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Household Electrical Switch Q: #3081020
09/26/22 11:34 PM
09/26/22 11:34 PM
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Highland, MI.
Sunroofcuda Offline OP
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Sunroofcuda  Offline OP
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Highland, MI.
Question on hooking up a new 3-way wall toggle switch for bathroom: (the toggle on the "bad" switch is messed-up - this switch controls the heat lamp in our main level bathroom. I had a good used switch in my stash)

There's a ground screw - no question hooking that one up.

The "new" switch has a black & a brass connection screw on one side of the switch. There's a 3rd connection screw (brass) at the top of the switch - even with the brass one on the opposite side. The connection to the original switch has a ground wire & two black wires - both black wires were hooked up top/bottom on the same side of the defective switch. (this is next to another switch which controls the regular lights in the bathroom). *The original switch was a lighted switch with a ground, & only two hookups.

So I hooked the new one up with ground, then both black wires on the same side of the switch top/bottom configuration. **If I had attached both black wires at the two top connections (opposite sides of the switch), does it make a difference? It works fine. Would all 3 hookups on the new switch work or make any difference?


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Re: Household Electrical Switch Q: [Re: Sunroofcuda] #3081066
09/27/22 09:57 AM
09/27/22 09:57 AM
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North Dakota
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There are probably close to 100 diagrams on the internet about wiring up three-way and four-way switches. I'd just go through them until I found one that matches your configuration and use it. shruggy


"We live in a time when intelligent people are being silenced so that stupid people won't be offended".
Re: Household Electrical Switch Q: [Re: Sunroofcuda] #3081083
09/27/22 10:52 AM
09/27/22 10:52 AM
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PA
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70Duster Offline
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The key to replacing a 3 way switch is always put the wire from the black screw from the old switch to the black screw on the new switch.

Obviously the ground (usually green or uninsulated) goes to the ground connection.

On the remaining two brass screw connections, it doesn't matter which way you put the wires on the two remaining brass connections regardless of wire color.

Location of the screws on the switch varies by manufacturer and shouldn't be used as a guide for hooking up the wires.

Re: Household Electrical Switch Q: [Re: Sunroofcuda] #3081084
09/27/22 10:54 AM
09/27/22 10:54 AM
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Omaha Ne
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TJP Offline
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If I had attached both black wires at the two top connections (opposite sides of the switch), does it make a difference?
Yes as one side is normally brass

There are many different configurations of 115V switches for different applications
It's going to depend on how the house was wired and if there is anything else that gets power when that switch is on,
silver terminals are for Neutral wires, Brass for the hot side, and green for ground.

The silver/ brass connections are typically open top to bottom when the switch is off
and conversely closed when the switch is on.

Side to side should be isolated from each other ( IE: silver from brass) regardless of switch position. Google may help wink

Re: Household Electrical Switch Q: [Re: TJP] #3082205
10/01/22 12:21 PM
10/01/22 12:21 PM
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north of coder
moparx Online content
"Butt Crack Bob"
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connect the wires until you see lightning bolts before your eyes, then wire it up opposite the way you had it. biggrin
beer

Re: Household Electrical Switch Q: [Re: moparx] #3082278
10/01/22 03:40 PM
10/01/22 03:40 PM
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Bend,OR USA
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Originally Posted by moparx
connect the wires until you see lightning bolts before your eyes, then wire it up opposite the way you had it. biggrin
beer
Me thinks you have never been electrocuted by any household voltage, correct?
It is not something I would recommend to anyone tsk
I worked for 3 different telephone companies in my 33-year career, I learned about induce A.C. current the hard way when trying to hook up a new telephone service on a pair of open wire that was put up for that job, is was not hooked into the telephone network yet. I was making up the jumper and had attached it to the two open uninsulated wires and was trying to hook the jumper into the telephone terminal on a pole, I got shocked into my right thumb from the jumper without touching the conductors when the induced voltage (550 Volts A.C. from the uninsulated primary electrical service mounted on the same pole about 8 ft.higher than me) jumped from the wire into my thumb and on into the ground plate on the bottom of terminal shock I immediately reacted by jerking my hand back and ended up tossing the needle nose pliers I was holding to wrap the jumper wire around in the terminal about 50 ft. away from the pole. That really hurt, whiney
I was injured once by a piece of a 22 bullet ricocheting into my right calf when shooting at an old junk car out in the desert several years before that incident on the pole, I thought I had been shot again but there was no bleeding luck work

Be very careful when working on or around any electrical devises or wire.

Last edited by Cab_Burge; 10/01/22 03:45 PM.

Mr.Cab Racing and winning with Mopars since 1964. (Old F--t, Huh)
Re: Household Electrical Switch Q: [Re: Cab_Burge] #3082368
10/01/22 09:47 PM
10/01/22 09:47 PM
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Omaha Ne
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TJP Offline
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Originally Posted by Cab_Burge
Originally Posted by moparx
connect the wires until you see lightning bolts before your eyes, then wire it up opposite the way you had it. biggrin
beer
Me thinks you have never been electrocuted by any household voltage, correct?
It is not something I would recommend to anyone tsk
I worked for 3 different telephone companies in my 33-year career, I learned about induce A.C. current the hard way when trying to hook up a new telephone service on a pair of open wire that was put up for that job, is was not hooked into the telephone network yet. I was making up the jumper and had attached it to the two open uninsulated wires and was trying to hook the jumper into the telephone terminal on a pole, I got shocked into my right thumb from the jumper without touching the conductors when the induced voltage (550 Volts A.C. from the uninsulated primary electrical service mounted on the same pole about 8 ft.higher than me) jumped from the wire into my thumb and on into the ground plate on the bottom of terminal shock I immediately reacted by jerking my hand back and ended up tossing the needle nose pliers I was holding to wrap the jumper wire around in the terminal about 50 ft. away from the pole. That really hurt, whiney
I was injured once by a piece of a 22 bullet ricocheting into my right calf when shooting at an old junk car out in the desert several years before that incident on the pole, I thought I had been shot again but there was no bleeding luck work

Be very careful when working on or around any electrical devises or wire.

I think he was joking Cab wink

However your point is valid in that if one is no 100% confident in what they are doing with electrical components ( especially AC) , get someone who is or do some googling before attempting repairs. The consequences can be lethal or burn the house to the ground. On the fire part, for unknown reasons, they normally start when no ones around to stop them confused shruggy

Re: Household Electrical Switch Q: [Re: 70Duster] #3082380
10/01/22 10:36 PM
10/01/22 10:36 PM
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Originally Posted by 70Duster
The key to replacing a 3 way switch is always put the wire from the black screw from the old switch to the black screw on the new switch.
Obviously the ground (usually green or uninsulated) goes to the ground connection.
On the remaining two brass screw connections, it doesn't matter which way you put the wires on the two remaining brass connections regardless of wire color.
Location of the screws on the switch varies by manufacturer and shouldn't be used as a guide for hooking up the wires.


3-way switches are simple: 1 power line In, 2 power lines out (power depends on toggle position).
Opposite is true for the 3w switch going to the light/load/etc.
4-way can be placed between 2 3-ways.
Just do a simple pencil sketch, it'll be clear.
May seem complicated, but really simple.
But if one isn't comfortable around ANY electricity, then stay away.

Re: Household Electrical Switch Q: [Re: moparx] #3082473
10/02/22 01:09 PM
10/02/22 01:09 PM
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Posts: 28,576
Shopping @ HoBo Fright
340SIX Offline
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Originally Posted by moparx
connect the wires until you see lightning bolts before your eyes, then wire it up opposite the way you had it. biggrin
beer

Should he also tighten the screws till they strip or brake off and vack off one One Full Turn and 1/4?


[img]https://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee87/fast340six/sig%20pics/2840886-340SIX-1.jpg[/img]
VP of the MPM in New Orleans
73 Dart Sport 340/ 70 challenger vert. That may still get built, If I live long enough
Re: Household Electrical Switch Q: [Re: TJP] #3083248
10/04/22 01:59 PM
10/04/22 01:59 PM
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 19,237
north of coder
moparx Online content
"Butt Crack Bob"
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north of coder
Originally Posted by TJP
Originally Posted by Cab_Burge
Originally Posted by moparx
connect the wires until you see lightning bolts before your eyes, then wire it up opposite the way you had it. biggrin
beer
Me thinks you have never been electrocuted by any household voltage, correct?
It is not something I would recommend to anyone tsk
I worked for 3 different telephone companies in my 33-year career, I learned about induce A.C. current the hard way when trying to hook up a new telephone service on a pair of open wire that was put up for that job, is was not hooked into the telephone network yet. I was making up the jumper and had attached it to the two open uninsulated wires and was trying to hook the jumper into the telephone terminal on a pole, I got shocked into my right thumb from the jumper without touching the conductors when the induced voltage (550 Volts A.C. from the uninsulated primary electrical service mounted on the same pole about 8 ft.higher than me) jumped from the wire into my thumb and on into the ground plate on the bottom of terminal shock I immediately reacted by jerking my hand back and ended up tossing the needle nose pliers I was holding to wrap the jumper wire around in the terminal about 50 ft. away from the pole. That really hurt, whiney
I was injured once by a piece of a 22 bullet ricocheting into my right calf when shooting at an old junk car out in the desert several years before that incident on the pole, I thought I had been shot again but there was no bleeding luck work

Be very careful when working on or around any electrical devises or wire.

I think he was joking Cab wink

However your point is valid in that if one is no 100% confident in what they are doing with electrical components ( especially AC) , get someone who is or do some googling before attempting repairs. The consequences can be lethal or burn the house to the ground. On the fire part, for unknown reasons, they normally start when no ones around to stop them confused shruggy


i have been bit HARD by regular 110v Cab. it's NOT fun !
when i was working, i did minor repairs on 440v cnc machinery, as there were no maintenance men on the vampire shift.
always, and i mean ALWAYS, the very first thing i did was "lock out-tag out" that piece of equipment.
i didn't want my underlings to get any laffs if i "lit up like a christmas tree"........ biggrin
besides that, my boss would give me he!! in the morning for "smoking" in the building. that would be against company policy !
beer

Re: Household Electrical Switch Q: [Re: 340SIX] #3083250
10/04/22 02:03 PM
10/04/22 02:03 PM
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 19,237
north of coder
moparx Online content
"Butt Crack Bob"
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"Butt Crack Bob"

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north of coder
Originally Posted by 340SIX
Originally Posted by moparx
connect the wires until you see lightning bolts before your eyes, then wire it up opposite the way you had it. biggrin
beer

Should he also tighten the screws till they strip or brake off and back off one One Full Turn and 1/4?



that's only on 110v circuits.
on 440v circuits, it's 2 1/8 turns backed off after they strip or break. laugh2
beer

Re: Household Electrical Switch Q: [Re: moparx] #3083315
10/04/22 05:47 PM
10/04/22 05:47 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 28,576
Shopping @ HoBo Fright
340SIX Offline
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340SIX  Offline
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Posts: 28,576
Shopping @ HoBo Fright
Originally Posted by moparx
Originally Posted by 340SIX
Originally Posted by moparx
connect the wires until you see lightning bolts before your eyes, then wire it up opposite the way you had it. biggrin
beer

Should he also tighten the screws till they strip or brake off and back off one One Full Turn and 1/4?



that's only on 110v circuits.
on 440v circuits, it's 2 1/8 turns backed off after they strip or break. laugh2
beer


Since I have time off and am doing a rentavation. While at it I am going to do a rewire, going all 220 or 221 whatever it takes.
Michael Keaton is coming over to lend a hand.


[img]https://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee87/fast340six/sig%20pics/2840886-340SIX-1.jpg[/img]
VP of the MPM in New Orleans
73 Dart Sport 340/ 70 challenger vert. That may still get built, If I live long enough






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