How to Add a Neutral Wire to an Existing Light Switch
Sometimes you will need to do some electrical work on your own home. It is not always possible to call for an electrician to fix everything, and that is when you would be using if you had known a little of how to work with electrical matters.
But you know it is not too hard. If you have a basic knowledge of how those electrical things work, you can work your own. A problem that we all face is regarding the lights of our house. So, if you want to learn how to add a neutral wire to an existing light switch, keep reading ahead, and we will tell you everything.
What Happens When You Add A Neutral Wire To Light Switch
Before you can jump onto learning how to add a neutral wire to an existing light switch, you will have to have an idea of what will happen once you do it. Usually, the neutral wire of the light circuit is not directly connected to the switch. The cable that is connected to the switch is known as the hot or black wire.
But when you are going to add the neutral wire to the light switch, what will happen is that there will be no disruption of the current supply. Whereas for the hot wire, you can cause a short circuit for the current flow to be stopped, but once the neutral cable is connected, you will no need to worry about running out of supply.
If you touch the light switch, you might get a shock because the neutral wire is connected to it.
Learn: How To Add A Neutral Wire To An Existing Light Switch
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The light switch controls the flow of electricity to the light. When you add the neutral wire to the light switch, it completes the circuit and allows electricity to flow to the light.
There are a few things you need to know about and how they work. In your light circuit, you will have the light, the switch, the outlet, and the electric panel.
There are three different types of wire that are used in electrical systems- the neutral wire, the hot wire, and the ground wire. The hot wire is the one that carries the voltage to the switch to the light. This causes the light to turn on and illuminate the area.
The neutral wire carries the electricity from the light back to the electric panel or the outlet.
As for the ground wire, there is generally no electricity. It is there for safety reasons. Unless there is no short circuit or problem, the ground wire will not have any power supply.
You will have two wires that work with the current supply- the hot wire and the neutral wire. The neutral wire is connected to the light switch, and this will let you have an unlimited power supply.
So, if you want to do that, keep reading!
As you have learned that the neutral wire carries the current back to the electric panel. Initially, the neutral wire is connected to the electrical panel from the light and from the panel to the outlet. So, there are two ways the neutral wire can return the current back to the panel- by a direct link to it or linked through the outlet.
So, there are going to be two ways that you can connect the wire to the light switch.
The first way you can do it by getting the wire from the back of the light. As you know, the neutral wire is connected to the electric panel from the light. You can take the neutral wire from the back of the light and bring it back to the switch to join them. And that is how you will end up adding the wire to the light switch.
This version is very hard to construct as you will have to dig through the walls and reach the back of the light to get the wire and then make a passageway to link it to the switch.
As for the second one, you will need to use a conduit. A conduit is a channel that will let you take the wire from its place to its destiny. In this process, you will have to add the neutral wire to the switch from the outlet portion.
As you have learned earlier that the neutral wire is linked to the electric panel from the outlet. So, what you are going to do on this matter is get the neutral wire from behind the outlet with the help of a conduit and link it to the switch. It will do the same work as the previous process.
So, now you may ask, which will be the best way to accomplish the work?
First of all, it depends on you and how well you can work. But as general, working with the conduit is much better as the previous process will need a lot more work to do. It is quite challenging to accomplish everything by yourself unless you get professional help.
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Should I Add Neutral Wire To The Light Switch?
It is not a good idea to add a neutral wire to the light switch. If anything, you can get a smart switch and do the same work. But if you do not have a smart switch but want the same thing, you will only have the option to install the neutral wire.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Does My Light Switch Not Have a Neutral Wire?
The reason your light switch does not have a neutral wire is because of the grounding. Grounding refers to connecting a wire that can conduct electricity to earth ground, which can also be called earth or ground.
Grounding prevents electrical current from traveling along with the wiring in your home and allows it to flow smoothly instead of creating sparks.
When Did Neutral Wires Become Standard
Neutral wires are standard in Europe and most of the world, but they are not standardized in North America.
In Europe, neutral wires were introduced to eliminate the danger of electric shock from accidentally touching live parts on either side of a junction box or panelboard by using insulated wire between all power lines.
Why Neutral Wire Is Required
There are many benefits of using neutral wire. The most important one is that it does not affect the sound quality of the speaker wire.
Neutral wire also allows for a better electrical connection between the two conductors, which means there is less chance of interference and fewer faults. Neutral wire also has no polarity, so you don’t have to worry about reversing any connections or getting power in the wrong place.
Final Thoughts
That was all from how to add a neutral wire to an existing light switch. We hope we have explained everything clearly to you, and now you will be able to install the neutral wire on your light switch without any problem.
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