I have two black wires, one of them is a continuous wire with a small loop of bare wire which connects to a screw on the old switch.
My new Lutron on off switch has wires, not screws.
How do I connect to the continuous wire?
Lighting – How to connect a smart switch lead wire to a screw eye loop from the old switch
lighting
Related Solutions
Wiring diagram for Leviton PR180 3-Way Wall Mount Occupancy Sensor.
Turn off the breaker, undo both wires from the switch, then turn on the breaker. Get a NCVT (non contact voltage tester) and see which of the wires is hot. That will be the one back to the panel, the other one will be the load.
Yes, just connect the white to the other neutrals in the box, so they are all wire nutted together.
The programmable switch requires a neutral because it needs current itself all the time. If you just had the 2 black wires, there would be no current flow through the switch when it was off, so no way to power the electronics.
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Best Answer
This loop method was a "trick" that was used in the past (and by some old-timers today, probably), but it's not something that an electrician would do now. The solution is to cut that bare loop so its two wires and then bundle those two with the third wire from the new switch. Because the wire is twisted, it's best to just cut off the looped section of wire and re-strip a fresh, clean section of wire before bundling them together. Trying to straighten the loop could cause the wire to break off when tightening the wire nut on the bundle.
Oh, and be sure the power is off at the fuse/breaker before doing this, of course.