Reconnecting wires for in-sink garburator & switch.
#1
12-21-13, 02:59 PM
Reconnecting wires for in-sink garburator & switch.
Hi, we are renting a house in British Columbia, Canada that is approx 40 years old. It has a kitchen sink garburator and accompanying switch that was disconnected before we moved in. I am reconnecting the wires. At the garburator there is one wire with black, white and ground. I've reconnected these to the black white and ground wires at the motor. At the switch box there are 2 wires coming into the box. One wire has black, white and ground (goes to the garburator), the other has black, white, red and ground (coming from in the wall). The switch has only two places to connect wires (its a 'single pole' switch if I understand these things correctly). When I opened the switch box, the black wires were connected and capped. One white wire was connected to the switch. The other white wire was capped and not connected to anything. The red wire was capped and not connected to anything. The grounds were not connected to anything either. There is power in the black wires. What is the correct way to reconnect everything? Wondering if I connect the loose white wire to the remaining pole on the switch, connect the 2 ground wires to each other and to the ground screw in the box, leave the red wire unconnected and capped and keep the 2 black wires connected and capped?
#2
12-21-13, 04:04 PM
Welcome to the forums!
Well, yes and no. Yes, connect the 2 ground wires to each other and to the ground screw in the box. Yes, leave the red wire unconnected and capped.
No, don't connect the loose white wire to the remaining pole on the switch. Instead, with the power off, disconnect the other white wire from the switch, splice the two white wires together, and cap that splice with a wire nut (Marrette). Separate the two black wires and terminate those to the two screw terminals on the switch.
When I opened the switch box, the black wires were connected and capped. One white wire was connected to the switch. The other white wire was capped and not connected to anything. The red wire was capped and not connected to anything. The grounds were not connected to anything either... What is the correct way to reconnect everything? Wondering if I connect the loose white wire to the remaining pole on the switch, connect the 2 ground wires to each other and to the ground screw in the box, leave the red wire unconnected and capped and keep the 2 black wires connected and capped?
There is power in the black wires.
#3
12-21-13, 10:40 PM
Thank you. One thing I forgot to mention: the capped red wire also has power in it. Does that make any difference?
Still puzzled as to why the 2 black wires would have been spliced together like that?
And why there was a wire coming into the switch box that had black, white, ground AND red?
Is there anything else I should be looking out for?
Still puzzled as to why the 2 black wires would have been spliced together like that?
And why there was a wire coming into the switch box that had black, white, ground AND red?
Is there anything else I should be looking out for?
#4
12-21-13, 10:46 PM
Group Moderator
The three wire cable is probably a multi wire branch circuit.
The red is one hot wire.... controlled by one breaker.
The black is the other hot wire..... controlled by a second breaker.
Both hot wires share the common neutral.
Usually the two circuit breakers are next to each other in the panel and now, by code, require a tie handle so that if one is turned off for service they are both turned off making the circuit completely safe.
The red is one hot wire.... controlled by one breaker.
The black is the other hot wire..... controlled by a second breaker.
Both hot wires share the common neutral.
Usually the two circuit breakers are next to each other in the panel and now, by code, require a tie handle so that if one is turned off for service they are both turned off making the circuit completely safe.
