Replacing single pole switch to smart switch - getting lost with the wiring

[tomsop]

Here is a picture of the switch I removed. This is a Leviton single pole 15A switch that has 3RJW stamped on the side. The two hots are wired together I believe so that the one wire also gives the sensor switch next to it power. The load wire is on the bottom. I see no ground wire and I am assuming the questionable wire is the neutral but I am running into problems with the smart switch switch install - it is not turning on the light and the locator LED constantly blinks green and I cannot reset the locator LED light.

I cannot find enough information to tell me if the questionable wire by the fact it is plugged in on the pictured switch means it is also a neutral or not. I know that with all he wires disconnected and breaker on only one of the two hots is hot and maybe the black wire plugged into the back of the switch as a quick connect is also meant to be a hot.

I will probably need to open up the junction box some more to see if a neutral wire is hiding somewhere. But can someone say what this quick connect wire is (neural or hot) or not enough info?

Thanks.

 

[The Cobbler]

it looks like you have a 3 way switch there

 

[captaindiode]

That appears to be a three way switch. Is there another switch that controls the same light? Is there a screw on the other side of the switch, besides the ground? I doubt it is a neutral.

 

[tomsop]

I thought it was a single pole because it is the only switch to control that light. They say that there is another screw on the other side (beside the top ground screw) if it was a three way. The light switch is difficult because nothing is marked. I just notice that the hot wires go towards the top of the switch and the quick connect is also at the top so wondering if maybe that questionable wire is also a hot (though does not show up as hot when I pass the sensor over it when circuit is on.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Definitely not a neutral. A single pole or 3 way/4 way switch would NOT have a neutral going to it unless it was some kind of smart switch.

there may not be a neutral in that box.

Did you test the wires with a wiggy or multi-meter?

theres an occupancy sensor next to it and it could be using a ground wire instead of a neutral...

 

[tomsop]

Thanks - I think that smart sensor has to have a neutral so I need to unscrew that and look at that next. If that wire was a ground I wonder why it is not just attached to the ground screw - I read the specs of a similar switch and it did not mention ability to use quick connection for grounding.

 

[tomsop]

I solved it - the extra wire connects to the hot terminal. I found the neutral which was buried in the back and capped off with other neutral wires. After mistaking which neutral I needed I connected the correct neutral to the adjoining smart sensor and then used the neutral pigtail for that to tie my new smart switch to the caped off neutral wires. Not sure if I am using correct terminology. I am so happy I got thing working - thanks for your help.