I have a switch in my kitchen that operates nothing

[dthor68]

I was an electrician for 15 years and I have a feeling what is going on here. I am hoping someone with more knowledge can help me fix the problem.

I have a two gang box in my kitchen with two single pole switches. One switch operates the disposal the other, ?. I took the plate off and can see that the single pole switch is made up, line and load. I think that this wire was meant for under cabinet lights. However it was never pulled out when they either installed the sheetrock or cabinets. I am not positive about this and dont want to be poking a lot of holes in the wall to figure it out.

Anyone have any ideas?

 

[William Payne]

I love those kinds of switches. Had one at my last job. Did absolutely nothing. I always used to imagine someone in a room somewhere with their light going on and off every time I flicked that switch.

 

[exranger06]

It could be a disconnect for the dishwasher if the dishwasher is hardwired. Did you check to see if the dishwasher works when you flip it?

 

[dthor68]

It could be a disconnect for the dishwasher if the dishwasher is hardwired. Did you check to see if the dishwasher works when you flip it?

Yes sir, first thing I checked.

 

[dthor68]

Also, our kitchen has can lights, no ceiling fan. So, it is not an extra switch to operate fan/light separately. Not that you would put a ceiling fan/light in a box with disposal.

 

[cybrdyke]

Is it hot?

 

[dthor68]

Is it hot?

Yeah, its hot. And, I also made sure it was not operating any nearby receptacles as well. Of course that would not be legal in a newer home as all receptacles should be on load side of a GFI.

 

[dthor68]

I remember having this device by Greenlee that would alarm whenever you got it close to a hot wire, some sort of circuit checker. I wonder if they could read through sheetrock?

 

[chrismenke]

Did you look on top of the cabinets? I've see accent lights up there...

 

[exranger06]

I remember having this device by Greenlee that would alarm whenever you got it close to a hot wire, some sort of circuit checker. I wonder if they could read through sheetrock?

Yes, they do. I've used one to figure out a "mystery switch" like the OP. You need to de-energize all of the other wires in the wall so you don't get led down the wrong path.

 

[dthor68]

Thank You. I looked, nothing up there.

 

[markhm]

Didn't you watch "Married With Children"? They had a whole episode devoted to the switch. It controls the light in the doghouse.

 

[dthor68]

Yes, they do. I've used one to figure out a "mystery switch" like the OP. You need to de-energize all of the other wires in the wall so you don't get led down the wrong path.

Cool, I will try that out. The only other thing on the wall is GFI's that I can trip off. Is there any specific model of circuit checker I should get?

 

[dthor68]

Didn't you watch "Married With Children"? They had a whole episode devoted to the switch. It controls the light in the doghouse.

Dude, that was my favorite episode!

 

[wyliesdiesels]

I remember having this device by Greenlee that would alarm whenever you got it close to a hot wire, some sort of circuit checker. I wonder if they could read through sheetrock?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FAME70M/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[PelicanPines]

We have a switch in our kitchen by the sink that turns on a flood light that is mounted in the eve... on the 2nd floor. The box access is in the attic.

Just mentioning... cause sometimes... it's for something distant.

On a funnier note... did you ask your neighbors if anything flickers when you switch it?

 

[4xdog]

I had a kitchen switch that controlled the lights at the attached garage in my 1930s house, or should have — it was abandoned and nonfunctional when I moved in 20+ years ago. It’s now restored and working. That wasn’t ganged with others, though.

At my parents’ old 1950s house an overhead light switch was ganged with a back porch light switch right next to the kitchen sink. No chance there’s an exterior light, is there? Possibly a exterior box that’s been sided over if it’s an older place?

Is it a three way switch?

 

[CoogarXR]

Sometimes a good non-contact voltage detector, or even a data cable toner (listen for the 60hz hum) can follow a hot wire in the wall.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

have you taken the switch out of the wall and checked to see what its wired to?

 

[Mr_fixit]

I was an electrician for 15 years and I have a feeling what is going on here. I am hoping someone with more knowledge can help me fix the problem.

I have a two gang box in my kitchen with two single pole switches. One switch operates the disposal the other, ?. I took the plate off and can see that the single pole switch is made up, line and load. I think that this wire was meant for under cabinet lights. However it was never pulled out when they either installed the sheetrock or cabinets. I am not positive about this and dont want to be poking a lot of holes in the wall to figure it out.

Anyone have any ideas?

Every house has at least one. The electrician puts them in just for kicks!

 

[Marctrees]

Take a few photos of the area around the switch and post.

Like stepped back from the other side of room.

Marc

 

[rharman]

Didn't you watch "Married With Children"? They had a whole episode devoted to the switch. It controls the light in the doghouse.

Dude, that was my favorite episode!

I was thinking about the "Friends" episode with the phantom switch.

 

[iSpark]

I have a dbl. gang switch box beside the sink. One is for the disposal, and the other controls a ceiling mounted light over the sink.
Maybe the light never got installed?

 

[baoser]

I have this and have used it several times through sheetrock.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015EFE3XA/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[nadogail]

Leave things as they are; or "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"

On my first ship, I was told a sea story about an "Ensign Board", it served no other purpose than to occupy and amuse very Junior Officers while they were learning to stand watches in the Combat Information Center.

 

[fitter30]

Normally a light over the sink maybe the box got dry walled over. Does the wire exit the box go up or down might give you a direction.

 

[dylanmitchell]

Possible it's connected to an outlet? Be odd to have in the kitchen but I have a few wall switches in my house that control outlets. They are flipped upside down so they're easy to spot.

 

[Marctrees]

Chances are good there is a lighting tail in the wall probably for undercab lights that the cab hanger failed to bring out.

Could be cut naked hot end... only the installing Electrician knows !

Marc

 

[Lassen Forge]

We have one that used to be for the back porch light before they built the addition to the house... switch is still there, box is still on the (former) exterior wall. Someday I want to re-run the lines for better lighting in the kitchen off that switch.

 

[dave*99]

I had to trace one of these mystery circuits. I had a telephone line tracer and tone generator so......

I disconnected the load side of the switch. I made absolutely 100% sure the wire was NOT energized.

Connected the tone generator leads to the mystery wire and ground.

I traced the wire to its end.

There is a product designed for this job. It is rated for connection to powered AC systems, so I suppose that means live 120 VAC circuits. I have never used one. YMMV.

 

[nh_yota]

When I bought my house in 2009 it had a light switch in the enclosed porch that appeared to control nothing. House was built in 1840 and the porch was added in the 1940's so it was old BX wiring. In 2010 when I was replacing the soffit and fascia around the porch I remember looking into the roof space and seeing BX running across the ceiling but couldn't tell where it went because it was mostly buried under insulation.

A few years later I decided to remove the switch and patch the wall because I had already removed most of the old BX from the basement and the circuit was no longer live. I took the box out, capped the wires in the wall and patched up the hole.

Fast forward to 2018 when I had to replace a spotlight on the outside of the porch...someone had previously mounted a round bell box with a spotlight on the surface of the siding and ran UF down the corner trim and into the basement. I removed the spotlight and bell box to replace it, and hiding behind the bell box was some old BX poking out through the a hole in the siding. Apparently there was an old porch light mounted there at some point in the past and it was likely controlled by the phantom switch that I removed...

 

[CoogarXR]

The last place I lived had a lamp post out by the driveway that was controlled by a switch in the house. Problem was, when the last people moved out, they ran the lamp post over with the moving truck and threw it away. So there was a live wire (white romex, eye-roll) out in the wet grass. Welcome home!

 

[240sxguy]

My house has SEVERAL switches that don't seem to do anything. It's a mystery, but the prior owners were avid DIY'ers.

 

[gtae07]

We had several “do-nothing” switches too. Bedroom, upstairs common area, kitchen, and living room. Developer-built house, two years old when we bought it.

Turns out two of them were intended for ceiling fans (as separate from the lights) but the installer just wired the fan and light to a single switch and capped the other wire. Third one, they installed a light fixture only. The fourth... well, it’s still a mystery. I think it was intended for controlling some outlets but I haven’t figured out which ones yet.

 

[tym]

My parents' 1950s home has a switch above the counter that controls power to the switch below the counter that controls power to the disposer.

In my 1950s condo, there's a switch to a nonexistent disposer next to the sink. Looking below the counter, the wire that used to go to the disposer poked out of a hole in the wall and then was taped off and tucked behind the cleat the counter mounted to. I shortened the wire, added a box to the wall beneath the counter, and de-energized the disposer circuit at the breaker.

 

[James-W]

The only double kitchen switches I have seen are the ones where one switch runs the garbage disposal and the other one operates a light above the sink. I can't think of any other reason as to why they would have double switches. I mean, kitchens don't normally have outlets run by a wall switch. Switched outlets are more for a living room where you have a lamp that turns on with the flip of a switch. I haven't seen a dishwasher that was hooked up with a wall switch either, not saying it hasn't been done, just saying that I have not seen it. Anyway, a light would be my guess as to what it is supposed to operate.

 

[coljar]

My son had a mystery switch in the kitchen exactly as you described next to the disposal switch. He fixed it by selling the house.

 

[Briancapecoral]

When we had our pool built, the contractor wanted to put the switch for the underwater light in the kitchen. Our kitchen is in the middle of the house and you can’t even see the pool. He said that is where it is usually installed. I had him put it by the pool.

 

[jvitez]

I love those kinds of switches..... I always used to imagine someone in a room somewhere with their light going on and off every time I flicked that switch.

Why do I find this really funny?

 

[wyliesdiesels]

When we had our pool built, the contractor wanted to put the switch for the underwater light in the kitchen. Our kitchen is in the middle of the house and you can’t even see the pool. He said that is where it is usually installed. I had him put it by the pool.

That doesnt make any sense. Why would it go in the kitchen if it cant even be seen there.. some people dont think