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[jake20]

Ok, so I have a bunch of X10 WS467 wall switches controlling a hall light,kitchen track lighting, and my outdoor porch lights.
The problem is that the outdoor porch lights are Florescent, and while they do work with my existing X10 WS467 2 wire wall switch, my X10 keychain remote is now failing to turn them on.

So, I bought an XPS3 switch thinking I could just replace my WS467 with the XPS3, and boom.. done deal.
Well, i have since come to read that its not quite so easy..

Right now I have 2 black wires, and one red going to my WS467. No white "Neutral" wires
But I was looking in my electrical box today behind the WS467, and i think i see a cluster of white wires.

So, can some PLEASE tell me if i do in fact have a neutral wire, will i be able to use the XPS3 switch to turn off and on these porch lights from the actual XPS3 unit, as well as a handheld keychain remote?

thanks guys!

[Brian H]

If the white wires in the back of the electrical box are all connected together. They should be the Neutral and you can add a white wire to the bundle for the XPS3.

[jake20]

If the white wires in the back of the electrical box are all connected together. They should be the Neutral and you can add a white wire to the bundle for the XPS3.

Brian, thanks for responding!

So, should i take just one of the white wires from the bundle in the back of my electrical box, and run that one white wire to the XPS3 neutral connection?
or do i need to fill both neutral connections on the XPS3?

Just want to be sure i am understanding correctly.

thanks!

[dave w]

So, should i take just one of the white wires from the bundle in the back of my electrical box,

Don't [just] disconnect a neutral from the bundle, it won't be tied to neutral any longer.

Either add a short lenght of 14GA white wire to the wire nut bundle and run that short jumper wire to the switch. Or disconnect one of the wires from the bundle and connect to one of the switches neutral screws, but then run a short white 14GA jumper wire from the second switch neutral screw back to the bundle.

[jake20]

So, should i take just one of the white wires from the bundle in the back of my electrical box,

Don't [just] disconnect a neutral from the bundle, it won't be tied to neutral any longer.

Either add a short lenght of 14GA white wire to the wire nut bundle and run that short jumper wire to the switch. Or disconnect one of the wires from the bundle and connect to one of the switches neutral screws, but then run a short white 14GA jumper wire from the second switch neutral screw back to the bundle.

ok, i got it now.. I will do that and let you know how it goes.
thanks again!

[dave w]

Went you loosen the wire nut from the bundle, be very careful! Don't touch the bare wires.

I darn near got 'cuted years ago doing this very manuver. Whether to code or not, the builder had tied neutrals from more than one branch circuit togeather in the bundle. I had turned off the breaker feeding the switch I was working on, but did not realize other "neutrals" in the bundle were from still live circuits. When I seperated the wires, thus disconnecting them from the neutral path back to the breaker panel, some now had 120V on them...which I discovered the hard way.

Sage advice is to not touch the copper when working with a bundle of neutral wires.