I'll make this as simple as possible. I wanted to take the light switch on the left (pictured below) and replace it with the one on the right. This switch controls both the light and the fan but they never operated separately and both would come on with the flip of the switch...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v730/ck_503/1.jpg
I started to connect the new switch. Inside the wall, all of the wire, neutral wires are tied together. There are some black wires bundled together too but there's one black wire that is loose from the bundle for attaching to the switch. The copper wires are bundled the same as the black.
This leaves me with 2 black wires, a copper ground wire, and a red wire which I don't know if it's a hot wire or a traveler.
I started to connect it as shown below and have tried many different combos but nothing seems to work. Any suggestions is GREATLY appreciated as I have a wife nagging me to get this done. Please use laymen's terms when describing what I need to do.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v730/ck_503/2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v730/ck_503/3.jpg
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- Bathroom light switch & Exhaust fan wiring installation????
It looks like you have purchased a "special" combo switch.......A Combination 3-way and single-pole switch
The Combo you wanted was TWO single-pole switches.......
You may be able to use what you have....
The Power Feed (Black)is attached to the side with the jumper....your pic 3
The remaining Red and Black return power to the fan/light.....each gets connected to One screw in Pic 2
(On the top three-way switch you'll have to determine which of the two screws to use to get the switch to work.......the other screw will remain empty)
And a comment on workmanship.....don't leave excess bare wire exposed.....clean and tight
"......measure Once.....cut Twice....
throw that one away and cut a new one...."
The Combo you wanted was TWO single-pole switches.......
You may be able to use what you have....
The Power Feed (Black)is attached to the side with the jumper....your pic 3
The remaining Red and Black return power to the fan/light.....each gets connected to One screw in Pic 2
(On the top three-way switch you'll have to determine which of the two screws to use to get the switch to work.......the other screw will remain empty)
And a comment on workmanship.....don't leave excess bare wire exposed.....clean and tight
"......measure Once.....cut Twice....
throw that one away and cut a new one...."
First off, there are 2 black ones...one leads back to a cable that the red wire is coming from so I'm assuming that's the fan's cable. The other black wire runs back to a set of bundled wires which leads back to a cable that has the white neutral wires also bundles on it so I'm assuming that's the hot wire.
I took the hot black wire and attached it to the top "common side" screw of the switch as you said.
I then took the red wire and black wire (which both come from the same cable inside the wall) and attached them both to the top screw on the opposite side of the screw.
It still doesn't come on though.
The ground, copper wire is also attached at the bottom of the switch where needed but I'm wondering if it's not connecting.
There are 3 ground wires bundles together with a wire nut but when I took the nut off, I noticed that they don't twist together like normal wires do because of their thickness. You can see in the pic that they are just pushed together closely when the nut goes on....is that enough to actually help bring current for the ground wire? Do I need to twist them together at the bundle?
I took the hot black wire and attached it to the top "common side" screw of the switch as you said.
I then took the red wire and black wire (which both come from the same cable inside the wall) and attached them both to the top screw on the opposite side of the screw.
It still doesn't come on though.
The ground, copper wire is also attached at the bottom of the switch where needed but I'm wondering if it's not connecting.
There are 3 ground wires bundles together with a wire nut but when I took the nut off, I noticed that they don't twist together like normal wires do because of their thickness. You can see in the pic that they are just pushed together closely when the nut goes on....is that enough to actually help bring current for the ground wire? Do I need to twist them together at the bundle?
It all sounds good until:
""I then took the red wire and black wire (which both come from the same cable inside the wall) and attached them both to the top screw on the opposite side of the screw."" see pic
If YOU have it wired this way and we Ass-U-me everything-else was connected as my post......the fan vs light would alternate ON when the top switch is moved L and R......Fan ON Light OFF/Fan OFF Light ON......Is that what is happening ?
"......measure Once.....cut Twice....
throw that one away and cut a new one...."
""I then took the red wire and black wire (which both come from the same cable inside the wall) and attached them both to the top screw on the opposite side of the screw."" see pic
If YOU have it wired this way and we Ass-U-me everything-else was connected as my post......the fan vs light would alternate ON when the top switch is moved L and R......Fan ON Light OFF/Fan OFF Light ON......Is that what is happening ?
"......measure Once.....cut Twice....
throw that one away and cut a new one...."
no, I have it wired just as shown in the pics above and nothing is happening...not a light flicker nor the sound of the fan working at all.
I'm wondering if it's the copper ground wires like I mentioned above.....
I'm wondering if it's the copper ground wires like I mentioned above.....
Do you have a tester......VOM ?
For NOW....Leave out the switch......just wirenut the two Black wires and the Red and restore the power??????????Talk to us.....
...light and fan should be operating.....
At the moment.....the ground wires are not needed to operate the devices
Your handiwork is extremely sloppy....keep the wires under the screws.....no copper showing.....
This is the bathroom.....does a GFCI feed this ?
"......measure Once.....cut Twice....
throw that one away and cut a new one...."
For NOW....Leave out the switch......just wirenut the two Black wires and the Red and restore the power??????????Talk to us.....
...light and fan should be operating.....
At the moment.....the ground wires are not needed to operate the devices
Your handiwork is extremely sloppy....keep the wires under the screws.....no copper showing.....
This is the bathroom.....does a GFCI feed this ?
"......measure Once.....cut Twice....
throw that one away and cut a new one...."
