Need help! Light switch now messed up.

[dg_]

I started updating the light switches in my house. As I change out the switches, I typically write down the wiring. In this case I did not and it is not become a major PITA.
These switches are installed in the guest bathroom. The right controls the fan and the left switch the lights. When I first unscrewed the wires from the original switches the right one had 2 and the left one had 4 wires. 2 screwed in from the side and 2 more clipped in from the back.
I couldn't figure out how the unclip the ones in the back of it, so I just cut them... Well, I also didn't pay attention as to how it was installed.
Now when I turn on the left light switch, the lights do not turn on. In addition, when the switch is off, the master bedroom and bathroom have not electricity. I'm not sure how those are even linked. The fan switch operates fine.

Below is a pic of the wiring.

If anyone can help me out, I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[domain]

grab a meter!

 

[SCTony]

Can you post a pic of inside the box- showing more of the wires? Do you have a meter?

 

[Doug Arthurs]

First off the two wires on one terminal is not right. The wires need to have nice neat eye let's that are properly under the screw head for good contact. Secondly you don't seem to have connected one of your cut wires anywhere. A meter to figure out what's hot and what's neutral would be good since your wires are all black which is something else I don't understand.

 

[Milton Shaw]

Looks like they were using the switch terminals for a connection that should have been done with a wire nut and a couple of pigtails. Use a meter to find the only hot wire in the box, that wire has to be pigtailed to feed one terminal of each switch. That junction needs to include include the 4th wire that is feeding the other circuits to the master bedroom. Each switch should have two wires one from the pigtail junction of 4 wires and one going to light and the other switch should have the wire going to the fan. You will have to use a meter to determine what wire goes where by tracing and marking the wires from ceiling fixture, mark one for light and one for fan. The left over black wire is the wire that is feeding the master bedroom.

 

[SCTony]

I would guess the cut-off wire is for the bathroom light, the left switch bottom wire feeding the bedroom, left switch top wire - power coming in, right switch top wire feeding fan.

 

[dg_]

Thanks for all the replies folks.

The highlighted red wire is the only one that has power. The rest do not.
I don't have a real meter, just one of those devices that you can bring close to a live wire and it beeps.

 

[nkachur]

Thanks for all the replies folks.

The highlighted red wire is the only one that has power. The rest do not.
I don't have a real meter, just one of those devices that you can bring close to a live wire and it beeps.

Ok now you know the hot wire. This on eneeds to be wire nutted to:
- 2 pig tails for the switches
- The wires to the other rooms

Take the hot wire and touch it to the other wires one by one when it is live.

Thgis will tell you what the other wires are connected to. When you find the wire for the fan, attach it to one of the switches.

Find the wire for the room lights. Attach them to the other switch. If you have more than on wire for the lights in the bathroom attach them to a pig tail with a wire nut. The wires feeding the next room should be attached to the power wire with a wire nut and feed each switch with a pigtail (short wire) from that wire nut. Please let me know if I didn't expain this clearly enough

Nathan

 

[Alchymist]

Something's not right here - if there is no neutral in the box, how can it be feeding power to another room?

 

[nkachur]

there are neutrals tucked in the back of the box.

 

[dg_]

Ok now you know the hot wire. This on eneeds to be wire nutted to:
- 2 pig tails for the switches
- The wires to the other rooms

Take the hot wire and touch it to the other wires one by one when it is live.

Thgis will tell you what the other wires are connected to. When you find the wire for the fan, attach it to one of the switches.

Find the wire for the room lights. Attach them to the other switch. If you have more than on wire for the lights in the bathroom attach them to a pig tail with a wire nut. The wires feeding the next room should be attached to the power wire with a wire nut and feed each switch with a pigtail (short wire) from that wire nut. Please let me know if I didn't expain this clearly enough

Nathan

Thanks Nathan. I will try it out tomorrow and report back.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Ok now you know the hot wire. This one needs to be wire nutted to:
- 2 pig tails for the switches
- The wires to the other rooms

Yep. That is 4 wires under 1 nut so you will have to go up a size. Make sure you bare enough copper to get a good twist on those wires.

Take the hot wire and touch it to the other wires one by one when it is live.

This will tell you what the other wires are connected to. When you find the wire for the fan, attach it to one of the switches.

Easier than that. OP said the fan worked fine, so all he need is to remove the jumper to the other switch and connect it to the wire nut.

The other 2 blacks are swapped !

 

[nkachur]

So, did you get it sorted out?