I have a light switch that controls a single outlet. In this case there is a minimum of two pairs or wires in the switch box.
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How To Install A Smart Light Switch Digital Trends
Smart switch no load wire. As mentioned this is supposed to be indicated by code but is often overlooked. In some cases the electrician will have gone to the load first and used a 142 to go to the switch and come back on the white wire. A switch box with no neutral loop will usually only have three wires see image below. Like the original poster there is no load wire. Youll need a tester and some basic electrical knowledge to determine which is line and which is load to properly wire the new smart switch. Get the nano switch and install it at the light.
Switch loops can use a variety of colors including the really old heavy gauge brown wire for homes 50 years old or more. They will usually be colored one black and one white potentially with black stripe. In the box for the light switch there is only a line hot neutral and ground wire. Two of the wires will be the current carrying wires that power the light. C by ge hubless three wire smart switch push button with dimmer and motion sensor q2 2020 60 c by ge wire free remote dimmer q1 2020 23 c by ge wire free remote dimmer with color. The bridge is needed because the programming of your login and wireless network details are stored within the hub rather than on a micro controller inside the smart switch.
The third wire should be the ground wire and is usually colored green or bare wire. The modern way to wire homes and the only way to meet ca code today is to run the power to the switch box and the load to the switch box as well. Switch without neutral wire the reason that some smart switches wont work in this configuration is that the switch is breaking the circuit when it is off so power is not flowing through the switch. Interchanging the line and load wires on a conventional outlet has no effect on the outlet but doing so on a gfi outlet renders the breaker ineffective and creates a dangerous situation because the outlet wont give the protection its designed to give. I tried using a ge 12727 switch connecting the hot wire to the line terminal the neutral to the neutral terminal and the ground to the ground terminal. Strictly speaking no there is no way to wire a smart switch without a load because the smart switch itself is a load.
The wiring youve described in the switch box is not possible what you actually have in there is a line load and ground. Smart switches require a source of power because they are always communicating with a hub. Thats why smart switches generally require a neutral so it can realize 120v potential between line and neutral to power itself. For smart switches that function without a neutral wire a home hub is essential. Traditional wiring usually has the source feed go to the switch and then to the load.