How to Wire an Electrical Switch

Being able to wire your own electrical switch is a skill that can save you a lot of money. Electricians can charge you several hundred dollars just to change an electrical switch. This is money that you can be saving toward other things. The tools that you need to wire an electrical switch, as well as other electrical jobs, are very inexpensive. The following article will show you how to wire a basic electrical switch meant for light switches. The same wiring technique can be used to also wire outlets and other simple two-way switches.

Step 1 - Turn off the Power

Working on the electrical service in your home is no laughing matter. You should never take wiring an electric switch lightly because you can seriously hurt yourself. You have to protect yourself. Find the main circuit box in your home and turn off the main power. It is better to turn it all off then to accidentally turn off the wrong circuit. Use the voltage tester to make sure the wires are no longer hot. Write a warning on a piece of paper that you tape to the circuit breaker. Let it read that the power is off and to not turn it on.

Step 2 - Electrical Switch Identification

Go to the electrical switch you want to wire. Remove the screws on the faceplate with the screwdriver. Inside you will see several colors of wire: black (neutral), red or white (hot) and ground (yellow, green or bare copper). Put on the grounding wrist strap and attach the alligator clip to the metal box of the electrical switch. The point of the ground is so that if there is an electrical current it has somewhere else to go which will shot the connection. Use the current tester to double check that the electricity is off. Touch the test to each wire and each location between the wires.

Step 3 - Connecting the Electrical Switch

When you're sure you are completely safe you can start working on wiring the electrical switch. Use the screwdriver to loosen the screws on the old electrical switch and disconnect the wires. The electrical switch you have should be color coded to the wires already in your wall. If the wires differ in color just remember that red and white are always hot and any color that is an earth tone (like brown, green or yellow) is the ground wire (unless it is bare copper) and that any other color is neutral. Strip the wires on the new electrical switch and twist those wires with the old ones. Screw on the electrical wire caps to secure them. Orientate the switch so that the connector with the black wire is facing down because that will be the off position. Screw the plate in place. Turn the electric back on and test the switch to make sure that it works. If doesn't then repeat the steps but switching the wires.