weird house wiring problem

[PaulT]

While I'm sure no electrician, it seems like some information is missing to solve this mystery. I have never read any postings regarding how the light is currently (no pun intended) wired. Danny, you previously said you were assuming how the hot and neutral was being supplied from a junction box. Are you sure that there is a junction box in between the three wiring locations (switch, light and panel)? Since you said there is only one wire in the switch box, I think we can all assume it "back fed". I would recommend examining the wires that are feeding the terminals on the light as your next step, followed by looking in the junction box, if indeed there is one in between. Is it possible that the old switch has hot isolated from ground (somehow), and the new switch has hot closed to ground? If neutral and ground are crossed somewhere else in the circuit, wouldn't that cause this behavior?

 

[Mosey]

I’m not 100% sure if the junction box is there like I assume. The cable from the light does not go to the switch box, it goes off in another direction (toward the breaker box). The cable from the switch goes off in the same direction. My next step is to dig around some more in the blown in insulation and find that junction box, if it exists, and take a look inside.

 

[Mark_in_NH]

The power from the panel ( or somewhere else ) is coming into the exhisting light fixture. It has to, in order for the light to pick up the neutral.
The electricity is coming down to the switch on the Black conducter in the romex, it is then traveling back to the light fixture on the White conducter.
The new switch, which is merely, 2 stacked single pole switchs receives power for both switchs, from usually one source. You can seperate this ability or function ( if so desired ) by removing the break away tab between the 2 dark colored screws.
If Danny installs his Black conducter to one of the dark colored screws and the White conducter (which is called the switch leg) to one of the brass colored screws, for either the top or bottom switch, then in all proper electrical theary and assuming the switchs are functioning properly, the light should work just fine.

 

[Inspector507]

Danny, the light has worked all these years with the old switch in place, and I see nothing that makes me think the wiring is incorrect. No matter whether there is a junction box buried or not, the ohm-meter readings you took should be correct also. That leaves one thing, the switch. Buy another brand of switch, making sure it is a combination switch with 2 single poles. Put your "hot" feed on the side with the dark coloring, marked LINE. Put the return on the other side. There is no reason that won't work.

 

[Mosey]

Good suggestion Jerry. Now comes the disadvantage of living out in a rural area. The small city (Columbus, IN) where I work and shop (mostly at Lowes!) doesn’t have much to choose from. Lowes only has this one brand. In the last 5 years, Lowes has run the 2 hardware stores (Ace and True Value) and 2 lumber stores (Wicks and Wolohans) out of business. Walmart has basic switches, but not these double ones. We’re supposed to be getting a Menards next year, but at this point I’ll have to wait until I get a chance to run to either Seymour (20 miles south) and try the hardware store there, or Greenwood (suburb of Indy) and go to a Home Depot or Menards up there.

 

[heehaw]

my bet is on a bad switch!!
heehaw

 

[MossRoad]

You said that when you put in the new dual switch, exactly like the old switch, just to test it, the light stays on even if you flip the new switch to either side, correct?

I know this sounds stupid, but have you tried flipping the other switch? Or tried flipping all the combinations of both the switches? Maybe the terminals are not next to the switch that they are suppossed to operate. Maybe the terminals are joined together somehow. Anyway, if the original switch was an on/off switch, and the new switch is an on/off switch, it has to work. It is just that simple.

Once I had a switch that was supposed to be 3-way switch and it was really an on-off switch. That caused lots of troubles. There are not two doors to this bathroom anywhere, are there?

 

[AndyR]

It may be worth your while to spend $30.00 on one of those circuit tracing probes. They work by plugging in (or wiring in) a signal source module and the using a detector module to find the wire in the rat's nest of your particular situation. Still sounds like something funky /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif going on with your existing wiring.

 

[ByuBill]

I am definately not an electrician, don't even understand half of what was said in these post. In your very post you said something that caught my eye. <font color=blue>From the ground on the switch to the box, it read 125V!</font color=blue> I am not sure that anyone other than PaulT picked up on this. I just can't for the life of me ever remember seeing a switch with a ground ( green ) screw on it. Maybe I have missed something along the way./w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif I do have a switch in my bathroom like you are wanting to install. Only it also has a third switch for a heater. Just to check, I took it out and looked. Nope, no ground on it either. All of the bare wires are twisted together inside the box (plastic box) My question, Do you have a three way switch?

 

[Inspector507]

ByuBil,
If your switch in the bathroom is more than 2 years old or so, it may not have a place to connect the ground to it. The Code changed in 1999 to require all switches to be grounded, "bout time.