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Answer for USA, Canada and countries running a 60 Hz supply service.
The first thing to do at the distribution panel is to turn off the breaker feeding the receptacle's circuit.
To the new two gang light switch box, two wires will go from the wall receptacle, connected black to black and white to white and ground to ground, to the new two gang light switch box and then two more sets of cable wires will leave the new light switch box and proceed up to the new individual light fixture boxes.
In the two gang switch box, first connect the incoming and outgoing ground wires to the ground screw in the new switch box.
Be sure to connect the ground wire around the grounding screw in the light fixture box.
Next the white wires will be spliced together with a wire nut and pushed to the back of the box and then the incoming "hot" wire will be connected across the top of the two new switches.
Pre position the switches in the off position, which is the handle down, before attaching the wires. The "hot" incoming wire connects to two pigtail wires coming from the top screw of the two switches. These three wires will be spliced together with a wire nut and pushed to the back of the new switch box.
The two black outgoing wires that feed the new light fixture boxes are connected to the bottom screws of the individual switches.
When either switch is turned to the on position, voltage will be applied to the appropriate fixture junction box.
As always, if you are in doubt about what to do, the best advice anyone should give you is to call a licensed electrician to advise what work is needed.
Before you do any work yourself,
on electrical circuits, equipment or appliances
always use a test meter to ensure the circuit is, in fact, de-energized.
IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY SURE YOU CAN DO THIS JOB
SAFELY AND COMPETENTLY
REFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.
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Is there a way to wire a 3 way household dimmer switch as a 2 way dimmer switch?
You need a three way switch to control lights from two locations. The name is misleading. Three way switch refers to the connection points on the switch. You can use a three way switch as a single switch as long as you place hot wire on the brass screw and the use any of the other screws for the return hot.
Can a three way switch be changed to a single pole switch with a plate over one of the switch locations?
Yes, If you only hook up two wire it will work as a single pole
How do you hook up one light to one switch in a basement lighting system that has all 10 lights connected to one switch?
If you have good access to the wiring this is relatively easy to do. Each of the 10 lights is connected to another in parallel in a "daisy chain" fashion. Light 1 is connected to the switch, light 2 is connected to light 1, light 3 is connected to light 2 and so forth. Let's say it is light 5 that you wish to switch separately. You can first install the new switch by either adding a new box or modifying old switch box. There are two gang switches that will fit the form factor of a single switch. TURN OFF THE POWER TO SWITCH BOX. Using the same supply input at original switch, add a new black wire to the wire nut for input to original switch and connect this to the input of new switch. Then run a new wire to light 5 and connect black wire to the output of new switch. Connect all the white wires together in switch box and separately connect all bare wires together in switch box. Now at light 5 undo the black and white wire coming from the fixture, and reconnect the wire nuts so that there is a direct connection between light 4 and light 6. Do the same for the ground if present (bare wire). You now have the fixture wires hanging free. Now connect the black wire from new switch to the fixture black wire and white to white and you are done.
Can you use 14-2 wire to operate a ceiling fan using two switches one for the fan the other for the lights?
On these types of installations an electrician would use a three wire cable set from the switch box to the fixture's junction box. At the fixture's junction box both the fan neutral and the light neutral would be wire nutted together with the incoming neutral from the switch boxes. From the three wire, the white wire would go to the fan and light's neutral wires. The Black would come from the bottom of one of the switches and go to the fan's motor lead. The red wire would come from the bottom of the other switch and go to the light fixture's lead. It can be done with two runs of two wire to the fixture. You will need a two gang switch box for this project to hold the two separate switches. You could use a single gang light switch box if you can still find where duplex switches being sold. A duplex switch is one that has the configuration of a duplex receptacle with the switches being one on top of the other. The cover plate is the same one used for duplex receptacles. To answer this question fully more information is needed. See discuss in the left margin.
Why would there be power to ground wire instead of switch and lights Lights stopped working all of the sudden outside?
There will always be voltage to the ground wire, this is normal. The reason being is that the ground wire is bonded to the neutral terminal block back at the distribution panel. If you have a voltage reading to ground at the outside fixture with the switch in the on position then you have an open return neutral wire. This wire should be traced back from the light to the distribution panel. Check ever junction box that the circuit goes through and look for a loose or open white neutral wire. Closing the circuit where you find this fault will correct the problem.
