[mrzeus7]

Hi guys, I'm hoping you can guide me on what to do next with this. We just bought a (new to us) house, and we've seen a couple examples of the last owner not really knowing what they we're doing, and this is one of them that's causing us some trouble. In the bedroom, there are two overhead lights, with two places for switches near the door, except one is empty with no switch. The other usually controls the main overhead light. So we have one light that works fine, the other doesn't even have a switch.

We bought a new switch and when we installed it in the working switch's position (leaving the nonexistent one alone), the overhead light no longer worked at all. Actually, the original connection to the new switch wasn't 100% and we noticed the bathroom light (which was on) would flicker when the new switch was moved a bit.

Now for the setup that the switch was in to begin with. Unfortunately I don't have pictures yet, sorry. But I can describe the configuration - two cords coming in from both the top and the bottom. The black wires on the bottom two were wired together, and all four white wires were wired together. The switch was, and was replaced in, connecting the top two black wires. There aren't any white wires with a black marking to indicate it was hot or anything.

I thought it was strange that the top two black wires were connected, so I swapped the switch so it was connecting the right side top and bottom black wire, and then the old switch was connecting the top and bottom black wires on the left. Unfortunately, this did not work.

Any ideas? I'll get pictures as soon as I can, but my phone is having issues with the camera right now.

EDIT: Diagram below. Red "X"s are for connection points.

 

[joed]

I would expect that one of the switch connections should be to the two blacks at the bottom.
Where does the second cable on the top right go?

 

[ER2]

Hi guys, I'm hoping you can guide me on what to do next with this. We just bought a (new to us) house, and we've seen a couple examples of the last owner not really knowing what they we're doing, and this is one of them that's causing us some trouble. In the bedroom, there are two overhead lights, with two places for switches near the door, except one is empty with no switch. The other usually controls the main overhead light. So we have one light that works fine, the other doesn't even have a switch.

We bought a new switch and when we installed it in the working switch's position (leaving the nonexistent one alone), the overhead light no longer worked at all. Actually, the original connection to the new switch wasn't 100% and we noticed the bathroom light (which was on) would flicker when the new switch was moved a bit.

Now for the setup that the switch was in to begin with. Unfortunately I don't have pictures yet, sorry. But I can describe the configuration - two cords coming in from both the top and the bottom. The black wires on the bottom two were wired together, and all four white wires were wired together. The switch was, and was replaced in, connecting the top two black wires. There aren't any white wires with a black marking to indicate it was hot or anything.

I thought it was strange that the top two black wires were connected, so I swapped the switch so it was connecting the right side top and bottom black wire, and then the old switch was connecting the top and bottom black wires on the left. Unfortunately, this did not work.

Any ideas? I'll get pictures as soon as I can, but my phone is having issues with the camera right now.

EDIT: Diagram below. Red "X"s are for connection points.

It's good you tried to make a drawing but where is the main feed? Somewhere there is a "cable" with a hot, neutral, and ground that goes back to the panel. That's the first thing you need to know.

 

[dmxtothemax]

With the limited information,
we have. My first thought is
It does not look right. It appears
there is no main hot feed to the switchs.
Do you have a tester.
If so test the two blacks
at the bottom, is it live all
the time ?
Does everything else on
that same circuit still work ?