[Jeff-in-MN]

Hello- I recently changed out a light switch in my half-bath with something more decorative. I thought I wired it correctly, but now when I turn ON the light in the bath, it turns OFF the lights going down to my basement (as well as an outlet in my front hall). Somehow, turning on that bathroom light is cutting power to these other places.

There are three 14/2 wires coming into the box (2 from the top, 1 from the bottom). I just need to figure out how to wire everything so that I don't cut power anywhere else when this switch is turned on. Should I use a pigtail from the black (and/or the white?) to the switch? The grounds are already tied and pigtailed out to the switch. I don't know the configuration for the blacks and whites, though.

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

--Jeff

 

[Nealtw]

How many wires went to the switch when you took it apart, what colour were they and of coarse you did not take a picture of that?

 

[Jeff-in-MN]

How many wires went to the switch when you took it apart, what colour were they and of coarse you did not take a picture of that?

I actually changed out the switch several months ago. I've known about this issue for a while, but it wasn't enough of an inconvenience to reopen everything (it wasn't a major issue that these other outlets would turn off when someone used the bathroom...it took a couple of months before anyone even realized what was going on).

Given that I have some quarantine time on my hands, I thought I'd finally get around to fixing this. So...unfortunately, I don't have a picture of how it was wired before. I changed out every switch and outlet on my ground level. This is the only one we found that had any kind of issue. I know I didn't connect things back the way they were, but I can't figure out what I did wrong.

There are three 14/2 sets, which is how it always was. I just failed to pay close attention to how the individual wires were connected to the old switch when I changed it out. I have pulled the blacks and whites together for the picture. The grounds were already tied together with a pigtail to the switch.

I did try doing black pigtail and a white pigtail to the switch, but as soon as I flipped the switch, it tripped the breaker. Before I keep messing with it, I figured I'd come here to see if anyone can offer a suggestion. It seems like it should be a straightforward solution, but I'm not finding the answer through Google searches.

--Jeff

 

[Jim Port]

You have one of the blacks transposed. You need to identify the constant hot as well as the black going to the light. The other black will splice to the constant hot along with a pigtail to the switch.

 

[Jeff-in-MN]

Looking at this further, it looks like I bought a 3-way switch, but I only need it to be wired as a single pole. So--here's what I think I need to do:

Twist and cap the whites (don't connect any to the switch).

Connect the hot/source wire to the common terminal, and the hot/fixture wire to the traveler on the same side as the common (leave the other traveler unused). Is there an easy way to figure out which hot is the fixture and which comes from the power source?

Thanks,
Jeff

 

[Nealtw]

Looking at this further, it looks like I bought a 3-way switch, but I only need it to be wired as a single pole. So--here's what I think I need to do:

Twist and cap the whites (don't connect any to the switch).

Connect the hot/source wire to the common terminal, and the hot/fixture wire to the traveler on the same side as the common (leave the other traveler unused). Is there an easy way to figure out which hot is the fixture and which comes from the power source?

Thanks,
Jeff

I would first pull the light and confirm that there is only one cable there and the switch is not a switch leg.

 

[joed]

Take one of the travellers and connect to the common with the wire that is already there using a pigtail.
One of three things will happen. The bathroom light not turn off, nothing will work or it will work as required.
If nothing works then single wire is your power source. Swap it with one of the wires in the pigtail. Then either the bathroom will be switched or the other stuff will.
If the other stuff then you swapped the wrong wire.

 

[Jeff-in-MN]

Thanks, joed; That helped me solve it. Everything now turns on and off like it should!

--Jeff