What is this strange coiled wire and should everything be redone?












2















Problem 1



So I'm going through my house, replacing the switches and came across this switch that controls a fan in my bathroom. It looks like this may have been something the previous owner did, and did incorrectly.



switch to control fan



If you notice, there is this strange coiled wire looped around the terminals. The wire itself appears to be stripped in the middle for the terminal connections and continues with the tip exposed. This looks bad and I think should be fixed.



Problem 2



In the bathroom, the light switch controls power to this switch, so the light switch must be on to use the fan. I assume that the wires from the light switch, go to the light, then to the fan. From the fan, I believe the hot splits off and goes to this switch and back. There is no ground in the box for this switch.



The problem itself is not that big of a deal for me, just an annoyance.



Questions




  1. Besides having the ends exposed, is using this coiled wire a hazard?

  2. Should there be a ground wire with the switch?

  3. Should it be replaced with standard 14 gauge wire?

  4. Any other concerns that may stand out based on what I described?


Probably the best thing I can do is to replace it and make the fan independent of the light. This just puts a lot of work on my end as I only want to update the switch, for now. I have other plans to get an electrician to add circuits to my house at some point, just not anytime soon.



Edits



I'm a little afraid to pull it out as I believe the wires will not stay in place/can bare any weight without dangling. Here is a different angle of the switch, you can see the majority of the box. Lots of room to see inside. If this is not good enough, I'll take it out.



front of switch










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  • 1





    Can you make sure the breaker's off, unmount the switch (but not unhook the wires), and post photos showing where the weird coiled wire exits the box? I suspect something serious is afoot here...

    – ThreePhaseEel
    3 hours ago











  • @ThreePhaseEel I posted a front photo. Let me know if you want me to pull it out still. For some reason it rotated the photo when I uploaded it.

    – Brandon K
    2 hours ago











  • This looks like lamp cord.... you are in the US?

    – noybman
    1 hour ago











  • I might suggest checking all other areas... you are right that is wrong.

    – noybman
    1 hour ago











  • That lamp cord does fit the description clearly. I live in the US. So far I've swapped out about 10 switches, some with smart switches, others just normal. Everything up until this point has been original work with the house. I'm hoping the other bathroom fan was original and done correctly.

    – Brandon K
    48 mins ago
















2















Problem 1



So I'm going through my house, replacing the switches and came across this switch that controls a fan in my bathroom. It looks like this may have been something the previous owner did, and did incorrectly.



switch to control fan



If you notice, there is this strange coiled wire looped around the terminals. The wire itself appears to be stripped in the middle for the terminal connections and continues with the tip exposed. This looks bad and I think should be fixed.



Problem 2



In the bathroom, the light switch controls power to this switch, so the light switch must be on to use the fan. I assume that the wires from the light switch, go to the light, then to the fan. From the fan, I believe the hot splits off and goes to this switch and back. There is no ground in the box for this switch.



The problem itself is not that big of a deal for me, just an annoyance.



Questions




  1. Besides having the ends exposed, is using this coiled wire a hazard?

  2. Should there be a ground wire with the switch?

  3. Should it be replaced with standard 14 gauge wire?

  4. Any other concerns that may stand out based on what I described?


Probably the best thing I can do is to replace it and make the fan independent of the light. This just puts a lot of work on my end as I only want to update the switch, for now. I have other plans to get an electrician to add circuits to my house at some point, just not anytime soon.



Edits



I'm a little afraid to pull it out as I believe the wires will not stay in place/can bare any weight without dangling. Here is a different angle of the switch, you can see the majority of the box. Lots of room to see inside. If this is not good enough, I'll take it out.



front of switch










share|improve this question









New contributor




Brandon K is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
















  • 1





    Can you make sure the breaker's off, unmount the switch (but not unhook the wires), and post photos showing where the weird coiled wire exits the box? I suspect something serious is afoot here...

    – ThreePhaseEel
    3 hours ago











  • @ThreePhaseEel I posted a front photo. Let me know if you want me to pull it out still. For some reason it rotated the photo when I uploaded it.

    – Brandon K
    2 hours ago











  • This looks like lamp cord.... you are in the US?

    – noybman
    1 hour ago











  • I might suggest checking all other areas... you are right that is wrong.

    – noybman
    1 hour ago











  • That lamp cord does fit the description clearly. I live in the US. So far I've swapped out about 10 switches, some with smart switches, others just normal. Everything up until this point has been original work with the house. I'm hoping the other bathroom fan was original and done correctly.

    – Brandon K
    48 mins ago














2












2








2








Problem 1



So I'm going through my house, replacing the switches and came across this switch that controls a fan in my bathroom. It looks like this may have been something the previous owner did, and did incorrectly.



switch to control fan



If you notice, there is this strange coiled wire looped around the terminals. The wire itself appears to be stripped in the middle for the terminal connections and continues with the tip exposed. This looks bad and I think should be fixed.



Problem 2



In the bathroom, the light switch controls power to this switch, so the light switch must be on to use the fan. I assume that the wires from the light switch, go to the light, then to the fan. From the fan, I believe the hot splits off and goes to this switch and back. There is no ground in the box for this switch.



The problem itself is not that big of a deal for me, just an annoyance.



Questions




  1. Besides having the ends exposed, is using this coiled wire a hazard?

  2. Should there be a ground wire with the switch?

  3. Should it be replaced with standard 14 gauge wire?

  4. Any other concerns that may stand out based on what I described?


Probably the best thing I can do is to replace it and make the fan independent of the light. This just puts a lot of work on my end as I only want to update the switch, for now. I have other plans to get an electrician to add circuits to my house at some point, just not anytime soon.



Edits



I'm a little afraid to pull it out as I believe the wires will not stay in place/can bare any weight without dangling. Here is a different angle of the switch, you can see the majority of the box. Lots of room to see inside. If this is not good enough, I'll take it out.



front of switch










share|improve this question









New contributor




Brandon K is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.












Problem 1



So I'm going through my house, replacing the switches and came across this switch that controls a fan in my bathroom. It looks like this may have been something the previous owner did, and did incorrectly.



switch to control fan



If you notice, there is this strange coiled wire looped around the terminals. The wire itself appears to be stripped in the middle for the terminal connections and continues with the tip exposed. This looks bad and I think should be fixed.



Problem 2



In the bathroom, the light switch controls power to this switch, so the light switch must be on to use the fan. I assume that the wires from the light switch, go to the light, then to the fan. From the fan, I believe the hot splits off and goes to this switch and back. There is no ground in the box for this switch.



The problem itself is not that big of a deal for me, just an annoyance.



Questions




  1. Besides having the ends exposed, is using this coiled wire a hazard?

  2. Should there be a ground wire with the switch?

  3. Should it be replaced with standard 14 gauge wire?

  4. Any other concerns that may stand out based on what I described?


Probably the best thing I can do is to replace it and make the fan independent of the light. This just puts a lot of work on my end as I only want to update the switch, for now. I have other plans to get an electrician to add circuits to my house at some point, just not anytime soon.



Edits



I'm a little afraid to pull it out as I believe the wires will not stay in place/can bare any weight without dangling. Here is a different angle of the switch, you can see the majority of the box. Lots of room to see inside. If this is not good enough, I'll take it out.



front of switch







electrical switch vent-fan






share|improve this question









New contributor




Brandon K is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











share|improve this question









New contributor




Brandon K is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited 2 hours ago







Brandon K













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asked 3 hours ago









Brandon KBrandon K

113




113




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New contributor





Brandon K is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.






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Check out our Code of Conduct.








  • 1





    Can you make sure the breaker's off, unmount the switch (but not unhook the wires), and post photos showing where the weird coiled wire exits the box? I suspect something serious is afoot here...

    – ThreePhaseEel
    3 hours ago











  • @ThreePhaseEel I posted a front photo. Let me know if you want me to pull it out still. For some reason it rotated the photo when I uploaded it.

    – Brandon K
    2 hours ago











  • This looks like lamp cord.... you are in the US?

    – noybman
    1 hour ago











  • I might suggest checking all other areas... you are right that is wrong.

    – noybman
    1 hour ago











  • That lamp cord does fit the description clearly. I live in the US. So far I've swapped out about 10 switches, some with smart switches, others just normal. Everything up until this point has been original work with the house. I'm hoping the other bathroom fan was original and done correctly.

    – Brandon K
    48 mins ago














  • 1





    Can you make sure the breaker's off, unmount the switch (but not unhook the wires), and post photos showing where the weird coiled wire exits the box? I suspect something serious is afoot here...

    – ThreePhaseEel
    3 hours ago











  • @ThreePhaseEel I posted a front photo. Let me know if you want me to pull it out still. For some reason it rotated the photo when I uploaded it.

    – Brandon K
    2 hours ago











  • This looks like lamp cord.... you are in the US?

    – noybman
    1 hour ago











  • I might suggest checking all other areas... you are right that is wrong.

    – noybman
    1 hour ago











  • That lamp cord does fit the description clearly. I live in the US. So far I've swapped out about 10 switches, some with smart switches, others just normal. Everything up until this point has been original work with the house. I'm hoping the other bathroom fan was original and done correctly.

    – Brandon K
    48 mins ago








1




1





Can you make sure the breaker's off, unmount the switch (but not unhook the wires), and post photos showing where the weird coiled wire exits the box? I suspect something serious is afoot here...

– ThreePhaseEel
3 hours ago





Can you make sure the breaker's off, unmount the switch (but not unhook the wires), and post photos showing where the weird coiled wire exits the box? I suspect something serious is afoot here...

– ThreePhaseEel
3 hours ago













@ThreePhaseEel I posted a front photo. Let me know if you want me to pull it out still. For some reason it rotated the photo when I uploaded it.

– Brandon K
2 hours ago





@ThreePhaseEel I posted a front photo. Let me know if you want me to pull it out still. For some reason it rotated the photo when I uploaded it.

– Brandon K
2 hours ago













This looks like lamp cord.... you are in the US?

– noybman
1 hour ago





This looks like lamp cord.... you are in the US?

– noybman
1 hour ago













I might suggest checking all other areas... you are right that is wrong.

– noybman
1 hour ago





I might suggest checking all other areas... you are right that is wrong.

– noybman
1 hour ago













That lamp cord does fit the description clearly. I live in the US. So far I've swapped out about 10 switches, some with smart switches, others just normal. Everything up until this point has been original work with the house. I'm hoping the other bathroom fan was original and done correctly.

– Brandon K
48 mins ago





That lamp cord does fit the description clearly. I live in the US. So far I've swapped out about 10 switches, some with smart switches, others just normal. Everything up until this point has been original work with the house. I'm hoping the other bathroom fan was original and done correctly.

– Brandon K
48 mins ago










2 Answers
2






active

oldest

votes


















2














This should definitely be redone with a standard 14/3 NM-B cable



Whoever installed this lightswitch used the first thing they could get their hands on, apparently SPT-2 parallel cordage of some sort, instead of NM cable. As a result, there is no ground in this box at the moment, nor is their a neutral, which is now a requirement to provide at switch locations to accommodate smart switches and such.



As a result, the entire cable that connects this switch to the fixture it controls needs to be replaced with a 14/3 NM cable -- black goes to always-hot in the vent-fan box, red goes to the vent fan hot, white goes in with the neutral bundle that the fan connects to, and bare goes to the ground bundle. In the switch box, bare goes to the green ground screw on the switch, black goes to one switch terminal, red goes to the other switch terminal, and white simply gets capped off with a wirenut as it's not used for a "dumb" mechanical switch that simply sits in the circuit hot and breaks it.



This is also a sign of further trouble lurking



This sort of sloppy work in one place means one thing: that there's probably more trouble lurking where you cannot see. Do not be surprised if you see more flagrant Code violations during further work. If you have a friendly electrician at hand, you may wish to call them in and go on a Code-violation scavenger hunt through your house with them, even.






share|improve this answer































    1














    It looks like someone has used lamp cord here. It should be pulled out, and redone with Romex, or whatever is legal where you live.






    share|improve this answer








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    Monkeynest is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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      Your Answer








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      2 Answers
      2






      active

      oldest

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      2 Answers
      2






      active

      oldest

      votes









      active

      oldest

      votes






      active

      oldest

      votes









      2














      This should definitely be redone with a standard 14/3 NM-B cable



      Whoever installed this lightswitch used the first thing they could get their hands on, apparently SPT-2 parallel cordage of some sort, instead of NM cable. As a result, there is no ground in this box at the moment, nor is their a neutral, which is now a requirement to provide at switch locations to accommodate smart switches and such.



      As a result, the entire cable that connects this switch to the fixture it controls needs to be replaced with a 14/3 NM cable -- black goes to always-hot in the vent-fan box, red goes to the vent fan hot, white goes in with the neutral bundle that the fan connects to, and bare goes to the ground bundle. In the switch box, bare goes to the green ground screw on the switch, black goes to one switch terminal, red goes to the other switch terminal, and white simply gets capped off with a wirenut as it's not used for a "dumb" mechanical switch that simply sits in the circuit hot and breaks it.



      This is also a sign of further trouble lurking



      This sort of sloppy work in one place means one thing: that there's probably more trouble lurking where you cannot see. Do not be surprised if you see more flagrant Code violations during further work. If you have a friendly electrician at hand, you may wish to call them in and go on a Code-violation scavenger hunt through your house with them, even.






      share|improve this answer




























        2














        This should definitely be redone with a standard 14/3 NM-B cable



        Whoever installed this lightswitch used the first thing they could get their hands on, apparently SPT-2 parallel cordage of some sort, instead of NM cable. As a result, there is no ground in this box at the moment, nor is their a neutral, which is now a requirement to provide at switch locations to accommodate smart switches and such.



        As a result, the entire cable that connects this switch to the fixture it controls needs to be replaced with a 14/3 NM cable -- black goes to always-hot in the vent-fan box, red goes to the vent fan hot, white goes in with the neutral bundle that the fan connects to, and bare goes to the ground bundle. In the switch box, bare goes to the green ground screw on the switch, black goes to one switch terminal, red goes to the other switch terminal, and white simply gets capped off with a wirenut as it's not used for a "dumb" mechanical switch that simply sits in the circuit hot and breaks it.



        This is also a sign of further trouble lurking



        This sort of sloppy work in one place means one thing: that there's probably more trouble lurking where you cannot see. Do not be surprised if you see more flagrant Code violations during further work. If you have a friendly electrician at hand, you may wish to call them in and go on a Code-violation scavenger hunt through your house with them, even.






        share|improve this answer


























          2












          2








          2







          This should definitely be redone with a standard 14/3 NM-B cable



          Whoever installed this lightswitch used the first thing they could get their hands on, apparently SPT-2 parallel cordage of some sort, instead of NM cable. As a result, there is no ground in this box at the moment, nor is their a neutral, which is now a requirement to provide at switch locations to accommodate smart switches and such.



          As a result, the entire cable that connects this switch to the fixture it controls needs to be replaced with a 14/3 NM cable -- black goes to always-hot in the vent-fan box, red goes to the vent fan hot, white goes in with the neutral bundle that the fan connects to, and bare goes to the ground bundle. In the switch box, bare goes to the green ground screw on the switch, black goes to one switch terminal, red goes to the other switch terminal, and white simply gets capped off with a wirenut as it's not used for a "dumb" mechanical switch that simply sits in the circuit hot and breaks it.



          This is also a sign of further trouble lurking



          This sort of sloppy work in one place means one thing: that there's probably more trouble lurking where you cannot see. Do not be surprised if you see more flagrant Code violations during further work. If you have a friendly electrician at hand, you may wish to call them in and go on a Code-violation scavenger hunt through your house with them, even.






          share|improve this answer













          This should definitely be redone with a standard 14/3 NM-B cable



          Whoever installed this lightswitch used the first thing they could get their hands on, apparently SPT-2 parallel cordage of some sort, instead of NM cable. As a result, there is no ground in this box at the moment, nor is their a neutral, which is now a requirement to provide at switch locations to accommodate smart switches and such.



          As a result, the entire cable that connects this switch to the fixture it controls needs to be replaced with a 14/3 NM cable -- black goes to always-hot in the vent-fan box, red goes to the vent fan hot, white goes in with the neutral bundle that the fan connects to, and bare goes to the ground bundle. In the switch box, bare goes to the green ground screw on the switch, black goes to one switch terminal, red goes to the other switch terminal, and white simply gets capped off with a wirenut as it's not used for a "dumb" mechanical switch that simply sits in the circuit hot and breaks it.



          This is also a sign of further trouble lurking



          This sort of sloppy work in one place means one thing: that there's probably more trouble lurking where you cannot see. Do not be surprised if you see more flagrant Code violations during further work. If you have a friendly electrician at hand, you may wish to call them in and go on a Code-violation scavenger hunt through your house with them, even.







          share|improve this answer












          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer










          answered 1 hour ago









          ThreePhaseEelThreePhaseEel

          30.7k114891




          30.7k114891

























              1














              It looks like someone has used lamp cord here. It should be pulled out, and redone with Romex, or whatever is legal where you live.






              share|improve this answer








              New contributor




              Monkeynest is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
              Check out our Code of Conduct.

























                1














                It looks like someone has used lamp cord here. It should be pulled out, and redone with Romex, or whatever is legal where you live.






                share|improve this answer








                New contributor




                Monkeynest is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                Check out our Code of Conduct.























                  1












                  1








                  1







                  It looks like someone has used lamp cord here. It should be pulled out, and redone with Romex, or whatever is legal where you live.






                  share|improve this answer








                  New contributor




                  Monkeynest is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                  Check out our Code of Conduct.










                  It looks like someone has used lamp cord here. It should be pulled out, and redone with Romex, or whatever is legal where you live.







                  share|improve this answer








                  New contributor




                  Monkeynest is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                  Check out our Code of Conduct.









                  share|improve this answer



                  share|improve this answer






                  New contributor




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                  answered 1 hour ago









                  MonkeynestMonkeynest

                  112




                  112




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