Bill was kind enuf to offer a suggestion of a universal style unit to connect to the neutral (which is missing from the light switch for some reason). any way to just hook up an inductive light switch to the two black wires I curerntly have??

Look in the box, behind the switch. Unless you're living in a building wired with conduit, or knob & tube wiring, there should be a pair of white wires joined together and shoved into the box. Likewise, the ground wire should be one of two (or more) joined in the box.

Added: By the way, the neutral is never connected to normal switches, the main exception being switches that contain indicator lights.

Larry
www.fineelectricco.com

This message was edited by Larry Fine on 06/18/02 01:25.56.

Hey tester why not try to identify the hot and neutral b4 you install any switch ? just a suggestion.

Whats the easy way to do that??

Open your box at the light and the switch ,TURN OFF THE BREAKER, The wire that goes directly to the light should be hot the one that goes to the switch should be neutral. I say should be but who knows. You might need to check your panel. Do you know how to use a volt/ohm meter ?
And Larry from your below post , ummm this is x-10 chat isn't it ? lol

This message was edited by kabster on 06/19/02 19:41.40.

NO! NO! NO!

The neutral is NEVER connected to a (non-X-10) switch!!! (Again, except for switches that contain lights, etc.)

One of the wires that hits the switch is constantly hot, and the other is the switched hot, or 'return leg'. The neutral is connected directly to the load. All of the switching is done in the hot wire.

As for colors, normally, any wire that is white is assumed to be the neutral, with the following exceptions:

When a 220v. load (such as a water heater) which does not need a neutral is fed using a cable (black, white, bare), the white can be used as a hot wire, but should be re-colored non-white, with tape, paint, premanent marker, etc.

(A 220v. load that does need a neutral (such as a dryer), there will be a red (or another black, or anything other than white) wire to be used as the second hot wire, freeing the white to be used as the neutral)

When a single cable is used to feed a switch, (where the wiring is run to the load first), the white wire will be the one feeding the switch, and the black used as the return leg. (This is done so there will not be two white wires attached to the load). The white wire does not have to be re-colored here)

These exceptions are allowed because cables are always manufactured with one white wire. Of course, with conduit, where you can pick the colors you use, white will only be used as the neutral, no exceptions.

If there is a neutral already in the switch box, there will be two (or more) white wires connected to each other, but no whites to the switch. This is the neutral you're looking for.

If there is not, then you will have to run a new cable to the switch box from another box somewhere on the same circuit! Use a whole cable, not a single wire, even if you won't be using the black for anything.

Larry
www.fineelectricco.com



This message was edited by Larry Fine on 06/18/02 14:39.32.

i'll take a look, i am going to gess that there is a white wire in the box as you suggest. i will [email protected]

hey what do you know, there was a white wire bumdled in the box and the switch hooked up fine. it does buzz but if I dim a little it kind of goes away. is that really normal?

Yes, it varies from nothing to unbearable with no particular pattern or brand of fan working better than others. Glad those worked out, now who was that company that told you that these wouldn’t work at all.

Bill
www.homeautomationnet.com

I dont think its fair if I mention the name, i did a search for the model number on google and spoke with a few different retailers. for the record, bill was absolutely by far and away the most responsive and most helpful. and cheapest. and who I bought from!