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Switch to light

pudgybear

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 22, 2012
Messages
228
Location
Brooklyn Michigan
Silly question here but here goes... I just bought the house and I have several switches and can't find out what they go to is there anyway to check out this problem???? I turn on/off the wall switch and nothing lights up any way to tell what these switches control ???? thanks Bob
 
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ford33

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Joined
Feb 26, 2011
Messages
2,118
Location
Chicago, IL. USA
There are expensive tools available to trace wires in walls but probably not what you want this little project.

First do this, find all GFCI outlets and make sure they are not tripped. If the switched circuit has a GFCI outlet that is tripped you may find nothing works on the circuit which gets confusing when operating the wall switch.

Second, make sure there is power to the switch. It may not even be connected to anything.

Third, make sure you have good bulbs in the ceiling lights and wall sconces. The bulb may be broken.

Finally, with the switch off, try plugging several lights and radios into several outlets in a single room then activate the switch. Check to see if any of the lights that were on are now off or off and now on. If the radio turns on then that will tell you the switch outlet combination. Repeat until all outlets are tested.

I had a switch that did nothing on an old house I was rehabbing. It was near the front door so I thought it was a porch light or hallway light. A couple months later, I finished rehabbing a bathroom and reconnected power for that room. That's when I found the switch controlled a single outside wall outlet that was on the same circuit as the bathroom wall GFCI outlet. The rooms were 30 feet apart and had no logical connection. You just never know what people are thinking when they add an outlet.
 

JohnKal

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Joined
Mar 24, 2014
Messages
1,780
Location
New York State
In addition to the above^^^^^, plug your devices in BOTH the top and bottom of the duplex. One duplex may me sourced from two circuits. (One always hot, the other from a switch)
 
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ttpete

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Joined
Mar 8, 2011
Messages
6,737
Location
Dearborn, MI
In addition to the above^^^^^, plug your devices in BOTH the top and bottom of the duplex. One duplex may me sourced from two circuits. (One always hot, the other from a switch)

It's not uncommon to have a switch controlled outlet in a living room with the switch located just inside the front door so a light can be turned on upon entry. Mine is combined with the porch light switch.
 

nadogail

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Joined
Jan 23, 2009
Messages
31,928
Location
Coronado, CA
You might invest in a non-contact voltage tester, frequently referred to as a tweeter.

it could inform you of the electromagnetic field near an energized alternating current conductor.
 
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