Electrical wiring questions

I'll try to be as thorough and descriptive of my problem..

I recently replaced a bunch of outlets and switches in a room. I have two switches which I believe are at the end of the circuit.

One switch controls an outlet (Switch A) and one switch (Switch B) controls an outdoor light. They are side by side in the same box.

The switch controlling the outlet works properly. The switch controlling the outdoor light does not seem to.

I have been testing the wires and here are my results... Keep in mind I know very little about wiring.

1) On both switches, Testing the "in" to the "out" in both the on and off positions yields nothing. 2) On both switches (both on), testing Switch A in to Switch B in is successful. 3) On both switches (both on), testing Switch A in to Switch B out is successful. 4) On both switches (both on), testing Switch B in to Switch A out is successful. 5) On both switches (both on), testing Switch B out to Switch A out is successful. 6) If either of the switches is off, testing from either in to out or out to out is not successful.

The question I have now, is there something I am missing? It would seem to me that I have the sources coming into the switches correctly and at least the the "out" wired properly on Switch A. Does this seem like the appropriate wiring? I don't believe there are any other variables here. If there are I haven't caught them yet.

Any guidance would be appreciated. If more information is needed I can supply that too.

Thanks in advance.

Chad

Reply to
Grimley
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I would advise getting a book on electrical wiring and reading it before going further or calling an electrician.

Was the outside light working before you replaced the switches?

Is the outside bulb a good bulb?

If there was a preexisting problem with the outside light, chances are the problem is with a burnt out bulb, corroded contacts on the fixture, or wiring problem behind fixture.

If the problem started after you replaced the switches, it is still possible the bulb burnt out at the same time. Check/replace bulb. Did you reinstall wires exactly as they were?

Reply to
Bill

Hi, Obviously you miswired when replacing them. Switch interrupts hot side to the load(light, outlet or whatever). So either switch has hot side(120V)? The other side is going to your light and outlet. Black, red is usually hot, white is neutral, green or bare wire is ground.(Maybe you know this already) My guess is miswiring caused one switch controlling another instead of controlling it's load side.

Reply to
Tony Hwang

Your description of in and out wiring at the switches, doesn't tell me anything. I would want to know how the wires are connected to the switches and their colors. I would also want to know: With the wires disconnected from the two switches and isolated from each other, which wires are hot to ground, with the power turned on. Also how many cables in the switch box and how many wires in each cable

Reply to
RBM

You failed. I am guessing that "in" mean hot and "successful" means there was voltage; but who knows...

I take photos of stuff like this before I start, so if anything goes wrong I know how it was.

Test the wires for voltage against a ground wire.

Reply to
Toller

Without seeing the work, your post is hard to follow.

I would suggest hiring an electrician who will let you work alongside so you learn what is going on. Many will. A good electrician will for sure.

Electricity is nothing to fool with since bad wiring can lead to fires and even death.

Reply to
franz frippl

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