You would think installing a switch in your home would be a simple task but with today's homes getting larger and larger this may not be as simple as you think. The first thing you need to do is find out what type of switch you need to buy. There are 3 basic kinds of switches in your home, a single pole switch, a three way switch, and a four way switch.
Single Pole Switch
If you have any questions please ask in the comment link below, I will answer them to the best of my ability, also if you have future projects that you would like step by step instructions please post in the comment box I will usually answer the same day.
A single pole switch is a switch which operates a light from a single location. These by far are the easiest to replace. A little trick electricians use to identify these switches without even taking anything apart is to see if the switch says "on" or "off". If you are not sure what kind of switch you have this is a simple way to identify whether or not you have a single pole switch. The two other kinds of switches do not have "on" or "off" written on them. If your switch is a single pole switch follow these steps:
1) Tools.
a) Thin flat head screw driver
b) Phillips head screw driver
c) drill(optional)
d) wire strippers(maybe)
e) ac tester
2) Go to the store and buy the single pole switch. Sure you can get everything ready now but if you take everything apart now and go to the store. There may be wires that are live in the box that you do not know about and leaving an open box unattended is dangerous. Even if you shut all the power off, if you have anyone at home you don't want the power to be turned on while your not around. This is electricity SAFETY FIRST!!!!!
3) Shut the power off to the switch. If your old switch still works (yes people change switches that still work) turn it on. Go to your panel (your panel has the breakers or the fuses in it) and turn the breakers off one by one. Changing a switch is a one man job but if you want to avoid running back a forth another person standing there and yelling at you when the light shuts off helps. Or shutting all the breakers off and the main just to be sure is what I would recommend. This is electricity SAFETY FIRST!!!!!
4) Remove the plate cover from the switch. This will be the easiest part of your project. On the top and bottom of the switch there will be small screws. You will need the thin flat head screwdriver to remove these. If the location you are installing the switch has multiple switches you will need to remove all the plate screws. Then remove the plate and place the screws and the plate together for replacing later. Do not lose those little screws believe me they are easy to lose.
5) Remove the switch. OK the fun part. Take a drill or a Phillips head screw driver and take out the screws on the top and bottom of the switch. Now grab the yoke of the switch(that's the top and bottom of the switch) do not grab the switch by the side we want to be sure the power is off and the only way to do this is to pull out the switch. The power is located on the side so if you grab it by the sides and for some reason the power is still on you will get shocked. This is electricity SAFETY FIRST!!!!! So grab the yoke and pull out the switch. If you are in a box with multiple switches you may need to remove multiple switches to be able to pull your switch out far enough to easily work on it. Wires commonly get stuck behind other switches so take the extra step you will wind up doing it anyway after trying to work with short wires and fail. Trust me I tried too.
6) Check and make sure power is turned off!!!! This is the most important part of this project. Your tester should have a black and red lead on it. Set your tester to 120v ac and place one lead on one of the screws of the switch and the other lead on the metal box. If you don't have a metal box then you definitely have romex and you will have bare wires in the box. These bare wires are your ground, place your other lead on the bare wires. If you do not have a metal box or bare wires Stop and call an electrician, we need to ensure the power is off. I'm sorry but we don't want anyone getting hurt. While keeping your one lead on either the box or the bare wires place the other lead on each screw ensuring that your meter shows no power. I don't want to scare anyone but it does hurt when you get shocked and most importantly it can kill you. Electricity is fun for me and I work with it everyday but you probably don't, so be careful.
7) Take the wires off the switch. This is easy for a single pole switch because there are only two wires and it doesn't matter where they go so unscrew your two screws (if you have more than two screws and two wires connected stop, you do not have a single pole switch, I will be publishing instructions on how to install these soon, follow those instructions.) and remove the two wires.
8) Connecting the new switch. Pick up your switch and make sure it is a single pole switch. It should say "on" and "off" and only have two screws. Hold it with your left hand so the screws face up and the decorative side is facing you. Take either one of the wires and wrap it around one screw. It doesn't matter which and tighten the screw. Make sure the wire is completely under the screw. You may need to strip a little more insulation off the wire to get a good loop around the screw. Sometimes the loop is too long and you may need to shorten the exposed copper on your wire. If you need to make a new loop this is how you do it. Strip about an inch of exposed copper on your wire. To make a good loop your strippers usually have a small hole near the teeth of the tool. Place the wire half way into the hole and bend, that should give you a nice loop. Take the remaining wire and wrap it around the remaining screw and tighten.
9) Installing the new switch. Your switch at this point should be facing you. Look at it and make sure your switch is not upside down. You don't want to put everything back and find out that down is on. Look closely and flip the switch to the "on" position. If the switch says "no" flip it over. Also the wires should be connected on the right side of the switch. OK now carefully push the switch into the position. While pushing the switch in the wires should be pushed in so they fall easily into the box. It takes practice so get the wires in there so it doesn't look like a knot. The two screws on the switch's yoke should be lined up with the holes on the top and bottom of the box. Screw the top one in almost all the way. Now screw in the bottom one so the yoke touches the drywall. Finish screwing in the top screw so the the switch is snug to the drywall. Do not over tighten just snug. This probably made the bottom one lose so make that one snug too.
10) Finishing. Put the plate back on. Please for me sure your screws are all facing the same way on your plate(i know but its a pet peeve) If your box has multiple switches you may need to slide your switch left or right to get the plate on. Turn the power on because you just finished installing your first switch. Enjoy
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John
| Check your state and local codes before starting any project. Follow all safety precautions. Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy and safety. I can not be held responsible for damages or injuries resulting from the use of the information in this document. |
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