Why neutral wire connected to load wire?
I opened switch box in the basement that has two switches: one for basement and other 3way switch for stairs. I wonder why white wire thet usually neutral connected to black wire that goes to another connection woth load wire.
electrical wiring switch wire
New contributor
add a comment |
I opened switch box in the basement that has two switches: one for basement and other 3way switch for stairs. I wonder why white wire thet usually neutral connected to black wire that goes to another connection woth load wire.
electrical wiring switch wire
New contributor
1
It's not neutral. Neutral wires must be white, but not the other way round. A white wire can be hot if it's in cable. If a wire-nutted group has even one non-white wire, the non-white wire is a hot, which means so are the white wires.
– Harper
3 hours ago
add a comment |
I opened switch box in the basement that has two switches: one for basement and other 3way switch for stairs. I wonder why white wire thet usually neutral connected to black wire that goes to another connection woth load wire.
electrical wiring switch wire
New contributor
I opened switch box in the basement that has two switches: one for basement and other 3way switch for stairs. I wonder why white wire thet usually neutral connected to black wire that goes to another connection woth load wire.
electrical wiring switch wire
electrical wiring switch wire
New contributor
New contributor
New contributor
asked 3 hours ago
Jenny
61
61
New contributor
New contributor
1
It's not neutral. Neutral wires must be white, but not the other way round. A white wire can be hot if it's in cable. If a wire-nutted group has even one non-white wire, the non-white wire is a hot, which means so are the white wires.
– Harper
3 hours ago
add a comment |
1
It's not neutral. Neutral wires must be white, but not the other way round. A white wire can be hot if it's in cable. If a wire-nutted group has even one non-white wire, the non-white wire is a hot, which means so are the white wires.
– Harper
3 hours ago
1
1
It's not neutral. Neutral wires must be white, but not the other way round. A white wire can be hot if it's in cable. If a wire-nutted group has even one non-white wire, the non-white wire is a hot, which means so are the white wires.
– Harper
3 hours ago
It's not neutral. Neutral wires must be white, but not the other way round. A white wire can be hot if it's in cable. If a wire-nutted group has even one non-white wire, the non-white wire is a hot, which means so are the white wires.
– Harper
3 hours ago
add a comment |
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
It's not neutral. Neutral wires must be white, but not the other way round. A white wire can be hot if it's in cable.
So think about the meaning of this. If you see a bundle wire-nutted together, and even one wire is non-white, what does it mean about the whites in that bundle? It means they cannot possibly be neutral. They are hot.
"Hot" includes always-hot, switched-hot and 3-way travelers.
Here is how a 3-way switch works, electrically. The physical positions may change, and the colors will alway change, but electrically if you unwrap it, it looks like this everytime.
... That wasn't so bad, was it? I love this drawing because it makes sense. Current travels in loops, and you can see very quickly what's really going on. Eother the switches line up, or they don't.
Of course, when you turn your gaze to the morass in that electrical box, not so pretty.
It can be prettier. They make colored electrical tape, a 5-pack for $4. And I recommend re-marking wires in the box, particularly travelers, using that tape. First rule of tape marking: mark both ends of the wire the same. It really makes life easier, and it's one of the easiest things a less experienced person can do to make comprehension easier and reduce mistakes. I'm a stickler for it just because I don't have time to puzzle out wire functions everytime I open a box.
It is now the law that you must mark white wires black or a color when you make them a hot.
So identify both travelers on both 3-way switches and mark them with yellow tape. On a 3-way switch, the travelers are on the brass screws.. That is the key to wiring a 3-way switch. Every switch jumbles around the positions, but the screw colors are true.
This white goes to another black from 2-way switch, Not 3-way. white + black in box connected together and another black from there goes to regular two way switch. On 3-way switch everything is fine. My concern is about 2-way switch beside it. Why does it have white at all?
– Jenny
57 mins ago
If you see on second photo. There are green, two black and one white wires on 2-way switch. Green goes to the box, white to bunch of white wires, one black goes to the black from box, but another black goes to orange cup that attached with black wire to another orange cup - in it I see one additional black and one white wires together. This confused me.
– Jenny
51 mins ago
Thanks. That is right for the 3-way switch. But I also have 2-way switch there.
– Jenny
49 mins ago
add a comment |
That junction of two blacks and the white is where power comes into the box at
What we see in your photos at that junction is a black wire coming in from a cable, that feeds two wires. One of them is a black pigtail to the single pole switch on the left, while the other is the white wire you are asking about. Following this white wire takes us to a different cable, and if you look at the black and red wires from that cable, where do they go? To the brass screws on your 3 way switch! Therefore, that white wire is not a neutral at all, but the always-hot going out to the other 3-way switch in that complex, which has been wired as a switch loop from this box. (The other black wire off the 3-way is the switched-hot that goes into the middle cable and off to the fixture from there, while the center and left whites in the first photo are neutrals, connected to each other and the smart-switch.)
I would wrap that white wire from the far-right cable with black electrical tape (with the breaker off, of course!) to avoid future confusion.
thanks for explanation. appreciate your help.
– Jenny
30 mins ago
@Jenny -- we thank people around here by upvoting and/or accepting their answers :)
– ThreePhaseEel
26 mins ago
add a comment |
Your Answer
StackExchange.ready(function() {
var channelOptions = {
tags: "".split(" "),
id: "73"
};
initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);
StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
// Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
createEditor();
});
}
else {
createEditor();
}
});
function createEditor() {
StackExchange.prepareEditor({
heartbeatType: 'answer',
autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
convertImagesToLinks: false,
noModals: true,
showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
reputationToPostImages: null,
bindNavPrevention: true,
postfix: "",
imageUploader: {
brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
allowUrls: true
},
noCode: true, onDemand: true,
discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
});
}
});
Jenny is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fdiy.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f153596%2fwhy-neutral-wire-connected-to-load-wire%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
It's not neutral. Neutral wires must be white, but not the other way round. A white wire can be hot if it's in cable.
So think about the meaning of this. If you see a bundle wire-nutted together, and even one wire is non-white, what does it mean about the whites in that bundle? It means they cannot possibly be neutral. They are hot.
"Hot" includes always-hot, switched-hot and 3-way travelers.
Here is how a 3-way switch works, electrically. The physical positions may change, and the colors will alway change, but electrically if you unwrap it, it looks like this everytime.
... That wasn't so bad, was it? I love this drawing because it makes sense. Current travels in loops, and you can see very quickly what's really going on. Eother the switches line up, or they don't.
Of course, when you turn your gaze to the morass in that electrical box, not so pretty.
It can be prettier. They make colored electrical tape, a 5-pack for $4. And I recommend re-marking wires in the box, particularly travelers, using that tape. First rule of tape marking: mark both ends of the wire the same. It really makes life easier, and it's one of the easiest things a less experienced person can do to make comprehension easier and reduce mistakes. I'm a stickler for it just because I don't have time to puzzle out wire functions everytime I open a box.
It is now the law that you must mark white wires black or a color when you make them a hot.
So identify both travelers on both 3-way switches and mark them with yellow tape. On a 3-way switch, the travelers are on the brass screws.. That is the key to wiring a 3-way switch. Every switch jumbles around the positions, but the screw colors are true.
This white goes to another black from 2-way switch, Not 3-way. white + black in box connected together and another black from there goes to regular two way switch. On 3-way switch everything is fine. My concern is about 2-way switch beside it. Why does it have white at all?
– Jenny
57 mins ago
If you see on second photo. There are green, two black and one white wires on 2-way switch. Green goes to the box, white to bunch of white wires, one black goes to the black from box, but another black goes to orange cup that attached with black wire to another orange cup - in it I see one additional black and one white wires together. This confused me.
– Jenny
51 mins ago
Thanks. That is right for the 3-way switch. But I also have 2-way switch there.
– Jenny
49 mins ago
add a comment |
It's not neutral. Neutral wires must be white, but not the other way round. A white wire can be hot if it's in cable.
So think about the meaning of this. If you see a bundle wire-nutted together, and even one wire is non-white, what does it mean about the whites in that bundle? It means they cannot possibly be neutral. They are hot.
"Hot" includes always-hot, switched-hot and 3-way travelers.
Here is how a 3-way switch works, electrically. The physical positions may change, and the colors will alway change, but electrically if you unwrap it, it looks like this everytime.
... That wasn't so bad, was it? I love this drawing because it makes sense. Current travels in loops, and you can see very quickly what's really going on. Eother the switches line up, or they don't.
Of course, when you turn your gaze to the morass in that electrical box, not so pretty.
It can be prettier. They make colored electrical tape, a 5-pack for $4. And I recommend re-marking wires in the box, particularly travelers, using that tape. First rule of tape marking: mark both ends of the wire the same. It really makes life easier, and it's one of the easiest things a less experienced person can do to make comprehension easier and reduce mistakes. I'm a stickler for it just because I don't have time to puzzle out wire functions everytime I open a box.
It is now the law that you must mark white wires black or a color when you make them a hot.
So identify both travelers on both 3-way switches and mark them with yellow tape. On a 3-way switch, the travelers are on the brass screws.. That is the key to wiring a 3-way switch. Every switch jumbles around the positions, but the screw colors are true.
This white goes to another black from 2-way switch, Not 3-way. white + black in box connected together and another black from there goes to regular two way switch. On 3-way switch everything is fine. My concern is about 2-way switch beside it. Why does it have white at all?
– Jenny
57 mins ago
If you see on second photo. There are green, two black and one white wires on 2-way switch. Green goes to the box, white to bunch of white wires, one black goes to the black from box, but another black goes to orange cup that attached with black wire to another orange cup - in it I see one additional black and one white wires together. This confused me.
– Jenny
51 mins ago
Thanks. That is right for the 3-way switch. But I also have 2-way switch there.
– Jenny
49 mins ago
add a comment |
It's not neutral. Neutral wires must be white, but not the other way round. A white wire can be hot if it's in cable.
So think about the meaning of this. If you see a bundle wire-nutted together, and even one wire is non-white, what does it mean about the whites in that bundle? It means they cannot possibly be neutral. They are hot.
"Hot" includes always-hot, switched-hot and 3-way travelers.
Here is how a 3-way switch works, electrically. The physical positions may change, and the colors will alway change, but electrically if you unwrap it, it looks like this everytime.
... That wasn't so bad, was it? I love this drawing because it makes sense. Current travels in loops, and you can see very quickly what's really going on. Eother the switches line up, or they don't.
Of course, when you turn your gaze to the morass in that electrical box, not so pretty.
It can be prettier. They make colored electrical tape, a 5-pack for $4. And I recommend re-marking wires in the box, particularly travelers, using that tape. First rule of tape marking: mark both ends of the wire the same. It really makes life easier, and it's one of the easiest things a less experienced person can do to make comprehension easier and reduce mistakes. I'm a stickler for it just because I don't have time to puzzle out wire functions everytime I open a box.
It is now the law that you must mark white wires black or a color when you make them a hot.
So identify both travelers on both 3-way switches and mark them with yellow tape. On a 3-way switch, the travelers are on the brass screws.. That is the key to wiring a 3-way switch. Every switch jumbles around the positions, but the screw colors are true.
It's not neutral. Neutral wires must be white, but not the other way round. A white wire can be hot if it's in cable.
So think about the meaning of this. If you see a bundle wire-nutted together, and even one wire is non-white, what does it mean about the whites in that bundle? It means they cannot possibly be neutral. They are hot.
"Hot" includes always-hot, switched-hot and 3-way travelers.
Here is how a 3-way switch works, electrically. The physical positions may change, and the colors will alway change, but electrically if you unwrap it, it looks like this everytime.
... That wasn't so bad, was it? I love this drawing because it makes sense. Current travels in loops, and you can see very quickly what's really going on. Eother the switches line up, or they don't.
Of course, when you turn your gaze to the morass in that electrical box, not so pretty.
It can be prettier. They make colored electrical tape, a 5-pack for $4. And I recommend re-marking wires in the box, particularly travelers, using that tape. First rule of tape marking: mark both ends of the wire the same. It really makes life easier, and it's one of the easiest things a less experienced person can do to make comprehension easier and reduce mistakes. I'm a stickler for it just because I don't have time to puzzle out wire functions everytime I open a box.
It is now the law that you must mark white wires black or a color when you make them a hot.
So identify both travelers on both 3-way switches and mark them with yellow tape. On a 3-way switch, the travelers are on the brass screws.. That is the key to wiring a 3-way switch. Every switch jumbles around the positions, but the screw colors are true.
answered 2 hours ago
Harper
65k341133
65k341133
This white goes to another black from 2-way switch, Not 3-way. white + black in box connected together and another black from there goes to regular two way switch. On 3-way switch everything is fine. My concern is about 2-way switch beside it. Why does it have white at all?
– Jenny
57 mins ago
If you see on second photo. There are green, two black and one white wires on 2-way switch. Green goes to the box, white to bunch of white wires, one black goes to the black from box, but another black goes to orange cup that attached with black wire to another orange cup - in it I see one additional black and one white wires together. This confused me.
– Jenny
51 mins ago
Thanks. That is right for the 3-way switch. But I also have 2-way switch there.
– Jenny
49 mins ago
add a comment |
This white goes to another black from 2-way switch, Not 3-way. white + black in box connected together and another black from there goes to regular two way switch. On 3-way switch everything is fine. My concern is about 2-way switch beside it. Why does it have white at all?
– Jenny
57 mins ago
If you see on second photo. There are green, two black and one white wires on 2-way switch. Green goes to the box, white to bunch of white wires, one black goes to the black from box, but another black goes to orange cup that attached with black wire to another orange cup - in it I see one additional black and one white wires together. This confused me.
– Jenny
51 mins ago
Thanks. That is right for the 3-way switch. But I also have 2-way switch there.
– Jenny
49 mins ago
This white goes to another black from 2-way switch, Not 3-way. white + black in box connected together and another black from there goes to regular two way switch. On 3-way switch everything is fine. My concern is about 2-way switch beside it. Why does it have white at all?
– Jenny
57 mins ago
This white goes to another black from 2-way switch, Not 3-way. white + black in box connected together and another black from there goes to regular two way switch. On 3-way switch everything is fine. My concern is about 2-way switch beside it. Why does it have white at all?
– Jenny
57 mins ago
If you see on second photo. There are green, two black and one white wires on 2-way switch. Green goes to the box, white to bunch of white wires, one black goes to the black from box, but another black goes to orange cup that attached with black wire to another orange cup - in it I see one additional black and one white wires together. This confused me.
– Jenny
51 mins ago
If you see on second photo. There are green, two black and one white wires on 2-way switch. Green goes to the box, white to bunch of white wires, one black goes to the black from box, but another black goes to orange cup that attached with black wire to another orange cup - in it I see one additional black and one white wires together. This confused me.
– Jenny
51 mins ago
Thanks. That is right for the 3-way switch. But I also have 2-way switch there.
– Jenny
49 mins ago
Thanks. That is right for the 3-way switch. But I also have 2-way switch there.
– Jenny
49 mins ago
add a comment |
That junction of two blacks and the white is where power comes into the box at
What we see in your photos at that junction is a black wire coming in from a cable, that feeds two wires. One of them is a black pigtail to the single pole switch on the left, while the other is the white wire you are asking about. Following this white wire takes us to a different cable, and if you look at the black and red wires from that cable, where do they go? To the brass screws on your 3 way switch! Therefore, that white wire is not a neutral at all, but the always-hot going out to the other 3-way switch in that complex, which has been wired as a switch loop from this box. (The other black wire off the 3-way is the switched-hot that goes into the middle cable and off to the fixture from there, while the center and left whites in the first photo are neutrals, connected to each other and the smart-switch.)
I would wrap that white wire from the far-right cable with black electrical tape (with the breaker off, of course!) to avoid future confusion.
thanks for explanation. appreciate your help.
– Jenny
30 mins ago
@Jenny -- we thank people around here by upvoting and/or accepting their answers :)
– ThreePhaseEel
26 mins ago
add a comment |
That junction of two blacks and the white is where power comes into the box at
What we see in your photos at that junction is a black wire coming in from a cable, that feeds two wires. One of them is a black pigtail to the single pole switch on the left, while the other is the white wire you are asking about. Following this white wire takes us to a different cable, and if you look at the black and red wires from that cable, where do they go? To the brass screws on your 3 way switch! Therefore, that white wire is not a neutral at all, but the always-hot going out to the other 3-way switch in that complex, which has been wired as a switch loop from this box. (The other black wire off the 3-way is the switched-hot that goes into the middle cable and off to the fixture from there, while the center and left whites in the first photo are neutrals, connected to each other and the smart-switch.)
I would wrap that white wire from the far-right cable with black electrical tape (with the breaker off, of course!) to avoid future confusion.
thanks for explanation. appreciate your help.
– Jenny
30 mins ago
@Jenny -- we thank people around here by upvoting and/or accepting their answers :)
– ThreePhaseEel
26 mins ago
add a comment |
That junction of two blacks and the white is where power comes into the box at
What we see in your photos at that junction is a black wire coming in from a cable, that feeds two wires. One of them is a black pigtail to the single pole switch on the left, while the other is the white wire you are asking about. Following this white wire takes us to a different cable, and if you look at the black and red wires from that cable, where do they go? To the brass screws on your 3 way switch! Therefore, that white wire is not a neutral at all, but the always-hot going out to the other 3-way switch in that complex, which has been wired as a switch loop from this box. (The other black wire off the 3-way is the switched-hot that goes into the middle cable and off to the fixture from there, while the center and left whites in the first photo are neutrals, connected to each other and the smart-switch.)
I would wrap that white wire from the far-right cable with black electrical tape (with the breaker off, of course!) to avoid future confusion.
That junction of two blacks and the white is where power comes into the box at
What we see in your photos at that junction is a black wire coming in from a cable, that feeds two wires. One of them is a black pigtail to the single pole switch on the left, while the other is the white wire you are asking about. Following this white wire takes us to a different cable, and if you look at the black and red wires from that cable, where do they go? To the brass screws on your 3 way switch! Therefore, that white wire is not a neutral at all, but the always-hot going out to the other 3-way switch in that complex, which has been wired as a switch loop from this box. (The other black wire off the 3-way is the switched-hot that goes into the middle cable and off to the fixture from there, while the center and left whites in the first photo are neutrals, connected to each other and the smart-switch.)
I would wrap that white wire from the far-right cable with black electrical tape (with the breaker off, of course!) to avoid future confusion.
answered 48 mins ago
ThreePhaseEel
30k104590
30k104590
thanks for explanation. appreciate your help.
– Jenny
30 mins ago
@Jenny -- we thank people around here by upvoting and/or accepting their answers :)
– ThreePhaseEel
26 mins ago
add a comment |
thanks for explanation. appreciate your help.
– Jenny
30 mins ago
@Jenny -- we thank people around here by upvoting and/or accepting their answers :)
– ThreePhaseEel
26 mins ago
thanks for explanation. appreciate your help.
– Jenny
30 mins ago
thanks for explanation. appreciate your help.
– Jenny
30 mins ago
@Jenny -- we thank people around here by upvoting and/or accepting their answers :)
– ThreePhaseEel
26 mins ago
@Jenny -- we thank people around here by upvoting and/or accepting their answers :)
– ThreePhaseEel
26 mins ago
add a comment |
Jenny is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Jenny is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Jenny is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Jenny is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Thanks for contributing an answer to Home Improvement Stack Exchange!
- Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!
But avoid …
- Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.
- Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.
To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.
Some of your past answers have not been well-received, and you're in danger of being blocked from answering.
Please pay close attention to the following guidance:
- Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!
But avoid …
- Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.
- Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.
To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fdiy.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f153596%2fwhy-neutral-wire-connected-to-load-wire%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
1
It's not neutral. Neutral wires must be white, but not the other way round. A white wire can be hot if it's in cable. If a wire-nutted group has even one non-white wire, the non-white wire is a hot, which means so are the white wires.
– Harper
3 hours ago