electricallightingwiring
I am trying to wire 2 separate lights to 2 separate switch in one 2 gang switch I'm certain that i've done everything correctly,
The attic light switch works fine, but the bathroom light switch only works when the attic switch is on???
Im sure its really simple but it wont work :@
As mentioned in the linked questions (see the above comments) switches that are designed to only work with incandescent bulbs frequently send a low voltage through the bulb when the switch is in the off position. This is to power some component in the switch, like a night light, a motion sensor, or the receiver for a remote control. With newer energy saving bulbs like CFL's and LED's, this low voltage will cause the light to flicker, while it would have gone unnoticed with an incandescent.
The solution is to get a switch that's designed to work with energy efficient bulbs. This switch is either a standard manual switch, or it can have a dedicated neutral connection to send power over for the switch's components. To wire a switch with a dedicated neutral, either the power source needs to go through the switch's junction box, so you can pigtail off the neutral, or if the power source comes from the light fixture, you need a 3 wire connection from the fixture to the switch (hot, switched, neutral).
Please excuse my MS Paint representation, but it should help.
From what I understand, the grounding wires may not be necessary, but if the fixtures have ground wires or grounding terminals, it can only help to connect them. This question explains grounding in some more detail.
One exception is that if the vent is directly over a shower, it might need to be GFCI protected (see this question). This could be done in a variety of ways. You could install a GFCI breaker and run the vent on a dedicated circuit, but that would be annoying if it tripped since you could only reset it at the breaker. You may be able to install a dedicated GFCI outlet in the bathroom and connect the vent and switch to the protected side of that outlet. You can also find combination GFCI outlet/switches that would combine the GFCI outlet and the switch into one unit.
Best Answer
The switch and the circuit both look dead simple. I can think of two possibilities.
(1) The switch is defective. Alternatively, the switch is not actually broken but is a special application device and it does not function the way we think it does.
You'd need to borrow or buy another switch and connect it the same way. Tell the store where you bought it that you may have a defective product.
(3) You've wired it wrong but you're blind to the error. This happens to me more often than I like to admit. The first person who comes and looks over my shoulder sees immediately what I've done wrong, and looks at me like I was a chimpanzee.
The symptom you describe indicates you may have wired the switch like this:
which is why I asked about pigtailing vs. doubling up on one terminal -- to make you look at the connections from a different perspective.