possible bad switch? ws13a

[Elfmaze]

Got my new switch in checked across the live and load(115v) .  Checking across the live and neutral i get like 3.5v.   ground is tucked out of the way. 

A red light is on on the top of my switch.  But no response when i manually trigger it from the switch.  And not surprisingly no response when triggered from AHP( i am having other issues with the rest of the wiring. 

But i jumper-ed the live and load and the lights came on.  could it be a bad switch?

[Brian H]

I see that you connected the required Neutral wire. If I read your message correctly.
The 3.5 volts is not correct for Line to Neutral.
Are you sure that the white is a real neutral?
Is the old switch a single type and not part of a three way setup?
How many wires where in the switch box?

[Elfmaze]

old switch was just a two wire.   Live and load with a copper ground.    I have to run the neutral from an adjacent box that had the neutral wires nutted together.  I think there is also a switch that runs off the same light switch in the other room. 

[Brian H]

Is there any way you could check the voltage between the Neutral you used and ground safely?
With 3.5 volts between the Line you used and the Neutral from the other box. Almost sounds like your Neutral is not a Neutral but maybe a white [should have a black tape or marking on it] is a part of a switch loop.

Even if the switch was bad. Line to Neutral should be the 120 volts.

[Elfmaze]

Between live and ground 3.5 volts,    Between neutral and ground nothing,  and between load and ground 120v.    

I have also just learned there is a switch in the other room we don't use which is switched by the bedroom lights for whatever odd reason.

[Knightrider]

Between live and ground 3.5 volts,   .....  and between load and ground 120v.    

You sure that you have the "live" and "load" correct?

[Jsnlong]

Load is the side the light hooks to.
Live/Line is the power from the breaker


So you have 120vac on the Live side Then with the switch off you have 3.5 on the load side??

then switch on yo uhave 120v on line and load side?

Just getting confused myself want to get it right.

[Brian H]

Sounds like you may not have the correct wires.
The other switch means you have a three way setup if the other switch could also control the same set of lights.
If you remove all the bulbs and do the tests again. The results maybe different. I think the meter you are using maybe reading through the bulbs and giving strange readings.

[Elfmaze]

OPS,  yes sorry an outlet in the other room,  not a switch.   I unplugged all wired from the outlet and unscrewed the lightbulbs.  got 5V from what i thought was live to the ground.  110 between live and load,  and 0v between live and neutral.  120V between load and neutral.

It is sounding like the morons that wired this house may have got the colors bss aackward who makes the live wire white and load black?

Who said home ownership was an American dream.  Seems to be alot of frustrating work soo far... BUT the switch works.   Glad i didn't grab that innocent white wire while working back there...

Thanks guys,   I only hope i can help the next guy

[Jsnlong]

It is sounding like the morons that wired this house may have got the colors bss aackward who makes the live wire white and load black?

Who said home ownership was an American dream.  Seems to be alot of frustrating work soo far... BUT the switch works.   Glad i didn't grab that innocent white wire while working back there...

For sick people like me working on my house is fun!!! well most of it..
In my line of work you can kick color codes for wires out the window. No one follows them or at least they think they are and its wrong lol. Glad the switch is working and nothing blew up on you. Just remember the next switch you do in the house could be completely backwards the other way(or is that right lol) BE CAREFULL

[raster69273]

Thanks guys,   I only hope i can help the next guy

Simply finding your problem helps me! I now know not to trust simple house wiring!