In the case of a single-pole switch, these wires are interchangeable—it doesnt make any difference which wire is attached to which screw terminal. Usually, its a simple matter of pigtailing the switchs grounding screw to the circuit grounding wires.

Does it matter which way you wire a switch?

With a switch loop yes, it should. The hot wire should come down from the ceiling on the white wire and go back up on the black wire. Just think white down, black up. If you wired it the other way around, hot black down and hot white up, you have a problem.

Which wire should the switch be connected to?

live wire A switch or a fuse in an electrical circuit is always connected to the live wire so that the socket or appliance is not live when switched off.

What happens if hot and neutral wires are swapped?

This happens when the hot and neutral wires get flipped around at an outlet, or upstream from an outlet. Reversed polarity creates a potential shock hazard, but its usually an easy repair. Any $5 electrical tester will alert you to this condition, assuming you have a properly grounded three-prong outlet.

Where does the black wire go on a light switch?

The black (hot) wire goes to the brass screw or into the hole in the back of the device on the same side as the brass screw. This wire is sometimes red. The green or bare copper (ground) wire, if the device has one, attaches to the green screw terminal on the switch or to the electrical box.

What happens if you wire live and neutral wrong in a light?

Earth: A safety wire which carries the same electricity as LIVE if something goes wrong, taking it to the ground. Earth is bare inside the CABLE and, when fixing, a green and yellow sheath is slipped over the end. If the live wire comes directly to the neutral wire is the short-circuit state.

Why does light switch have 2 black wires?

The bare or green-wrapped ground wires serve as a backup to divert the power safely away in case of an electrical fault. In most cases, two black wires will be attached to the switchs two terminal screws. The ground wires will be connected to each other and attached to the grounding screw on the switch.

Cant tell which wire is black or white?

Identify the black positive wire on a ceiling light fixture. Recognize that the black wire is the positive one, the white wire is the negative one, and the green wire is the ground. You may see a copper wire instead of a green wire for the ground.