I have discovered that there are two ways to wire a switch for a light
fixture.
1) pull two NM wires to the switch - one power the other goes to light
fixture
2) pull one NM wire to the switch - two wires to the fixture , one
from the switch (mark the white lead with black marker at the ends)
and one from power source.

My question would be which one is more preferable? I would like to
avoid fishing two wires to the switch box. Any advice is welcomed. I'm
in Ontario.

Thanks

Dom

In article . com, Dom wrote:
I have discovered that there are two ways to wire a switch for a light fixture.
1) pull two NM wires to the switch - one power the other goes to light fixture
2) pull one NM wire to the switch - two wires to the fixture , one
from the switch (mark the white lead with black marker at the ends)
and one from power source.

My question would be which one is more preferable? I would like to
avoid fishing two wires to the switch box.

Then clearly the second option is the more preferable. :-)

It really doesn't make much of a difference, unless you might at some time
want to install a device, such as a timer switch or combination switch/outlet,
which needs a neutral, in which case you need at least three conductors
(constant hot, switched hot, and neutral). That could be achieved either with
two 2-wire cables or one 3-wire cable.


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

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

On 23 Apr 2007 08:35:12 -0700, Dom wrote:

I have discovered that there are two ways to wire a switch for a light
fixture.
1) pull two NM wires to the switch - one power the other goes to light
fixture
2) pull one NM wire to the switch - two wires to the fixture , one
from the switch (mark the white lead with black marker at the ends)
and one from power source.

My question would be which one is more preferable? I would like to
avoid fishing two wires to the switch box. Any advice is welcomed. I'm
in Ontario.


I would find 1) to be preferable. It allows for any future devices
that require a neutral.

Thanks

Dom
--
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"God was invented by man for a reason, that
reason is no longer applicable."

According to Dom :
I have discovered that there are two ways to wire a switch for a light
fixture.
1) pull two NM wires to the switch - one power the other goes to light
fixture
2) pull one NM wire to the switch - two wires to the fixture , one
from the switch (mark the white lead with black marker at the ends)
and one from power source.

My question would be which one is more preferable? I would like to
avoid fishing two wires to the switch box. Any advice is welcomed. I'm
in Ontario.

1) is preferred for future flexibility. The main advantage to (2) is
that it sometimes makes whole house electrical jobs a bit cheaper, or
it can take advantage of existing wiring on a reno.
--
Chris Lewis,

Age and Treachery will Triumph over Youth and Skill
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.

On Apr 23, 11:35 am, Dom wrote:
I have discovered that there are two ways to wire a switch for a light
fixture.
1) pull two NM wires to the switch - one power the other goes to light
fixture
2) pull one NM wire to the switch - two wires to the fixture , one
from the switch (mark the white lead with black marker at the ends)
and one from power source.

My question would be which one is more preferable? I would like to
avoid fishing two wires to the switch box. Any advice is welcomed. I'm
in Ontario.

Thanks

Dom

#1 less connections buried in light its easier to pull out a switch
to trouble shoot than pulling down lite fixtures.

"Chris Lewis" wrote in message
...
According to Dom :
I have discovered that there are two ways to wire a switch for a light
fixture.
1) pull two NM wires to the switch - one power the other goes to light
fixture
2) pull one NM wire to the switch - two wires to the fixture , one
from the switch (mark the white lead with black marker at the ends)
and one from power source.

1) is preferred for future flexibility. The main advantage to (2) is
that it sometimes makes whole house electrical jobs a bit cheaper, or
it can take advantage of existing wiring on a reno.

Are both methods allowed by electrical code?
All switches I have seen are wires using method 1.

On Wed, 25 Apr 2007 17:49:35 GMT, "peter" wrote:


"Chris Lewis" wrote in message
...
According to Dom :
I have discovered that there are two ways to wire a switch for a light
fixture.
1) pull two NM wires to the switch - one power the other goes to light
fixture
2) pull one NM wire to the switch - two wires to the fixture , one
from the switch (mark the white lead with black marker at the ends)
and one from power source.

1) is preferred for future flexibility. The main advantage to (2) is
that it sometimes makes whole house electrical jobs a bit cheaper, or
it can take advantage of existing wiring on a reno.

Are both methods allowed by electrical code?
All switches I have seen are wires using method 1.


I've seen a lot that used #2, but almost never marked as they should
be. I still prefer #1, which is more flexible.
--
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"God was invented by man for a reason, that
reason is no longer applicable."

According to peter :

"Chris Lewis" wrote in message
...
According to Dom :
I have discovered that there are two ways to wire a switch for a light
fixture.
1) pull two NM wires to the switch - one power the other goes to light
fixture
2) pull one NM wire to the switch - two wires to the fixture , one
from the switch (mark the white lead with black marker at the ends)
and one from power source.

1) is preferred for future flexibility. The main advantage to (2) is
that it sometimes makes whole house electrical jobs a bit cheaper, or
it can take advantage of existing wiring on a reno.

Are both methods allowed by electrical code?
All switches I have seen are wires using method 1.

Both methods are permitted. I've seen several DIY sources
expressing a strong preference for (2), which makes little
sense to me at all. I think they're just copying what they
see electricians doing tract houses do. It's a bit faster,
so it lets them do more jobs.

Method (2) may originally have been a carryover from knob & tube
days, where the hot wire tends to route between ceiling
fixtures with the outlets and switches tapped off it, and where
there was less concern about multiple circuits (ganged
switches on different circuits) being in the same box.

I _prefer_, and almost exclusively do method (1), but sometimes
(2) works out better with a reno.

I don't like marking wires either ;-)
--
Chris Lewis,

Age and Treachery will Triumph over Youth and Skill
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.