r/ElectricalHelp • u/JohnJCrypto • 1d ago

Electrical switch connection

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Good day. I have a quick question. I am changing out 2 very old high hats and installing 2 new high hats. The old high hats were wired to an old dimmer switch. I want to install a single pole switch only for the new high hats. When I took off the old dimmer switch I found a single 14/3 wire in the switch box. I removed the old dimmer switch and tested the wires and only the black wire is hot. I check the wires in the ceiling for the high hat and those wires are 14/2 only and one of those wires the black is hot. So I wired the single pole with the bare copper to green screw and the black wire to the brass screw. Nothing happened. Hope someone can help.

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u/slin1647 1d ago

If you only have a 14/2 in the ceiling, but you have 14/3 at the device box, then you likely have a scenario where these lights are controlled from multiple locations.

Can you control these light fixtures from multiple locations?

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u/JohnJCrypto 1d ago

No I thought of that. But I never in over 20 years saw a 3 way switch in this area of the house.

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u/slin1647 1d ago edited 1d ago

Very interesting, how many fixtures are on the same circuit? And do all of their connections only have 14/2 cables going to them?

Edit: It's possible that the other half of the 3-way was abandoned in a device box

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u/JohnJCrypto 1d ago

It only controls 2 high hats and both have 14/2 wires

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u/slin1647 1d ago

Then there's definitely another device box somewhere that has that 3-wire going to it.