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Electrical Wiring

Ceiling fan switch: no ground wire

13 years ago

I'm changing a wall switch, which controls a ceiling fan and light (two separate controls on the switch). The switch I bought said it can be wired to all existing fan/light wiring. It has three wires coming out of it: fan, light, power(hot). The old one had four wires: fan, light, power, ground. The new one does not have a ground wire or even a terminal to connect the bare ground wire that used to be connected to the green ground of the old switch. Did I get the wrong switch or am I to simply connect the bare ground wire to the screw holding the new switch box to the wall box? Thanks!

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Comments (4)

joed
13 years ago
Leave the ground off.
manhattan42
13 years ago
Grounded switches can only be replaced with grounded switches.

You need to get another switch, just as you had before, that includes a equipment grounding terminal or wire.
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hexus
13 years ago
"Grounded switches can only be replaced with grounded switches. "

Give the code reference
manhattan42
13 years ago
Switches 2008 NEC Article 409.9(B) "Grounding":

"Snap switches, including dimmer and similar control switches, shall be connected to an equipment grounding conductor and shall provide a means to connect metal faceplates to the equipment grounding conductor, whether or not a metal faceplate is installed. Snap switches shall be considered to be part of the effective ground-fault current path if either of the following conditions is met:

(1) The switch is mounted with metal screws to a metal box or metal cover that is connected to an equipment grounding conductor or to a nonmetallic box with integral means for connecting to an equipment grounding conductor.

(2)An equipment bonding jumper is connected to an equipment grounding termination of the snap switch."

----------------------------
Since the original poster makes no mention of a metal box nor any mention of a non-metallic box with an integral means to connect to an equipment grounding conductor, the only type switch that can be used here is one that has its own equipment grounding conductor terminal or equipment grounding conductor.

It is a code violation to use the ungrounded switch he purchased and needs to replace it.

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