I have an old 2 way 1 gang light switch to replace but the one currently fitted has 2 red wires 1 black wire as opposed to the three different wires as shown on most sites that i checked out. This is an older house circa 1967 and the wiring appears to be all over the place.
Three Way Lights How Three Way Switches Work Howstuffworks
Light switch two black one red. Place the prong of the multimeters red wire on the bare metal on the end of one of the black wires. By continuing to use this site you consent to the use of cookies on your device as described in our cookie policy unless you have disabled them. Red and black form the same cable will connect ot he brass screws then the red and black from the other cable will connect ot he black screws. 4 way switches have 4 screws 2 will be black and 2 will be brass. Dont get confused about using the red wire from the multimeter to test a hot black wire. When you see a red wire in a light switch box it can mean two things.
Or it could be the red wire is the wire going to the fixture and the black wires are the live wires. They should both be of the same wire gauge. There are two black wires attached to one brass screw and a red wire attached to the other brass screw. 12 awg for 20 amp circuits and 14 awg for 10 and 15 amp circuits. You will have to get a 4 way switch for that position not a 3 way switch. I have a light switch with two black wires one red and a ground answered by a verified electrician we use cookies to give you the best possible experience on our website.
Youll have two cables in the switch box a live one with a black and white wire and the one going to the outlet which has a red black and white wire. Well cover the easier scenario first. Thinking about it it may have been 2 blacks and 1 red but either way there are only the two colours. It could be there is or once was a three way switch in play. At the light fixture there is one bundle of wires coming from switch one and one bundle coming from switch two. After some help if possible.
There appear to be two white assume neutral wires screwed together with a wire nut and a ground wire tucked away inside the junction box. First twist the two bare copper ground wires together. Twist the two red wires together and attach a wire nut. The positive wire on a multimeter is red and the black wire is negative. Take the white wire from switch two and twist it with the black wire from switch one.