Page 1 of 1

Electrical switch in kitchen...

Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2008 11:44 pm
by kamiller73
Ok so after repainting kitchen and cabinets (will post pictures in the decorating forum once done) I decided to replace the light and plug in switches. So the switch that controls the light above the sink (that's all to my knowledge) had three sets of three wires coming from it. Now, I'm sure yall know there's a huge difference in the plug and switches that are installed in a 1985 home compared to the ones they sell at lowes. My question is should I splice all the wires together (ie blacks, whites and ground) so there's just one wire for each one? And will one black wire be sufficient or should I hook up the white wire also. From a wiring book i read it said to cap off the white wire and just hook up the black one. Is this right?? Thanks for all yalls help... KJImage

RE: Electrical switch in kitchen...

Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 11:17 am
by kamiller73
Oh and almost forgot, the plugs we got are for 15 amps and I read that the kitchen plugs need to be 20 amps. So I guess this means I have to get new plugs then right? Might be a dumb question, but thought i'd ask.

RE: Electrical switch in kitchen...

Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 11:28 am
by JD
I recommend that you have a qualified electrician look at the switch. Here in the forum, we do not offer how-to advice on electrical problems. There is just too much that could go wrong.

JD

RE: Electrical switch in kitchen...

Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 1:57 pm
by Greg S
Not knowing what book you have it is difficult to ascertain how complex it may be but if you do not understand what it is saying you should not do it.
What you want to do is very simple so I am confused as to why you are questioning what you are reading in the book.

The home building stores have simple do it yourself electrical books that will answer all your questions.
Or you could do a search on google and find hundreds of helpful DIY sites that will answer all your questions.

Just make sure you have the power off at the panel.

RE: Electrical switch in kitchen...

Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 11:11 pm
by Dirty White Boy
There are several configurations it could be...power in, power out, power to the light...power it, power to the light, power back...etc...
Is it at the end of the circuit? Is it powering another outlet? Does the power branch off from the light and continue on?


Call an electrician...

Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2008 10:11 am
by Brenda OH reregister
as long as you are calling an electrician...

it would be the ideal time to get a ground fault circuit outlet installed if one of the outlets is close to the sink....

Brenda (OH)