How To Wire A Switch Leg Drop

The most simple and common method of wiring a single pole switch.

How to wire a switch leg drop. The switched leg of a switch simply refers to the wire that is supplied electricity when the switch is turned on. Run 2 wire power feed to outlet box for fixture. Either 14 2 with ground wg for 15 amp circuits or 12 2wg for 20 amp circuits. Some newer switching devices require a neutral and so seeing a 3 or 4 conductor cable in a switchbox with the white being a neutral is becoming more common.

There are two methods for wiring a basic on off single pole standard duty switch to a light or a set of lights. Black to top terminal. The switch leg is still made up of two wires but the hot wire connects directly to the switch and the two wires connect directly to the outlet. The second wire completes the circuit by connecting to the house neutral wire in the switch wiring box instead of in the outlet wiring box.

As you can see switch loops don t only provide convenience but also improve our home design hiding those ugly fan and light fixture cords. In this situation there is no need to send the neutral down to the switch as well. Install cables terminate ground wires. White neutral from source to white wire of light fixture.

Power to switch then to light or lights. Wiring with a hot supply cable to the switch boxes is usually more expensive both in wire and cost of switch boxes they have to be larger. Although i m sure you ll get the idea of what a s. Remaining black to neutral switch box white to bottom terminal.

Level beginner description power a hot and a neutral is fed to the switch with 1 switch leg run from the switch to 1 light. It sends the electricity to the light fixture. A 2 wire feed is pulled from the nearest source of power like a receptacle or the panel to the switch. The switch is just a switch leg drop so the power for the light comes in to the light box and then there is a 2 wire drop down to the switch to turn the light on and off.

The switch leg also known as the hot black wire described above is the wire that actually turns the light on. Please forgive the simplicity of this animation it was done with a mouse as my pencil and bitmap drawings. If you want to install a light fixture or switched outlet you will need to know how to properly wire a two conductor switched leg. Two common methods for wiring a light switch.

When the switch is on the switched leg then provides power to the fixture or device to be powered. What is a switch leg. The switch leg drop. Without some additional wiring you will not be able to accomplish this task.