electricalsmart-switchswitchwiring
I was going to install a Kasa smart switch, which requires a neutral. When I opened up this box, which contains 2 switches that control 2 separate lights outside (porch and walkway), I noticed black and white wires going into both switches. Is this a sign of a switch loop for both outside lights? Does this mean that the white wire is not neutral but hot? Thanks for any help you can give a newbie!
You either have to replace the Vent wire with 14-3 AWG wire, or run a second 14-2 wire from the existing light to the vent. Assuming both switch circuits are from the same feed, you only need 3 wires to the vent. All the whites get tied to the white neutral of the feed. You could use the black (or Red) to go to the light - fan, and the Red (or black) to go to the night light.
This quick schem shows the connection with adding one 14-2 cable from the existing light to the Vent.
M-L-N can be switched around, depending on which functions go with the shared switch. I assumed the night light gets its own switch.
In some installations, there will be two switches for a fan - one for the fan and another for the light. The ceiling fan would have four wires (blue is common color for the 4th wire), and they are normally labeled Light, Fan, Common, and Ground. One wall switch will control the black wire, and the second switch will control red.
Your new fan either doesn't have lights, or the lights can't be controlled by a switch independently from the fan. The documentation should tell you what each wire is for, but your assumption should be correct - black to black (assuming your switch controls the black wire - check it), white to white, and green to ground. The red wire should simply be capped off by itself in the junction box.
Best Answer
That's exactly what it means, no neutral at the location. There are smart switches that don't require neutrals so you might want to check them out.