How To Install A Single Pole Switch

Expose at least 1 2 inches of copper wire to ensure a tight seal with the wall wires.

How to install a single pole switch. Single pole switches are the most common light switches in a home. They have two screw terminals plus a ground screw. A double pole switch is what you need to control a 240 volt device because 240 volt circuits have two hot wires. Two for incoming hots and two for outgoing hots.

Install the single pole light switch into the switch box and cover the switch with a single gang switch cover plate. In this video i show how to wire and install a single pole switch. It has four terminals. When installing a switch outlet combo unit you ll want to know the difference between the two sets of wires coming into the light switch box.

Screw on the switch plate and turn on the power. Remove the old switch from the wall. The other terminal is for a second hot wire called a switch leg that runs only between the switch and the light fixture. In this video i show how to wire and install a single pole switch.

Using a wire connector connect the line wire to one of the traveler wires to supply line voltage to the 3 way switch in the load side box. Turn the circuit breaker on in your main breaker box to provide power to the light circuit. Installation is a simple matter of connecting the hot wire leads to the hot circuit wires one of which is entering the box from the power source the other leading to the light fixture. Open the dimmer switch and strip the rubber coating from the wires.

Install a wire connector on it the other traveler to make it a spare. Gently push the new wired switch back into the electrical box and screw it in place. Traditional single pole dimmer switches like standard switches generally have just two hot wires and a ground wire with no neutral wire connection. One screw terminal is for the hot wire that feeds the switch from the power source.

The difference between a single and double pole switch is that the latter controls two circuits at the same time.