Understanding Switch Legs | Ask This Old House

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In this video, master electrician Heath Eastman explains a common issue he finds in many folks’ homes, and how he fixes it. SUBSCRIBE to This Old House: http://bit.ly/SubscribeThisOldHouse. Kevin meets master electrician Heath Eastman for a lesson on switch legs. Heath explains that many homeowners have a switch in their home that doesn’t appear to control anything. Heath tells us that, in many cases, these phantom switches are actually intended to control an outlet, but that renovation and repairs along the way could be the cause of the missing functionality. Switches to Nowhere Many folks have a switch on the wall somewhere in their house that appears to go nowhere. It doesn’t seem to activate a light, and nothing seems to turn on or off with a flip. Often, this switch is wired to an outlet, and the homeowner doesn’t realize it. Switches can control entire outlets (top and bottom), or individual receptacles (top or bottom). When wired incorrectly, both outlets might have constant power at all times—even with the switch installed. Switch and outlet wiring can be tricky When wiring a switch to just one outlet, there are some minor details to pay attention to. To wire the switch correctly, the power typically enters the receptacle first. The neutral wire will attach directly to the outlet, while the hot wire will be split. With a wire nut, the hot wire will splice back to one receptacle, but another wire tied into the same wire nut runs to a switch. A wire then runs back

Published 2022-02-12 · Watch on YouTube ↗
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