaker to that socket?
Always turn the circuit off from the fuse box/circuit breaker panel before working on it. After turning it off, use a proximity voltage tester to verify that the circuit is not energized.Now, onto my edited answer:The hot wire (black) can come from the panel, through a switch, and then to the light. The neutral (white) wire would leave the light and make its way back to the panel. In this configuration, turning off the light switch would technically mean that there should be no energy at the light.Would I recommend working in that light fixture box? Nope. Just turn the breaker off.But there's another method to wiring a light that you have to watch out for too: the switch leg. This is where the hot wire comes into the light first and gets connected to the white wire that goes to the switch. From the switch, the remaining black wire comes back up to the light. Technically, if the connection in the light box is well done and the the switch is in the off position, you shouldn't be able to receive a shock in the light box.Would I recommend working in the light fixture box in this scenario? Not a chance. Just flip the breaker, and you're safe.In either configuration however, you could be shocked in the switch box.Have (safe) fun electrifying your world!
When I operate electrical switches at my home, my LCD TV shuts off momentarily. Why?
This usually happens when the contacts of some switches 'bounce' . The switch contact does not settle down to a definite state immediately, but is loose enough to 'make' and 'break' a couple times rapidly. If there is a substantially inductive device (motor, tubelight, etc.) attached to it, it produces an overvoltage on the line. Since in domestic wiring everything is connected to one MCB for a line, i.e. all circuits of ground floor connected to one MCB, this overvoltage reflects on everything connected electrically on that line (ignore all equipment that is off). This also happens when one switches load OFF and causes a small arcing at the switch.Your TV is reacting to such momentary overvoltages, i.e. it's internal power supply is detecting the overvoltage and temporarily shutting down internal voltages to protect the set.There are 2 possible solutions:1. Connect the TV to the mains through a good surge protector ('spike buster'), as others have suggested2. Check each switch individually if operating it causes the TV to flicker. Replace the culprit switches with new ones
Light switch stuck on on position how do i fix it?
you need to replace the switch... it's not too hard... First, flip the breaker to the circuit that has that switch. then, you remove the 2 screws holding the faceplate on, then unscrew the 2 screws holding the switch in place. Most of the time, there are only 2 wires attached to the switch, and they should both be black (or sometimes red). Reconnect the wires in the same places on the new switch. The switch is a simple device that safely breaks the flow of electricity to the light... so it's placed on the hot-wire to the light. Occasionally there will be a ground wire (usually bare) attached to the switch.
Why does my fuse blow when i turn off the light switch?
sounds like someone may have replaced a single pole switch with a 3-way and miswired it to cause a dead short in the OFF position. Or the switch could be defective. For 50 cents you can buy a new switch and replace the old -- that would be the easiest way to rule out a defect or miswire, which are 99% of the reasons for such troubles. (If there are more than 3 wires connected to the old switch, that might be a clue to the problem.)
How do I rewire a light switch that controls an outlet to stay on?
You need to remove the switch. Rewire it so the wires just go straight to the outlet and at not interrupted by the switch. Alternatively, you can just tape the switch in the on position so that it doesn't get turned off.