In the UK, its normal practice not to have a neutral conductor at the light switch. Substantial work would be required to rewire each light switch drop with a suitable 3 core and earth cable.
Where does the neutral wire go on a light switch?
You’ll know you have a neutral wire if there is a coil of white or gray wires behind the light switch, not connected to the switch. A light switch with a neutral wire coil, joined by a yellow wire nut. If you don’t have a coil behind the light switch, you probably only have three wires – a black, white and copper wire.
What to do if you dont have a neutral wire?
If you want to use smart switches and don't have a neutral wire in your switch box, you can hire an electrician to run a neutral wire between the light fixture and the switch. You can also have an electrician rewire the switch and light fixture, which is potentially more expensive.
What is meant by neutral wire?
A neutral wire is any wire with 0 volts potential to ground, hence a neutral potential. In three phase electricity, transformers have three separate windings. If one end of each winding is tied together to form one connection point, this point is typically referred to as the common connection.
How do you wire a switch without a neutral wire?
- First you want to turn off your breaker box to turn off power to the light switch. ...
- Next you want to remove the decorative face plate that covers your light switch.
- Pull the light switch out from the wall slowly to examine the wires.
- A white wire, or a group of white wires, is the tell-tale sign that a neutral wire is installed.
How can I tell if my light switch has a neutral wire?
Remove the wall plate of the existing switch by either snapping it off or unscrewing it. Unscrew the existing switch from the electrical box and slowly pull it out just enough to reveal the wires connected to it. If you see a white wire, or a group of them, then you have neutral wiring.
Does a standard light switch have a neutral wire?
Standard rocker and toggle switches will not have a neutral wire connected. If you do find a white wire connected to a rocker or toggle switch, it is likely not a neutral wire. You can check out our support article on common switches to help identify which wire this will be.
Does my light switch have a neutral UK?
To check if you have a neutral wire, you can pop open a switch box in your home, if you know how to do so safely (you can also have an electrician come do it). If you see a white wire coming out of the gang box, you likely have a neutral wire. If your switch box doesn't have a neutral wire, you have two options.
How do I know which wire is neutral on a light switch UK?
Most of the time, you can tell whether you have a neutral at the switch or not by removing the switch and having a look at the wires inside. Firstly, if you see a blue cable with brown tape, then that's a switched live and you likely don't have a neutral.
Why doesn't my light switch have a neutral wire?
Switches don't get neutrals, they only want 2 wires: hot and switched-hot. Unless you're dealing with a smartswitch, those take neutrals but there is still a switched hot to account for. And red is a common switched-hot color, but it would never, ever, ever, ever be used for neutral. Ever.
What happens if a light switch doesn't have a neutral wire?
The neutral wire allows the completion of the circuit and the switch to have power even when it's turned to the off position when you want the lights off. Without this neutral wire in place, the circuit is broken any time the switch is now in the off position. It remains has power when the switch is in the On Mode.
How do you wire a single light switch UK?
0:515:21How to wire a 1 way light switch. One way lighting explained. - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo the live goes from the loop. Around. Then you length the cable to your light switch when thisMoreSo the live goes from the loop. Around. Then you length the cable to your light switch when this switch is turned on the neutral cable is used to provide a live current back to the line.
How do I identify a neutral wire?
Neutral wires should be white. However, if you see a white wire with electrical tape on it, that may indicate that it's being used as a hot wire. And ground wires are often plain copper, but the ground wire color can be green. It's also possible to have some other colors may come into play depending on the system.
How can you tell if a wire is live or neutral UK?
Key TakeawaysThe new electrical wiring colours in the UK are green and yellow for the earth wire; brown for the live wire, and blue for the neutral wire.The old electrical wiring colours in the UK are green and yellow (or bare) for the earth wire; red for the live wire, and black for the neutral wire.More items...
Do old houses have neutral wires?
Neutral Wires are a Pain Without a neutral wire, they don't work, and that's a problem because most older homes don't have neutral wires. Instead, you'll only find load, line, and (hopefully) ground wires.
How to supply neutral to a switch?
There are usually two ways of supplying a Neutral to a switch. Use two 2 core cables and you would have to join the Neutral conductors together in a Wago or connector block at the switch. Use one 3 core cable, one core for permanent live, one core for switched live and the last core for Neutral.
Is a permanent line a neutral line?
One conductor will be permanent line and the other will be switched line. If there are three or more conductors and an earth in the switch then there is most likely a neutral. You would have to ring it through with a meter or a buzzer to be sure though.
Does an electrician speak English?
The electrician doesn't speak good English so there's a language barrier as well. When I speak to the company owner (my point of contact) he will relay the message to the electrician but I'm not 100% confident my point of contact knows what I'm saying and I'm not 100% sure I'm speaking the right terminology.
Do smart switches require neutral?
I know there are smart switches that don't require neutral but these work by keeping sending a small amount of power to the light to keep the smart switch powered (but not enough to actually light the bulb). This feels terribly wasteful on energy, especially if there's a lot of switches and bulbs.
Is a switch neutral or neutral?
If there are two conductors and an earth in the switch then there is no neutral. One conductor will be permanent line and the other will be switched line. If there are three or more conductors and an earth in the switch then there is most likely a neutral.
What to do if your switch box doesn't have a neutral wire?
(Image credit: GE Lighting) If your switch box doesn’t have a neutral wire, you have two options. First, you can have an electrician install one. Our electrician claimed it’s not difficult work, but they’ll need to get behind your walls.
What is neutral wire?
In terms of a home’s power flow, the neutral wire provides a return path for currents essential to most modern U.S. electrical codes. Combined with a power source and ground wire, you have the makeup of a contemporary light switch, but earlier switches operate without the neutral. So when it comes to designing a smart home, ...
How to tell if you have neutral wires?
The easiest way to determine whether you have neutral wires in your switches is to know when your house was built, or the last time it underwent a major renovation. If that happened after 1990, it’s most likely you have neutral wires running throughout your home.
Can you use smart switches without a neutral wire?
The non-demolition option is to use any of the best smart light bulbs or use smart switches that work without a neutral wire. A few years ago, there weren’t many companies addressing the wiring discrepancies of older homes.
Do smart switches need neutral wires?
Several of the best smart switches still need a neutral wire to complete a given circuit and stay powered 24/7. The Brilliant smart home controller, for example, demands constant power to fulfill its role as a wall-mounted display to manage your collection of connected devices. A neutral wire also provides individual dimming functionality for the controller’s switches.