I got a switch problem

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Camfantasy said:
This. Open the switch up and tell us what color screws are on the sides of the switch other than the green one.

Two brass colored is a single pole switch and is the wrong one. Two brass and a black is a three way.
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He is going to electrocute himself...
 
fishinabarrel said:
He is going to electrocute himself...
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no no no

I learned last time I was replacing switches in the kitchen recently and bought me an idiot stick!

also I have a volt meter to check if any wires are hot in there.

I'm pretty good at this stuff.
 
ill said:
no no no

I learned last time I was replacing switches in the kitchen recently and bought me an idiot stick!

also I have a volt meter to check if any wires are hot in there.

I'm pretty good at this stuff.
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I was installing a sump pump at my old house and had everything done except basically wiring it in. Came home after work with the new pump and start wiring and shock the bajeezus outta myself. Mind you this is a brand new circuit that I installed at my own house for this thing so I'm pretty pissed and confused as to why it got turned on.

Turns out my FIL tripped a breaker working out in the garage and came in and turned my new circuit on as well.

Macaulay Culkin Christmas Movies GIF by filmeditor
 
fishinabarrel said:
I was installing a sump pump at my old house and had everything done except basically wiring it in. Came home after work with the new pump and start wiring and shock the bajeezus outta myself. Mind you this is a brand new circuit that I installed at my own house for this thing so I'm pretty pissed and confused as to why it got turned on.

Turns out my FIL tripped a breaker working out in the garage and came in and turned my new circuit on as well.

Macaulay Culkin Christmas Movies GIF by filmeditor
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I am still relatively new to working on electrical components around the house, but I have only gotten little zings from not having the right breaker turned off when replacing light switches and dimmers...thus the idiot stick
 
ill said:
I am still relatively new to working on electrical components around the house, but I have only gotten little zings from not having the right breaker turned off when replacing light switches and dimmers...thus the idiot stick
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Work in HVAC so I work around electrical plenty and never got hit anywhere close to as bad as i did that time. Hopefully if they only installed two single pole switches there is still a traveler wire, otherwise you could be stuck trying to get another wire between the two switches
 
Peter Gozintite said:
I bet they used normal "single pole" light switches. Youre going to need 3way switches. I bet there is a wire in there that is just capped off. That capped wire is typically a "carry" or "travel" wire that sends power to the opposing switch, when turning the light off at the other.

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This is what wound up being the problem in my house. The assholes who last installed the switches just bought the normal switches and capped the wires.

Me and FIL had been prepared to run new wires, and all it took was a trip to the store and like $3. Wifey and MIL had gone out, and expected to come back to find us still working on wiring, and we were just sitting on the couch drinking beer.
 
Have a three switch plate in the kitchen. No idea what the middle switch does. But if it’s not “on” you can’t turn on the lights in the breezeway.

Im not gonna fuck with it.
 
broncosmitty said:
Have a three switch plate in the kitchen. No idea what the middle switch does. But if it’s not “on” you can’t turn on the lights in the breezeway.

Im not gonna fuck with it.
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Probably the same issue.
 
Peter Gozintite said:
He's fucking lazy
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the lights turn on and off from the main switch where I enter the kitchen, I am really in no rush to fix this one, to be honest.

but it's still a problem
 
I pride myself on being a jack of all trades in that I have experience working on a lot of things and am mechanically inclined so I can also learn new things quickly. This has served me well throughout my life as I was able to do many things for myself without the need to pay someone else to do it.

But one thing I've never been comfortable doing is electrical work. Electricity is something I just can't wrap my mind around enough to trust it. Oh I know all the safeguards and the need to disconnect the breakers on the circuits you are working on and all that.

I've gotten "grabbed" by electricity before to the point I just knew it was over....until someone came by and "knocked me loose" from electricity's death grab. If any of y'all know what I'm talking about, you know what it's like.

When it "grabs" you...there is no letting go. You have to be knocked, pushed, tackled or something to get you loose.


Took one time for me to realize I don't know enough about electricity to ever fuck with it again. I may change a lightbulb. If the work requires removing an electrical cover, it's a job for someone else.
 
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