Replacing Electrical Switches

[RC]

I'm replacing switches in a bathroom. There is one switch for the light and one for an exhaust fan. There is also a GFCI plug but I'm not changing that. Please take a look at this drawing. It's not the basic wiring I've seen before. Why do all the white wires connect to each other and not to a switch?

 

[Monterey10]

Re: Replacing Electrical Switches

The hardware stores often have books on wiring. The pictures in those books will help you quite a bit.

 

[rockyrude]

Re: Replacing Electrical Switches

Because the white wires are the low or "ground" side of the circuit. They should never be broken or go through a switch. It is a safety thing. The colored wires are controlled by the switch. The white wire returns from the controlled device directly to the fuse/breaker box.

 

[RC]

Re: Replacing Electrical Switches

Thanks Rocky. Any thoughts as to why there are 4 separate groups of wires coming into the box?

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: Replacing Electrical Switches

Thanks Rocky. Any thoughts as to why there are 4 separate groups of wires coming into the box?

There aren't....there is one coming in....and three going out.
You have a line in, a line out, and two feeds out to two loads.

I am not sure that most electrical codes are happy with pig-tailing off a switch. You'd be better to get that feed from your fan switch across to your light switch, splitting directly off your line-in.

 

[Fireman431]

Re: Replacing Electrical Switches

Deleted

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Replacing Electrical Switches

Because the white wires are the low or "ground" side of the circuit.

White wires are the neutral...not ground.

 

[Fishing Dude too]

Re: Replacing Electrical Switches

Thunking the black should go to one switch then other then jump back to the feed through wire if remember correctlly. other than that straight forward.

 

[hrdwrkingacguy]

Re: Replacing Electrical Switches

Switches break the hot leg...you should have one in that's hot from a breaker and one out to the load...and a green ground...The neutral has nothing to do with the switch(typically)...That picture is wrong for several reasons..The fan is on the left, the light on the right, what is in the middle? It looks powered all the time...

Replacing switches is pretty basic...You shouldn't have to add anything or change anything, just kill the power and replace the three connections(power in, power out, ground)...Usually they will run a black wire into a box and tie on two or three or whatever short black wires with a wire nut to power the other switches from the same source...Or they jump from one switch to the next to the next(which isn't as clean) then power multiple loads...

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: Replacing Electrical Switches

Switches break the hot leg...you should have one in that's hot from a breaker and one out to the load...and a green ground...The neutral has nothing to do with the switch(typically)...That picture is wrong for several reasons..The fan is on the left, the light on the right, what is in the middle? It looks powered all the time...

I don't agree with what hrdwrkingacguy has written, (I think he has just misunderstood the drawing), but I know he could do this job in 15 mins or less.

We have all gotten off-topic I think.
The answer to OP's original question, IMO, should be "there are so many whites attached together because this schematic has a line-in entering a switch box. Those white wires are neutral conductors and need to be connected.
It is far more common (and I suspect what OP is familiar with) for the line-in to enter the fixture box and so there is only one or more switching conductors running to the switch box..... black and white conductors.....but the white(s) is/are NOT a neutral".

 

[joed]

Re: Replacing Electrical Switches

The only time a white wire is connected to a switch is if they used a switch loop by bringing power to the fixture first. In this case they brought power to the switch first.

Do not change anything. Simply remove the wires from the old switch and put them on the new switch.

 

[rockyrude]

Re: Replacing Electrical Switches

If I saw a circuit where the white is switched I would immediately change it. The last thing I want is to be a short from the fixture to the next available ground.

 

[bigdee]

Re: Replacing Electrical Switches

Nothing wrong or unusual here,they are just using the wall box as a feed-through junction. Just replace switches the same as wired.

 

[bigdee]

Re: Replacing Electrical Switches

If I saw a circuit where the white is switched I would immediately change it. The last thing I want is to be a short from the fixture to the next available ground.

That is done all the time when a switch leg is dropped from the fixture box.....no choice with 2 conductor romex,one wire is white!

 

[RC]

Re: Replacing Electrical Switches

Tim, you're right on, this was just confusing for me to look at and I was just looking for a better understanding of what I was seeing. Both switches replaced and working fine. Thanks for all the feedback, great stuff as usual!

Rob

 

[hrdwrkingacguy]

Re: Replacing Electrical Switches

I don't agree with what hrdwrkingacguy has written, (I think he has just misunderstood the drawing), but I know he could do this job in 15 mins or less.

As far as the drawing goes it looks to me like there are four loads, two switches, the one in the middle isn't switched and is wired in series with the left one...Also power comes from nowhere I can see...You quoted my whole post and said you didn't agree...I guess its possible power comes in on the bottom continues somewhere in the middle and left and right are the fan and light...But lack of description just leaves me to guess...

 

[Don S]

Re: Replacing Electrical Switches

As far as the drawing goes it looks to me like there are four loads, two switches, the one in the middle isn't switched and is wired in series with the left one...

See if this drawing help.
Note: Incoming to to GFCI could be reversed, but would mean the same thing.

 

[hrdwrkingacguy]

Re: Replacing Electrical Switches

Thats better but the GFCI is useless to the bathroom fan and light the way that is wired...But back to the original question...The whites are neutrals and go together unswitched back to the panel...If the plan is to have the GFCI protect the bathroom fan and light(I know it isn't mentioned this is just informational), the gfci needs to be before the light and fan switch and wired properly...

 

[bigdee]

Re: Replacing Electrical Switches

Thats better but the GFCI is useless to the bathroom fan and light the way that is wired...But back to the original question...The whites are neutrals and go together unswitched back to the panel...If the plan is to have the GFCI protect the bathroom fan and light(I know it isn't mentioned this is just informational), the gfci needs to be before the light and fan switch and wired properly...

The fan & light are not usually on the GFCI circuit....if the fan or light is directly over the shower it is recommended (by the manufacturer) to be on a GFCI.

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: Replacing Electrical Switches

Thats better but the GFCI is useless to the bathroom fan and light the way that is wired...But back to the original question...The whites are neutrals and go together unswitched back to the panel...If the plan is to have the GFCI protect the bathroom fan and light(I know it isn't mentioned this is just informational), the gfci needs to be before the light and fan switch and wired properly...

It might be, we don't know....could test with the GFI test button I guess and see if the fan and lights go out..