In my kitchen i have a garbage disposal and a light that were on a dual switch. They both stopped working so i bought a new dual switch but i can't figure out how to wire them. I have 2 black wires and one red.

The new switch has the following connections: Com & 3w on one side and SP, 3w & Com on the other side. It also has the tab in the middle that i can take out or leave in

Can anyone help me out?

 

First, what made you think it was a problem with the switch? There are lots of other possibilities.

Have you removed the old switch yet? If so, did you carefully record the connections first?

Do you own any electrical test instruments? If so, what?

 

I think it's a problem with the switch because there is an outlet that shares the same panel and it works fine. I removed the old switch and even after trying to remember which black wire was on which side, i have them confused now. I don't have any electrical testing stuff.

I was guessing the light has a red and black and the other black is just the garbage disposal

Also the switch has black and gold screws...

 

Are there any white wires in the box? Any grounding wires in the box?

 

No white wires.. only 2 black and 1 red. The red is coming from the bottom and the 2 blacks are coming from the top.. which lead me to believe the garbage disposal is the red wire and the light on the ceiling are the 2 blacks..

Thanks for your help.

 

Without some voltage tests it's a wild guess. I'd be inclined to think one black is the supply hot, and the other black and red wire are the switched hots (one running to the light, the other running to the garbage disposal). Perhaps the red is the supply, and the black ones are the switched hots? It was really up to who ever hooked it up.

The tests would entail measuring voltage between each individual wire and a known ground. Of course, the power would have to be on, which is pretty unsafe. Once you know which one is hot, then you know the other two must be the switched hots. Identifying which one goes to which (my way) is far too hillbilly to advise in public. lol

If you haven't unhooked the old switches, knowing how the wires are hooked to them would be most helpful.

 

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Ok i hope this helps.

The red wire coming from the bottom and the 2 black coming from somewhere else

Both sides of the dual switch
There is also a metal tab on the back of the switch i can take out.