We moved into this house last year, and have always wondered what a
wall switch by our MBR closet is for. There are two switches; one
turns the closet light on and off, and we don't know what the other one
does.

I've tried all the nearby outlets, and it's not for any of those.

I've been up in the attic to see if I could follow it, but there's a
lot of insulation and I don't really want to disturb it.

I did take the plate off, and yes, there are wires to and from the
switch.

Is there any way to track down what the switch might control?

Thanks in advance !

In article om,
"Notawahoo" wrote:

I did take the plate off, and yes, there are wires to and from the
switch.

Is there any way to track down what the switch might control?

About the only thing I can think of is a wire tracer. You
have to turn off the power. Then you connect a signal source
to the wires, and use the receiver to follow the wire through
the walls. You can buy wire tracers for twisted pair at places
like home depot or Greybar. I don't know how well a device
made for twisted pair is going to work with A/C wiring, but
it is worth a try.

-john-

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================================================== ====================
John A. Weeks III 952-432-2708
Newave Communications http://www.johnweeks.com
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In article om, "Notawahoo" wrote:
We moved into this house last year, and have always wondered what a
wall switch by our MBR closet is for. There are two switches; one
turns the closet light on and off, and we don't know what the other one
does.

Checked outdoors, too? Our house also has a wall switch next to a closet in
the MBR that didn't appear to do anything. It took about a year of living here
before I figured out that it controls a pair of exterior floodlights on that
end of the house.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

"Notawahoo" wrote in message
ps.com...
We moved into this house last year, and have always wondered what a
wall switch by our MBR closet is for. There are two switches; one
turns the closet light on and off, and we don't know what the other one
does.

I've tried all the nearby outlets, and it's not for any of those.

I've been up in the attic to see if I could follow it, but there's a
lot of insulation and I don't really want to disturb it.

I did take the plate off, and yes, there are wires to and from the
switch.

Is there any way to track down what the switch might control?

Single pole or 3-way switch? (2 or 3 screws on switch, not counting the
ground.)

Only thing that comes to mind is an extra switched hot in the ceiling box,
for a fan that never got installed. But those are usually 3-wire circuits,
with both switches by the hall door. Could be for an abandoned box buried in
ceiling. My sister's house had one of those- they fished it loose, and added
a couple of can lights over the couch.

aem sends...

wrote:
"Notawahoo" wrote in message
ps.com...
We moved into this house last year, and have always wondered what a
wall switch by our MBR closet is for. There are two switches; one
turns the closet light on and off, and we don't know what the other one
does.

I've tried all the nearby outlets, and it's not for any of those.

I've been up in the attic to see if I could follow it, but there's a
lot of insulation and I don't really want to disturb it.

I did take the plate off, and yes, there are wires to and from the
switch.

Is there any way to track down what the switch might control?

Single pole or 3-way switch? (2 or 3 screws on switch, not counting the
ground.)

Only thing that comes to mind is an extra switched hot in the ceiling box,
for a fan that never got installed. But those are usually 3-wire circuits,
with both switches by the hall door. Could be for an abandoned box buried in
ceiling. My sister's house had one of those- they fished it loose, and added
a couple of can lights over the couch.

aem sends...



Did you make sure you tested both the top and bottom of each outlet?
Sometimes outlets are wired so one half is always hot, while the other
half is controlled by a switch.

In article om,
Notawahoo wrote:
We moved into this house last year, and have always wondered what a
wall switch by our MBR closet is for. There are two switches; one
turns the closet light on and off, and we don't know what the other one
does.

I've tried all the nearby outlets, and it's not for any of those.

I've been up in the attic to see if I could follow it, but there's a
lot of insulation and I don't really want to disturb it.

Did you try switching it on/off while in the attic? Might be a light
bulb up there. Esp. if the attic access is in/near that closet.

One house I had had exactly that setup.
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