wall light switch

[dolfans]

I live in a manufactured house and a wall light switch is going bad that is in a bed room. So i bought a new one and it is the same kind. I replaced it and now the light will not turn off and the bathroom will not work unless the switch i replaced is on. It is the kind where the wires slide into the copper parts. Will it be ok for a while to leave it this way? What else can i do? thanks

 

[signcrafter]

I live in a manufactured house and a wall light switch is going bad that is in a bed room. So i bought a new one and it is the same kind. I replaced it and now the light will not turn off and the bathroom will not work unless the switch i replaced is on. It is the kind where the wires slide into the copper parts. Will it be ok for a while to leave it this way? What else can i do? thanks

Is it the junk ones that don't have a separate box? I can't stand those things and think they should be illegal. If it worked before and now it doesn't then you did something wrong or got a bad switch. Pictures would really help. If the light stays on all the time then either the switch is broke or your wires are in contact all the time, in other words the switch doesn't break the contact. If your bathroom isn't working then that wire didn't get hooked up right. Without pictures it's impossible to tell. Go back and double check your work. If it was me I would replace the whole thing with a cut in box and a real switch.

 

[dolfans]

Is it the junk ones that don't have a separate box? I can't stand those things and think they should be illegal. If it worked before and now it doesn't then you did something wrong or got a bad switch. Pictures would really help. If the light stays on all the time then either the switch is broke or your wires are in contact all the time, in other words the switch doesn't break the contact. If your bathroom isn't working then that wire didn't get hooked up right. Without pictures it's impossible to tell. Go back and double check your work. If it was me I would replace the whole thing with a cut in box and a real switch.

What you want pics of the light switch with the wires in it? I will try to take some later i have a job interview to go to shortly. Yes it is the ones with out a box. I wish i could change all of them out but i am laid off so have to watch our money. When i was trying to push the wires in i knocked some of the wire cover of could that have something to do with my problem? I know one thing these things are a major pain to work with

 

[Norcal]

Post a photo I would guess it's miswired.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

Apparently you have switched the wire that goes to the light with the wire that feeds the rest of the circuit.

 

[dolfans]

Also there is 3 wires thats is covered and 9 wires that goes into the switch that controls the bath room i guess. So there is 3 black,3 white and 3 copper. The switch is labeled for the black on 1 side and white on the other and the copper in the middle. I will take a pic later

 

[theamcguy]

Sounds like you need a 3 way switch. Look carefully at the original switch, does it say off/on? If it does not then it is a 3 way switch and that light can be controlled by more than one switch. What about the new switch? Is it exactly the same as the old one?

 

[kmacht]

Hire an electrician. This is above your ability.

 

[signcrafter]

What you want pics of the light switch with the wires in it? I will try to take some later i have a job interview to go to shortly. Yes it is the ones with out a box. I wish i could change all of them out but i am laid off so have to watch our money. When i was trying to push the wires in i knocked some of the wire cover of could that have something to do with my problem? I know one thing these things are a major pain to work with

Yes a picture of the wires so we can see what is going on. Until then it's just a guess since none of us can see what is going on.

But you have 3 pairs of wires coming in to the "box". One is the feed which will be hot whenever the breaker is on. Another wire will be the switch leg to the light that should be going on and off with the switch. And sounds like the 3rd wire is the feed out to the bathroom. All the grounds go together. All the whites go together. The black feed and the black going to the bathroom go together and go on one side of the switch. The black switch leg going to the light does not go with these, it goes on the other side of the switch so the switch opens and closes that. Sounds like you have this switch leg tied with the feed, the reason the switch doesn't work the light. Does the bathroom work when you turn the switch on? If so you have that feed on the wrong side of the switch. If not then it just isn't making a good connection, the reason I hate those junk switches.

Go to HD and buy a cut in box, they are about a dollar or less. A switch is maybe 30 cents and a plate maybe 15 cents. All total it costs less then a new junk switch. Cut the hole in the wall a little bigger to fit the box, strip the wires back and put them in the box. Then wire up the switch.

Sounds like you need a 3 way switch. Look carefully at the original switch, does it say off/on? If it does not then it is a 3 way switch and that light can be controlled by more than one switch. What about the new switch? Is it exactly the same as the old one?

A 3 way switch?

 

[dolfans]

Thanks i went to Lowes and got a box,wire nuts and a black wire,Already had the switches for a house so i am using that now. The guy said the white wire is not used for some reason. Get the black wires together with the wire i bought and put a wire nut on and go to the switch and put a wire nut on the white wires also and put the copper wires together and have 1 longer for the switch. Now it is not coming on at all. The light switch conrtols only the bed room and is 1 switch and then the bath room has 2 switches 1 for the light and 1 for the fan

 

[dolfans]

If i dont get it fixed tonight will it be safe to have the power on? When i turned the power off i did the whole house and not sure about the one for that bed room

 

[signcrafter]

Thanks i went to Lowes and got a box,wire nuts and a black wire,Already had the switches for a house so i am using that now. The guy said the white wire is not used for some reason. Get the black wires together with the wire i bought and put a wire nut on and go to the switch and put a wire nut on the white wires also and put the copper wires together and have 1 longer for the switch. Now it is not coming on at all. The light switch conrtols only the bed room and is 1 switch and then the bath room has 2 switches 1 for the light and 1 for the fan

So all the grounds are twisted together? Then all 3 whites are twisted together with a wire nut right? That is how they are supposed to be. You did strip 1/2" or so of insulation off the white wires before tying them together with a wire nut right?

The 3 blacks, like I said before one of them is feeding the circuit. One of them goes to the bathroom to feed that. And one of them goes to your light. You want to tie the one feeding the circuit and the one feeding the bathroom together and then have a pigtail coming out to go to the switch. You do not want all 3 tied together. Then the black from the light will go to the other side of the switch.

Please post up a picture of how you have the wires now.

 

[signcrafter]

Here is a rough sketch. Black is black, yellow is for white wires, brown is for grounds. Keep in mind that your wires may not be exactly how I have it drawn, you may have two wires coming from the top and one from the bottom or some other configuration. This is just to show you how all the grounds go together and all the whites go together and how you have to find the blacks you need to go together and how the switch is wired.

You will need to figure out which black does what.

 

[MrBalll]

Unless your box isn't labeled you would have been fine turning off only power to your bedroom. If not labeled then turn them off one by one and label it yourself for future reference.
And you will be fine to turn your power back on for the night. Just don't let any of those wire touch each other.

But you have 3 pairs of wires coming in to the "box". One is the feed which will be hot whenever the breaker is on. Another wire will be the switch leg to the light that should be going on and off with the switch. And sounds like the 3rd wire is the feed out to the bathroom. All the grounds go together. All the whites go together. The black feed and the black going to the bathroom go together and go on one side of the switch. The black switch leg going to the light does not go with these, it goes on the other side of the switch so the switch opens and closes that. Sounds like you have this switch leg tied with the feed, the reason the switch doesn't work the light. Does the bathroom work when you turn the switch on? If so you have that feed on the wrong side of the switch. If not then it just isn't making a good connection, the reason I hate those junk switches.

Just do like what was quoted and you should be good.

Did you ever get photos so we can further help you?

 

[Richard Cranium]

sounds like a 3 way switch.

 

[DirtyJersey]

Turn your breaker back on...

Touch the black wires together until bathroom light comes on! Then you found your feed wires.
Well, you could use a volt meter I guess


I'd turn the breaker off before wiring the switch though

Sent from my LG-D801 using Tapatalk

 

[CJ7VFR]

Also there is 3 wires thats is covered and 9 wires that goes into the switch that controls the bath room i guess. So there is 3 black,3 white and 3 copper. The switch is labeled for the black on 1 side and white on the other and the copper in the middle. I will take a pic later

If by chance your old switch had a black and white wire going to it, it may be a switch that is considered being at the end of the run.

This is where the power source is coming in to the light, and the switch is placed after the light at the end.

The black and white wires coming from the switch are then used to break the black "Hot" wire up at the light. If done correctly, the white wire should have had the ends colored black with either a sharpie or some black electrical tape to designate the line as being a switched "HOT".

I am not sure if the current NEC codes allow for this type of wiring anymore, but it was done forever to save both wire and time when installing switches.

Here is an example of what I am talking about:

Jim

 

[signcrafter]

Is it a bad sign the OP hasn't updated this thread?

 

[rburke65]

He may have no power to his computer ...

 

[Cmreschke]

sounds like a 3 way switch.

It is definitely NOT a 3 way switch. He just miswired the switch leg and feed out.

 

[bearcat32]

Look at the DATE may be a fool post ?