Install 2 way light switch

It is very important to connect the ground wire to the switch as well. The Green screw on the 2-way switch is for the ground so all ground wires should be connected as seen below.

All ground wires bare copper are all now connected incoming ground, load ground and switch ground. This makes for a safe protected circuit by having all grounds intact. So what have we accomplished. By wiring a 2-way switch, The circuit below shows the basic concept of electricity flow to the load.

Let's assume the load you are controlling is a light. The electricity flows from the hot wire black through the 2-way switch shown in off position and then to the light and returns through the neutral wire white. This is a completed circuit. Now by understanding the diagram above, go up to the top diagram and by using the concept shown here, just use your mouse pointer on that diagram and follow the flow from black wire hot wire to the load and return through the white wire neutral.

This should give you a good basic understanding how the 2-way switch circuit works and will help you in adding or changing a 2-way switch. So now that you have a basic concept of wiring a 2-way switch, let's look at the following 2-way switch diagrams to see which type of circuit scenario you have. After you have pulled your switch out from the wall, the wires in the box and connecting to the switch should look like one of the following.

How To Wire It. Got a friend, client, or colleague who could use some of this information? Please share this article. This is my personal experience as someone who searched for a job in this field and as an employer who reviews resumes and interviews candidates for a variety of projects.

It would be difficult to walk through any industrial or food processing plant or manufacturing facility without seeing a pressure gauge of some Learn how to program PLCs, install and wire industrial devices, and at the same time purchase them online. SPDT switches. Before we get started, we need to introduce you to some switch terms. A SPDT switch has 3 terminals.

It will have one terminal in and 2 terminals out. Two way switching Circuit. Staircase lighting circuit. Back we go to our stairwell lighting circuit. Wiring in the EU and North America. In this article, we will be referring to North America cables and wire colors.

Power cable wiring. The actual circuit wiring is a bit of a challenge for 2 reasons. We will explore a wiring circuit where: — The power enters at the Down Switch — There is a cable that runs between the 2 switches — And another cable that runs from the Up Switch to the light. All cables are hidden behind the wall and above the ceiling. Earth ground wiring. OK…here we go…Each device will be contained in an electrical box in the wall and ceiling. As we said earlier, the electrical power enters through the Down Switch electrical box.

SPDT switch wiring. The electrical power black wire connects to the Down Switch common terminal. Flow of Electricity in a two way switching circuit.

The RealPars Team. Search for:. By Ted Mortenson. Automation Engineer. Posted on Nov 30th, Checkout your email. Have questions? Sign in. Contact Us. All rights reserved.