Mystery light switches


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Old 03-16-15, 07:16 PM
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Mystery light switches

I bought my dad's house and there is a light switches In rooms that don't turn anything on. I checked wiring to switch with 6 function analog multimeter and there was electricity. There are no upside down faceplates and I checked every plug with working lamp. There is no hole in ceiling for fan or room light. How do I find out what that switch is connected to.
 
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Old 03-16-15, 07:22 PM
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Welcome to the forums.

If the switches are by the entranceways to the rooms then possibly at one time those switches controlled one half of a receptacle and were bypassed so that the entire receptacle was made live.

When you tested the receptacles...... did you check the top AND the bottom slots ?
 
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Old 03-16-15, 07:24 PM
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You may want to pull the cover plate off the switch and see what color wires are there. Next look at the receptacles and see if you see the same colors.

Someone may have changed out a receptacle and did not break out the tab on the brass side so the device is always hot.

A toner or meter may be needed to check for continuity from the switch to a receptacle.
 
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Old 03-16-15, 08:00 PM
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I put in a couple of light switches in rooms other than entrance rooms to turn on an outside light so I could see on dark corners of the house. They may be controlling something outside or like was mentioned, half an outlet.
 
 

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