How do you change a light switch with two black wires?

Connect the top screw to the wire that feeds to the light. Connect the bottom screw to the hot wire. When you turn the power back on, and if you want to swap the direction of the switch (as in press down to turn off, or turn on), turn off the power and switch the two black wires.

What do I do if I have two black wires?

If I Have Two Black Electrical Wires, How Can I Tell Which One Is…

1. Set your multimeter to measure voltage.
2. Place the prong of the multimeter’s black wire on the bare metal on the end of a white wire, then read the meter.
3. Repeat the test on the other black wire to test if it’s hot.

Why does my switch have two black wires?

You should see two black wires, each connecting to a different screw on the side of the switch. These are called terminal screws. You will also see two white (neutral) wires that connect to one another in the box. These are ground wires.

Can you wire two black wires together?

If you were to leave the other wire disconnected, you’d find that other outlets and/or switches would stop working. Just go ahead and connect the new dimmer the same way. This is the typical way to connect a switch. The 2 blacks connected are “power in, power out” to the next switch in the circuit.

Can you connect two black wires together?

Is black wire positive?

Wire Colors for DC Power Positive – The wire for the positive current is red. Negative – The wire for the negative current is black.

Does black wire go to positive or negative?

Wire Colors for DC Power Positive – The wire for the positive current is red. Negative – The wire for the negative current is black. Ground – The ground wire (if present) will be white or grey.

Which wire is positive if both are black?

If the multi-colored wire is black and red, the black wire is the negative wire, while the red one is positive. If both wires are black but one has a white stripe, the striped wire is negative, while the plain black wire is positive. Look in the owner manual to determine which wires are negative in a car.

How do you hook up a dimmer switch to a wall?

Connect the two remaining dimmer wires, called traveler wires, separately to each remaining wire in your wall box. Use a screwdriver to mount your dimmer to the wall with the provided screws. Carefully tuck the wires back into the electrical outlet box. Tighten the screws holding the dimmer to the electrical box.

How do you wire a light switch with two black wires?

Secondly, how do you wire a switch with two black wires? If the switch box wiring has a bare ground wire, connect it to the green terminal screw on the switch. Connect the two hot (black) wires to the two brass terminals on the new switch. Gently push the new switch back into the box.

What does the green wire on a dimmer switch mean?

As always, green denotes the ground or copper wire. Unlike installing a light fixture, both wires going to the dimmer will be black and usually can be placed on either gold screw. There shouldn’t be any silver screws.

Do you need a dimmer switch for a 3 way switch?

You will need a three-way dimmer and a three-way switch. This lets you dim from one location and turn the lights on and off from another. If only one switch controls the light, purchase a single-pole dimmer.