Always On Light Switch
The switches have two screw terminals plus a ground screw.
Always on light switch. Enter light switch guards. In an emergency i can slide out the tablet and use the physical switches behind it. The light control switch is in a 3 gang box. The other terminal is for a second hot wire called a switch leg that runs only between the switch and the light fixture.
If the switch is miswired it s easy to rewire. Usually they are designed so that only one half top or bottom is controlled by the switch and the other half is always on. A three way wall switch is a common type of light switch that makes it possible to control a ceiling light or other electrical fixture from two different locations in a room. If a light switch won t turn off it could be because it s miswired or just a bad switch.
A light switch is inexpensive and has small parts entirely contained inside a plastic casing so if the switch is bad the best option is to replace it. I wouldn t permanently remove that as it s a good feature. The way a light switch is wired depends on whether the power comes into the light box or the switch box first. One screw terminal is for the hot wire that feeds the switch from the power source.
The other two switches i can replace with smart switches. But before you replace it you need to determine whether it is the light switch that is faulty or if the wiring is the problem. But you should know these four things before installing smart. Diagnosing light switch problems.
The switch leg brings power to the fixture when the switch is turned on. 5 things to consider before installing smart light switches. If power comes into the switch box first the neutral white line from the service panel and the white line that leads to the light are spliced together. I recently installed a dusk to dawn light for the front porch and would like to keep the switch always on at all times.
In a hallway or large room for example installing three way switches at both ends lets you turn the light fixture on or off from both locations. You can test the switch with a voltage tester to determine which is the problem. These are normally marketed to folks with motion detecting security lights where the switch would have to be kept on 24 7 or for switches that control major appliances that you don t want to accidentally shut off our dishwasher for example has a shut off switch that s right next to the switch for the garbage disposal yikes. If the light switch isn t.
Some people go to a lot of trouble to enable an outlet to be controlled by a light switch. It lets you turn lamps and such on from the switch. This is more for the overzealous kind at home who want to switch everything off at night i am thinking of replacing the normal switch on the wall with a stationary plate and making the wires hardwired at all times.