The BIGGEST Mistakes DIYers Don't Know They Are Making When Wiring Light Switches | How To

In this video I show you some of the most common mistakes that are made when installing light switches. Some of these are not done just by DIYers, I have also seen some of the pros make some of these same mistakes. Hopefully this will help or at least serve as a reminder for some of the mistakes I have seen and point out some better practices that can be taken to avoid problems in the future! Some of them overlap receptacle mistakes but often with their own nuances.

Products In the Video:
Eaton Toggle Commercial Light Switch: Currently not in stock. Check your local home improvement store.

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Blessings,
Adam

How To Home assumes no liability for damage or injury. How To Home highly recommends using proper safety procedures and professionals when needed. Our content is for entertainment purposes only. No information contained in this video shall create any express or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not How To Home. How To Home will not be held liable for any negligent or accidental damage or injury resulting from equipment, tools, electrical, fire, electronics or any items contained in this video. Attempt projects and repairs at your own risk.

[HowToHomeDIY]

Can you think of any other mistakes made when installing these light switches? Hopefully this was helpful and maybe a good refresher. Please let me know! Thanks!

[lbeu]

I am an 80 year old woman, and I just replaced two light switches, after folowing your excellent ande clear directions. The old ones had the wires just stuck in the back, but I stripped the wires, bent them as you showed, and used the two side screws. THANK YOU SO MUCH !

[loriguthrie]

I am a single woman DYI-er. I absolutely fear doing electrical work myself, but felt like a switch is a good place to start. So far I like your delivery. You don't talk in a condecending way, but in an educational way. Exactly what I am looking for!

[jtsather]

That was actually a good tutorial. I've been an electrician over 30 years. Most of the time these type of videos make me cringe, but you did a good job. One of the first things I learned about switches was not installing them upside down. If correct it will say"ON".. If upside down it says "NO".

[maofuentes]

An excellent example of how you can be a successful YouTuber without the need to be flashy, and annoying .. you are great at what you do. Keep it up. Straight to the point. I love it.

[tjm]

I think the thing I love most about ur vids is that u start your vids w no BS intros. You just get straight to the point. Love it!

[TCSC]

At 1:15 you point out that we need to wrap the wire around the screw clockwise, so that the wire is pulled under the screw rather than pushed out. Lol! This took me all the way back to 1962 when my physics school teacher showed us this! And I have followed this tip ever since. Rock on!

[isaacacosta]

I'm an electrician but it never hurts to watch these videos to make sure I'm still on point lol very good informative video for sure brotha pass the knowledge

[emgoodlife]

Thank you!! I was changing out a switch and I noticed the previous switch didn't use J-hooks - instead using the commercial method of installing the wires under the plate. I really appreciate knowing this is a secure method - saves me stripping down the wires and bending them into hooks.

[proudwhitesettler]

Lots of good tips in your videos. I'm a DIYer, been wiring stuff for years, way before the internet came along. I learned most of this stuff the hard way by making these mistakes. It's a miracle that I didn't burn a house or two down. When I look at some of my attempts at wiring from 30 or 40 years ago it scares hell out of me. My advice to beginners is to buy a CURRENT copy of "Wiring Simplified", study and learn it until you know it by heart. When an updated copy comes out buy it. Someone's life may depend on it. Follow the code, it is not only for safety but it is a standard that the next sparky expects, a standardized procedure so there are no nasty surprises for the next guy.

[SteveCortese]

Very informative. I'm an electrical engineer that has been doing DIY house wiring for 40 years, but never professionally. But being an engineer doesn't automatically qualify you to do house wiring. You have to follow the code and best practices as well. The prior video on pre-twisting wire before applying wire nuts was something I'd not seen. I put them in the wire nut untwisted, assure I'm using the correct size wire nut for the volume of wire I'm connecting, tighten partially, check each wire for security, then perform the rest of the twist continuing to the insulated portion by cranking the wire nut with pliers. I think doing it the way the video recommends is easier and the quality of connection is verifiable. Also, I NEVER do the double decker connection on a screw terminal, but have repaired a number of them other clowns have done. In fact, I just repaired one yesterday in this older house I bought. They had actually used black lamp cord to make the jumpers and double decked that (egad)!

Another cardinal sin is using the back stabbing to connect the jumper for to the next device in the box. The device then becomes part of the branch circuit and we don't want that. I've seen this type of connection fail over time, go intermittent and even arc as they corrode. I've seen certified master electricians do this since the push in terminals are "legal", in fact, a new build house I bought had some connections made that way. But using backstab is very fast and these guys are trying to make money ... I'm not since I'm working for myself. Once you get a flaky backstabbed connection that's part of (in series with) your branch circuit, you have no idea where it is. You have to take out every device in the branch circuit (usually one at a time) and wiggle it with the power on till you find the fault. Don't touch the black terminal and anything white or grounded simultaneously when you do this! Backstabbed connections? Not in my house!

When jumpers are needed between switches or receptacles, I like to cut a jumper long enough to connect all of the devices that need it in a box, and in as many cases as possible, strip about 3/4" in the middle of the jumper and wrap the bared copper around the terminal. This makes a minimum resistance, durable, busbar-like connection that is even more reliable than a wire nut, can NEVER go intermittent, takes up less room in the box, and is easy and fast to implement. I've even done this in branch circuits between boxes by sequentially wiring them. I strip about 1' of the jacket off the Romex where needed, strip 3/4" of insulation off the individual black and white conductors in the middle of the 1' unjacketed length, bend over at the strip to form a bare copper loop, insert into the box, then wrap the stripped copper loops around the device connection screws. The ground wire of course gets bonded to each box (if metallic) without cutting the conductor, or for a non-metallic box it's connected to the device's ground terminal. Be sure to secure the jacketed Romex using the retaining system in your box ... don't clamp down on unjacketed wire!

Speaking of jumpers, I do like back wiring ... not back stabbing, but true back wiring. CAUTION ... when back wiring, the length of the strip must be precise. I'm sort of comfortable using back wiring to connect a jumper wire for another device in the box, sort of a legal double decker, but still prefer the wrapped around the screw jumper made with wire stripped in the middle and bent into a loop. Then you are not relying on the device to make part of the branch circuit ... you are doing it with wire instead.


Anyway, excellent videos. Keep up the good work.

[timothytacner]

I am finally buying my first house at age 49. I've done remodel jobs for others quite a bit. These videos are great. I'm seeing some mistakes I've made in the past. (No dangerous ones) Your videos filled with "right" way really assures me that I won't make those mistakes again. Thank you so much for creating this content. It's funny how small little tricks can save so much time and frustration.

[robertjackson]

Your videos are excellent. they are explained completely with understanding of how to for the DIY"ER. I come to your videos before looking elsewhere for complete DIY.

[caseycooper]

You are absolutely right that electrically, it doesn't matter which terminals are line and load on a two-way (single throw). However, consistency is important, and I always follow the convention of using the bottom terminal for line. This is similar to how we tape the white wire on a backfed cable and use that for the supply. In my estimation, being consistent, even if it doesn't matter, goes a long way to eliminating guesswork and easing troubleshooting.

[farklestaxbaum]

Other problem with what you cover at 7:50, the "back stabbing method" is if you push the wires in from the back, yet leave the sidewire screws OUT, those screws are now HOT and sticking out the side of switch a substantial amount. This makes is much easier for them to accidentally come in contact with another wire or even touch another switch or outlet in the box. If you use this method, you still need to turn the screws all the way in even though they aren't actually retaining the wire.

[josephcameron]

Definitely worth the time for anyone that has ever even thought about wiring to watch. Will be using this as a training video for my coworkers.

[RJ-ejnr]

A tricky mistake is in assuming the existing stuff in the wall is normal/done correctly. Having someone experienced advise as you learn is invaluable. Miscolored wires, improper multiwire branch circuits, partial faults, are examples of things that could be lead to trouble without the right theory and experience background to recognize. A dangerous case I had was someone who fixed a tripping breaker by disconnecting the ground (EGC). It stopped the tripping, but what they didn't know is it was caused when someone crushed a hot in a clamp which made the box cases all live. I was looking at different circuit completely. This was in a bathroom next to a shower, and it's a miracle no one was hurt.

[dvmaguireclc]

All excellent information. I recently had to replace all switches & outlets in our home as the contractor used the backstabbing method of wiring. 80% of all connections were failing. The structure of the outlet/switch became unstable, breaking the plastic causing arcing. I noticed the problem one quiet evening while walking past a switch that was on & making a snspping noise. Please pay attention to this. It can become very dangerous.

[woodwaker]

The last minute was the best. I had a problem with some cheap switches and wall plugs. Replaced them all with the commercial versions. Much easier then using the J hook and better than back stabbing. These are more expensive, but well worth it. I also purchased a screwdriver with the tip your showed, works great on all electrical screws

[k.b.woodworker]

Helpful! I'm about to do a little rewiring. I've done it before, but as a DIYer who has years between doing this, I always want a refresher on what to do and not to do. I like you packed with info your video is, and no fluff!