Home Improvement Today?

Got my ceiling in the basement up and back wall framed

 

Almost done with floor. Next fireplace.

 

Looks good ...don't get a white dog like I did...lol

 

Calling on you electricians.

Is there a way to trace a switch to see what it controls?

I have a panel on 2 switches in my bedroom. One I know for certain controls an outlet, my lamp is plugged into it.
The other... for the life of me, I cannot find what it controls...

 

2 switches will typically be an outlet and ceiling fan. Do you have a box in the ceiling?

 

Pull the questioned switch out of the box and see if it has power on one of the two wires at the screw terminals.... With the switch turned off, one will be dead, the other will be live, the live one is the line. You'll have to remove the wire nut from the neutral (white wires) to test with the hot (black wire) wire using a meter or the like.

It may be controlling another switched outlet in the room.... have you checked the other outlets?

 

I do have a functional ceiling fan with light. It controls neither.

And I've plugged in lights to every outlet. Nothing.

 

I would like to know what wires if any are hooked to the switch. Without a tracer we go old school. If the wire is hot you can flip breakers to see which one is on. May indicate what else is on the circuit. Could be they bypassed the switch and wired it straight to the fan to be controlled with pull chains.

 

It could still be for the fan...modern fans have remotes....so you don't need to have two switches for them. You could tell by looking at how many wires come into the fan. Also in my bedroom I wired my house so I have control of the sensor lights around my house...food for thought.

 

I was just thinking something similar.

I have not checked to see that wires are actually there.

 

Pictures might be helpful just be careful.

 

Fan is not that new and not remote. Sadly, no attic to view wires. And I'm not taking it down just for that.

 

Lol...gotcha...normally you can just drop the cover.

 

We will need to see what is behind the switch plate. Still thinking they tied the black wires together behind the switch.

 

If this was my kitchen fan, I'd do it in a heart beat. This is my BR fan. Loft ceiling. Waaayyy up there.

 

So you think they are just powering the switch, but instead of putting a block off plate they just threw another switch in there. Just trying to understand...

 

I'm guessing the switch is not being used and the black wire supplying the power to the switch box is tied to the black wire going to the fan making the switch a dummy. They probably did because there isn't a three wire to control the light an fan separately usually black, red and white.

 

Yup gotcha....I just ran this wiring for my fan so I have control over the fan and light without the remote.

 

14/2 hot wire coming in and 14/3 wire going out to the fan?

 

Yup...14/3 is the switch leg ....getting fed from outlet. There is only 3 outlets on the 15amp circuit.