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William Underhill William Underhill is offline
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Default Use ground as neutral on a switch

Marilyn & Bob wrote:
We have a half a dozen X-10 type wall switches controlling CF bulbs. CF
bulbs require special X-10 type switches that need both a hot and a neutral
input. In all but one case the switch box has the neutral wire, but in one
case it does not. That switch controls a track light system with five
lights. Currently, I have a regular X-10 switch in that box and use one or
two incandescent bulbs out of the five and it works fine. Still I would
like to run all five bulbs as CF, so I need the special switch. The switch
box is grounded (BX cable) but has not neutral. In this special case that
requires very little current for very short periods, can I safely connect
the neutral terminal on a switch to the ground? As an analogy, lighted
switches use the ground as the "return" circuit, but the current demand,
while longer term is very low.


A very bad idea! Not legal and not electrically safe. I'm thinking this
switch is on the far side of a light switch, so the black comes to the
switch and the white is used as a black to go back to the light fixture.
If so, you need to pull a 3-conductor line to provide the neutral.

Don't even THINK about using the ground as a current-carrier.

W. Underhill

--
"Take sides! Always take sides! You may sometimes be wrong - but the man
who refuses to take sides must *always* be wrong! Heaven save us from
poltroons who fear to make a choice!" R.A. Heinlein, "Double Star"