Switch wiring help


  #1  
Old 05-11-20, 11:10 PM
R
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Switch wiring help

I went to replace my light switch in my bedroom that controls a wall outlet and it's now not working properly. I wired the red (1.3) and black (1.5) wires to the brass screws (2.1 & 2.2). I wired the copper wire to the green screw (2.3). I just taped off the white wires (1.1 & 1.4) together. This didn't work, so I switched the red and black wire among the two brass screws and it still didn't work. This also caused the GFI in my bathroom to trip as well as other lights down the circuit to no longer work.

1. Is it possible to use this switch (pic 2) to wire the switch? Or do I need to buy a different type of switch?
2. If it's possible, what wires do I connect?

3. I unplugged all the wires from the switch and taped them off, then reset the gfi outlet in the bathroom and the other lights down the line (in the living room) no longer work. Any idea how to get them to work? Note, there's no gfi outlets on the circuit except the one I reset in the bathroom.

See pics.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=19k...t3ss1U7-5gYag0

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ZJ...hw4FfHIF9tkOQF
 
  #2  
Old 05-12-20, 06:27 AM
J
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The white wires should be connected together with a wire nut.
There are two black wires. They should be connected together with a short wire in a wire nut. The short wire connects to the switch. The red wire connects to the other switch screw.
 
  #3  
Old 05-12-20, 08:23 AM
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Okay I’ll try that.

but why wouldn’t the black and red wires connected to each screw work already?
 
  #4  
Old 05-12-20, 09:54 AM
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They would be sending power to the receptacle but if you don't have the neutral(whites) connected, the power has no place to come back.
 
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Old 05-12-20, 11:36 AM
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Thanks. It just looks like the black wires are already connected, with one/short wire coming out, and I taped the 2 white wires together (just not shown in the pic, so was just curious how it all worked.

but I will buy some wire nuts and try it.
 
  #6  
Old 05-12-20, 03:31 PM
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You need more than tape on the wire connections. You need wire nuts on both the white and the black.
 
  #7  
Old 05-12-20, 11:09 PM
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Thanks Joed! I did as you suggested with the wire nuts and it worked. Appreciate it.
 
 

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