I am replacing all the outlets and light switches in my place and I have all of them done except for one, which I can't figure out for the life of me. There are far more wires (3 black and 3 white plus ground) than I am used to seeing. Anyone got any ideas?
Far more wires...? With three pair? Two is the bare minimum. In any event, you might have a three way switch or the live leg might be feeding something else through the not-obviously-the-fixture leg.
RIf you are puzzled with 6 wires... -get a book, ;-) -test them all so you can draw a diagram of the house. After all that's how the house was built, :-( -hire a pro, :-o
RickR
Just replace them exactly the same way they were on the existing switch or outlet. Don't try to get creative.
I get the idea that you're in over your head, yes...
Obviously it didn't occur to you to label anything when you took the damn thing apart. I suppose there's some religious reason why you feel you can't tell us whether the box you're looking at is a switch or a power outlet, and since you don't seem to have any inclination to figure out where the wires are coming from or going to, I'd say your only option at this point is to hire an electrician.
--Goedjn
just replace the wires to the switch and put the smallest wire nuts on the ends of the wires to the light, probably orange, put back in box and forget about them.
power in pair, power out pair to another outlet, switched hot black to lamp and common white to lamp?
One pair of black and white come from YOUR breaker box The second pair come from your NEIGHBORS box and the third pair is connected to the the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Department of War. If you accidentally short that pair. you will set off all the weapons on earth and destroy humanity.
Just use the pair from your neighbor and let him pay the bill. Cap the others with wirenuts, and be very careful not to cross the two that connect to the weapons. Now that you posted this, we will all know that it was YOU that caused the world to be destroyed after you do it, and we will all come after you in the afterlife, and kick you ass.....
One pair supplies power. The additional pairs are there for "Homeland Security". One of them are for their bugs. The other pair control your embedded nanobots.
:-)
Most of the rooms in some houses I've seen are wired like a big octopus sitting on the ceiling. That is, one pair of wires supplying power to a junction box in the ceiling (for the light) then wires running from there to everything else. Several black wires (and one white, for the switch leg) are connected together, and several white wires are connected together.
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