[bhollehday]

I removed a switch and an plug outlet from two seperate lines. I thought I put the switch and the outlet back on the same line but when i went to turn the switch on it buzzed and then popped the breaker. Ended up frying that one as it would turn back on so i replaced the breaker. The switch goes to garbage disposal, when i test continuity on each wire they all show as 0-.1 range, when i test voltage i get 120 at both lines at the box. Nothing else changed so i must have hooked them up back wards, but im confused by the reading. Shouldnt the switch just be a hot loop so if you tested both wires it wouldnt be 120 until you hit a neutral, or is it completing the circuit through the disposal?

Im going to hope for a quick response before i try anything else, id like to understand whats going on and what the reading should be. Thanks!

 

[joed]

Some how you connected the switch across the hot and neutral wires. You need to tell us how you connected if you want us to help figure out the issue.
Did you make any other changes at the disposal etc.?

 

[bhollehday]

Nothing changed besides pulling a plug and switch off two wires, and possibly crossing them or hooking them up backwards.

There's two wires going to the disposal hot and neutral and that goes into the wall and connects somewhere in the wall to the line incoming in, then goes to the box and switch. The incoming line also then goes to the box then to the plug.

Does that help?

 

[joed]

So the only two boxes you worked in were the receptacle and switch?
There is only two wires, black and white on the receptacle?
What colour are the two wires on the switch?

 

[bhollehday]

So the only two boxes you worked in were the receptacle and switch?
There is only two wires, black and white on the receptacle?
What colour are the two wires on the switch?

Each plug has black and white and disposal also has black and white. Is it a possibility the switch went bad, or that the garbage disposal is jammed and surging? It has a breaker built in though that doesnt pop. When I flipped the switch it buzzed loud. No smoke no sparks visible. I tried turning it on again and a light on the same ciruit dimmed like big current draw. Its a 20amp line and has 15amp switch. Plug is Gfci.

If I connect the line in to the switch it would short the circuit and pop a breaker right? If I connect a hot loop to the plug nothing happens right? Maybe I should just put the switch on the other line and see what happens?

 

[circuitman]

if you have only two lines in the box, one is the feed & then the other goes to the disposal. then the line would go to the line side of the GFCI then you would use a short pigtail off the load side of the GFCI. the black off the recep, would go to the switch, then the black from the disposal would go to the other side of the switch. then you would use a white pigtail to tie the disposal white. then all should work. keep us posted!:biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2:

 

[joed]

We need to know exactly what wires on on where. Now you are talking about two plugs. Is that two receptacles or two plugs on one receptacle? Do you still have the old receptacle? Take a close look at the gold screw side. Is the tab cut between the two screws?
Does the disposal plug into one of the plugs or is it wired direct?

 

[bhollehday]

I guess my main question is without knowing where the connection between the line in and the disposal is, (Since its inside the wall) how could I test the wires to see which one is which? I thought a continuity test would show it but it just shows that both lines at the switch box is common with the disposal wires. I thought that if i test voltage one wouldnt show 120V since its just a hot loop to the switch, but they both show 120v? Its looking like it will boil down to trial and error unless there is another method I dont know.

 

[joed]

Connections are not allowed to be inside walls. They must be made in junctions boxes that are accessible.

If both lines are hot at the switch then you could have a wiring problem at the disposal. Until you tell all the wiring connections in all the boxes we can't help. We can't see what you have from here.

 

[bhollehday]

Connections are not allowed to be inside walls. They must be made in junctions boxes that are accessible.

If both lines are hot at the switch then you could have a wiring problem at the disposal. Until you tell all the wiring connections in all the boxes we can't help. We can't see what you have from here.

So it looks like my thinking is correct. If I have the line connected at the disposal still both lines at the box show 120V, so the line going to the disposal must be completing the circuit through the disposal and showing me 120V. If I disconnect the line at the disposal, one line at the box shows 120, the other shows 40v. So the one showing 40V is the one going to the disposal, and it looks like I had the switch on the wrong line. Can we agree with this? Ill wait for a reply before putting the switch on the other line and trying that out. That would make sense though as i had an uninterrupted line going to a switch and when id throw the switch it would short the line.

Theres a junction box under the sink but i put drywall up over it. Thats where the connection is.

 

[bhollehday]

Bingo!! That did the trick. Thanks guys.

 

[joed]

Theres a junction box under the sink but i put drywall up over it. Thats where the connection is.

Huge code violation. You should have left the box open and put a cover over it. Now if anything goes wrong in that box you will never be able to get to it. And the next guy who goes to work on it will go nuts trying to find a connection that he needs access to.