Green Wire?
#1
06-22-12, 02:38 PM
Green Wire?
HELP.
My house was built in 1920 and I am replacing a rotary dimmer switch in the bathroom.
There three switches - regular switch operates the fan. Push rotary dimmer for one set of lights and this dimmer for the other set of lights, which works, but no longer dims the lights.
I removed the existing switch, which has a black and white wire. My new switch has two black from the same hole and a green. What do I do with the green? Or, whatever wire is going to be left out??
Thanks for your help and expertise.
My house was built in 1920 and I am replacing a rotary dimmer switch in the bathroom.
There three switches - regular switch operates the fan. Push rotary dimmer for one set of lights and this dimmer for the other set of lights, which works, but no longer dims the lights.
I removed the existing switch, which has a black and white wire. My new switch has two black from the same hole and a green. What do I do with the green? Or, whatever wire is going to be left out??
Thanks for your help and expertise.
#2
06-22-12, 02:49 PM
Group Moderator
Welcome to the forums
Green is a ground wire and may only be used as such. How is the green attached to the switch?
Green is a ground wire and may only be used as such. How is the green attached to the switch?
#3
06-22-12, 02:52 PM
Group Moderator
Whoops, I totally mis-read your question, sorry about that.
Normally only black (and sometimes ground) wires are hooked up to switches and represent hot/current carrying wires (though this can be a red wire as well, with -3 cable). White is normally for the neutral wire but it sounds like you may have a switch loop where the current feeds the light fixture and the hot was routed down to your switch on either of the white or black wires to then be carried back on the other when the switch is on.
Normally only black (and sometimes ground) wires are hooked up to switches and represent hot/current carrying wires (though this can be a red wire as well, with -3 cable). White is normally for the neutral wire but it sounds like you may have a switch loop where the current feeds the light fixture and the hot was routed down to your switch on either of the white or black wires to then be carried back on the other when the switch is on.
#5
06-22-12, 04:29 PM
I removed the existing switch, which has a black and white wire. My new switch has two black from the same hole and a green. What do I do with the green? Or, whatever wire is going to be left out??
The green wire is a ground. It should be attached to the box if the box is metal, or to a ground wire if there is one. If the box is non-metallic and there is no ground wire visible in it, just cap the green wire with a small wire nut.
