Is wiring switches together up to code?

9 years ago

Hi,

I'm putting in some z-wave and replacing the rest of my switches with rockers in my new house, and just pulled the plate on a 4 gang box and noticed that three of the switches are chained together. One has the line coming in and has an additional wire on that same pole running to the second switch, which also has a wire running to the third. It works fine, but was wondering if that is code, as I've always seen it pigtailed from the line to additional switches on the same circuit, and in fact this is the first place in the home I've encountered this wiring scheme. Of course, it looks like about 10 people, all with different ideas, wired the house!

Thx!

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Comments (8)

Ron Natalie
9 years ago
It's fine. About only time you're not allowed to chain through the device is neutrals on multiwire branch circuits.
hippy
9 years ago
As Ron stated. You are fine.

A lot of people do that to keep from over stuffing a box with wire nuts and extra wire from a single line coming in.

When putting multiple switches in a gang box. I'd rather go into the attic and split the supply line in a junction box into the number of feeders needed. That way if, Say for example a switched fan goes bad. You do not have to go without lights until a new fan has been installed or repaired.
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Thanks for posting that section, Fred! I've been having trouble finding the right section in the codes, most of the things I've come across have been from secondary sources writing about the codes. Always loses some detail in the translation. I think exception 3 should apply to my situation, but with a twist (there's always a twist). I looked through the permit documents the city has available online, and it looks like there were two separate permits for downstairs work. The first permit related to the portion of the downstairs where the alarms are actually located, and was described as "Remodel existing space behind garage, no enlarge of existing habitable space." I'm assuming if walls had been removed, that would have been indicated in the description (no idea if that's a safe assumption or not). The second permit was a issued a year later, and relates to the other end of the downstairs area, i.e., away from the alarms. That permit was described as "Remove bearing wall next to stair on ground floor." So there was a wall taken out downstairs at some point. Did removing that wall negate the code exception for the entire downstairs, such that removal triggered the need to install wired alarms throughout the downstairs area? Such an outcome would seem pretty draconian, since it would require a significant tear down of areas that are nowhere near the permitted work area. I'm really impressed by the responses on here as a whole. My wife and I had used Houzz in the past primarily to get ideas for decorating/remodeling, had no idea there was such a great user community.
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Ron Natalie
9 years ago
Note, the one thing to watch is the rating on the dimmers. Many must be derated if multiples are stuffed in a multigang box. Read the manufacturer's instructions.
carlogui
9 years ago
I'm helping a friend rewiring part of his house and I found this situation: 2 12-3 home runs, one going straight to the kitchen wall and the other one going to the furnace in the garage. The first 12-3 feeds two recept. with the blk. crt, the the red crt. jumps to the switch box to feed the disp.
Then, the 12-3 in the garage, one crt. feeds the furnace and other crt. goes to the same disp. switch box. to feed the dishwasher. Here is where I see the problem, they ran a 12-3 to the the recept. under the sink and tied the disp to the red leg and the dishwasher to the blk leg and all the neutrals together, is that right, having neutrals together from two different H.R.?
greg_2010
9 years ago
carlogui,
It would be better to start a new thread than to piggy back onto an old one.
I'm having a hard time picturing your layout, but if the neutrals from two different multi-wire branch circuits are tied together (making it a total of 4 circuits sharing one neutral on some part of the wiring) then that's wrong.
But a diagram would help to really get this straight.
rwiegand
9 years ago
I'm surprised that multiple wires under one screw terminal on a switch is considered OK (vs, say on an outlet that has two screw terminals on a side, or a backwire configuration designed for multiple wires.) In fixing old wiring I've found this to be one of the most problematic practices, with one or both wires coming loose or arcing. Even if it's OK by code (and I'll trust the real electricians on that) I wouldn't do it, having seen it fail more than once in practice.
greg_2010
9 years ago
I'm surprised that multiple wires under one screw terminal on a switch is considered OK
It isn't. And if that's what the OP is trying to describe, then he should change it.
I think what everyone else is picturing is either using the screw and the backstab or just looping the wire around the screw and having the same wire continue on to the next switch.
greg_2010
9 years ago
Here's an example of the second case.
The "wires" under the top screws are actually a single continuous wire with it's jacket stripped for a little section.

Is wiring switches together up to code?

Comments (8)

Ron Natalie

hippy

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