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    grick19's Avatar
    grick19 Posts: 4, Reputation: 1
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    #1

    Oct 7, 2011, 10:12 AM
    How to Wire 3 separate Switches?
    In my garage I have a panel with 3 light switched on it. One for the inside gargae light, one for outside garage lights, and one for outside flood lights. I have 3 copper ground wires (one for each switch), 3 white wires (one for each switch), but ony 2 black wires. How can I connect all three switches when I am missing a black wire? Do I need to run some type of bypass? Also, is the a special switch I need to use? I am trying to connect a simple 15A 120V on/off switch with 3 connectore (one for ground/one for white/one for black). Obviously I'm a novice and any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
    ma0641's Avatar
    ma0641 Posts: 15,675, Reputation: 1012
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    #2

    Oct 7, 2011, 10:53 AM
    When you say "3 white wires, 1 for each switch" are you saying there are white wires on the switch? If so, they are most likely connected by a switch loop and the white wires have not been marked with black tape. You never interrupt a neutral. Does one of the black wires jumper from one switch to another?
    grick19's Avatar
    grick19 Posts: 4, Reputation: 1
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    #3

    Oct 7, 2011, 11:24 AM
    I meant 3 white wires from the wall... It did jump from one to the other but now that I have taken the old switches off, I'm not sure which ones it skipped to. I guess need to start from scratch but I'm not sure where to start.
    grick19's Avatar
    grick19 Posts: 4, Reputation: 1
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    #4

    Oct 7, 2011, 12:24 PM
    Any help starting from scratch, would be appreciated. Thanks all!
    ma0641's Avatar
    ma0641 Posts: 15,675, Reputation: 1012
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    #5

    Oct 7, 2011, 12:50 PM
    Normally you will have 1 hot lead in and that is paired with a neutral and a ground, nominally a 14/2 coming from a breaker. Can you identify the breaker? Does it only have 1 lead from it? First, find out what wire is hot to the box. Label that as "hot in". Shut off the power. Now, you should have 3X2 conductor wires, probably 14/2. 3 black, 3 white, 3 ground. one set for each light fixture. Wirenut all the whites and push them to the back of the box. If this is a metal box, ground the main ground wire to the box with a grounding clip. If a plastic box, you will need to pigtail all the grounds too. That way, each switch has a ground wire. Pigtail 3 short black leads to the hot in. This should give you 3 hot leads. Connect 1 black each to the switch, one ground and then connect the light blacks to the other switch pole. Check your wire count as what you are saying doesn't quite add up. If they pulled an extra wire from the hot side of a switch loop you would have 1 more black, not 1 less. If that is the case, you are short a neutral somewhere, it could be in the fixture box itself.
    tkrussell's Avatar
    tkrussell Posts: 9,659, Reputation: 725
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    #6

    Oct 8, 2011, 05:15 AM
    Will this help?
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    grick19's Avatar
    grick19 Posts: 4, Reputation: 1
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    #7

    Oct 8, 2011, 07:44 AM
    Thanks for your help and suggestions but I'm not familiar with this enough to be able to decipher what you mean. I think I need to call am electrician and be done with it!
    Thanks again!
    ma0641's Avatar
    ma0641 Posts: 15,675, Reputation: 1012
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    #8

    Oct 8, 2011, 09:11 AM
    TK. I wish my graphics skills were better. The old "a picture.....thousand words" works great here. Brian
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