I have a 2 switch switch, it controls 2 different lights. When one is turned on it sparks and trips the circuit breaker. I disconnected the lite and wire nutted the wires and closed off the outside lite box. I replaced the switch but it still sparks and trips the breaker. I cut the wire going to that lite flush and wire nutted it and used electrical tape. I then put it back in the plastic wall box, reclosed everything the 2nd lite works. Is this safe since the wire I wire nutted is a hot wire?
Electrical – 2 switch lite switch
electrical
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I think I know what's going on here, the solution is simple if the situation is as I understand it. I'll go over it again as confirmation.
The butchered wire should be the unswitched power from source that continues through the two switches, one for each light in turn, then on to the lights, then return via neutral. If you're in North America and the usual color codes were followed, this wire should be black. (Neutrals are white) The original configuration had a short length of insulation stripped from the end and attached to a switch (closet?). A few inches away, the same wire had a length of insulation stripped, but with insulation left in between the stripped portions. The copper wire itself remained continuous, the non-end bare portion looped partly around the binding screw of the other switch (bathroom?). See sketch below "Original". Only the pertinent wiring is shown, all other wiring omitted for clarity.
You then taped up the inner stripped portion and reinstalled the wire end to one switch, leaving the other without power. Correct?
If so, this is a somewhat common bad practice, mainly because the unbroken partial loop cannot be properly bound to the terminal. The fix is easy. You need a wire nut sized for 3 conductors of whatever wire gauge is used (usually #12 or #14 AWG) and two short lengths of the same gauge black insulated solid copper wire.
Remove your taped patch and cut the wire so that the entire wire is completely insulated except for the final 5/8"-3/4" which remains bare. (See sketch "Cut") Attach this and the two short pieces (ends stripped in similar fashion) with the wire nut.
The other ends of the short pieces are attached, one per switch, to where the original wire was attached. (See sketch "New") There is a particular way to make binding screw connections which you may not see in the existing work. Do NOT make a simple U bend and hook it around the binding screw, you do not get adequate surface contact this way. (Sketch "NO!")
Instead, pre-bend the wire end into a nearly complete circle, so it is configured much like an eye bolt eye. (Sketch "Yes") Re-open the end gap just enough to slip the binding screw through. The loop must go clockwise around the screw so tightening the screw closes the end gap. Before tightening the screw, pre-close the gap as best you can with needle nose pliers. Firmly tighten the binding screw and it will draw the gap the rest of the way closed.
You can see electrically you have the exact same situation, but now you have used good quality methods to achieve the connections.
It's possible you have a short. From your question I don't know if you disconnected D by removing the connection at C or D. You could try this:
I'll assume since you did all this you're basically OK working with electrical. Get yourself a non contact voltage detector and use that through this whole process to confirm things are dead before you touch them.
With the breaker off, and the switch off, look at the wiring in the box at D. Look for any place the bare conductor of the hot wire could touch the bare ground wire, the neutral, or metal inside the box. Look for nicks in the wire, places where stripped wire extends past the wire nut, etc.
If that doesn't reveal anything, with the breaker and switch still off, remove the last light fixture (D) and cap the hot and neutral wires with wire nuts. Turn on the breaker, turn on the switch, see if it trips. If so, there is probably a short between the hot and neutral wires or hot and ground wires in the cable between C and D.
If it trips with the D light disconnected and the wires capped, turn the breaker and switch back off, remove the C fixture, undo the wiring and cap the wires that feed D, and reconnect C as if it was the last light in the line. Turn the breaker back on, turn the switch back on, and confirm that the breaker doesn't trip.
If it does, then something's not consistent. I'll assume it doesn't.
- Turn off the breaker and switch again, and test for continuity between the hot and neutral wires from C to D, and between the hot and ground from C to D. If you see continuity with the wires disconnected and capped at both ends, you've found a short. The wire from C to D will have to be replaced.
If this doesn't lead you to a fix, you might want to call in for reinforcements, and leave that breaker off until they arrive.
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Best Answer
That is the accepted practice for dead ending a wire. The wire nut and tape. Sounds like you insulated it well enough if everything is working without sparks or tripped breakers now. Just keep your eye on it for a while.