I’ve done some basic wiring previously so thought I’d try installing some Jasco 45609 light switches. My first project is a couple of switches by the front door. I want to replace one switch that controls the outdoor lights (OUTDOOR) and a second switch that controls an outlet in the soffit that we use to control the Christmas lights (XMAS). There is a third switch in the box which is a 3-way switch for controlling the lights in the entryway (ENTRYWAY). I’m not touching that one at this time, maybe sometime in the future.
There are 6 electrical cables entering the box. 5 along the top (T1 - T5) and one on the bottom (B1). Each of these cables has a ground wire that is connected to a bolt at the back of the box, none of the grounds go to the switches. There are two groups of white wires (WHITE BUNDLE 1 & 2) tied together with connectors and one group of black wires (BLACK BUNDLE) tied together with a connector. Below are the cables and where each wire goes. B = Black; R = Red; W = White. T1 R would be the red wire ® in the leftmost top cable (T1).
T1 R: Load on XMAS
T1 B: Load on XMAS
T1 W: WHITE BUNDLE 2
T2 B: BLACK BUNDLE
T2 W: WHITE BUNDLE 1
T3 B: Bottom screw on OUTDOOR
T3 W: WHITE BUNDLE 1
T4 B: Common on ENTRY
T4 W: WHITE BUNDLE 1
T5 R: ENTRY
T5 B: BLACK BUNDLE
T5 W: ENTRY
B1 R: Line on XMAS
B1 B: Line on XMAS
B1 W: WHITE BUNDLE 2
Then there is a black wire going from BLACK BUNDLE to OUTDOOR (top screw)
After seeing this, I’m rather confused at how to go about wiring the Jasco 45609 switches.
OUTDOOR:
I presume that the black wire coming from the BLACK BUNDLE is the Line (from breaker) and T3 B is the Load (to outlet in soffits), am I correct?. What do I do for the Neutral T3 W? Do I need the ground wire? All the wires connected to the back of the box are too short to connect to the switch. If I need to ground the switch, can I just run a bare wire from the switch to one of the screws on the box where the other ground wires are?
XMAS:
I’m guessing this wiring (2 Loads and 2 Lines) is for controlling two outlets in the soffits. I know there’s a second outlet out there but I’ve never bothered using it as it’s up on the second storey and I never bother running Christmas lights up there. I’m not aware of any other switches in the house that control these outlets. On the Jasco 45609 there are 2 enclosure holes each at Neutral, Load and Line. Can I run B1 R & B1 B into the two enclosure holes on Line and T1 R & T1 B into the two enclosure holes on Load? Then should I run T1 W & B1 W into the two enclosure holes at Neutral?
If the above is correct, I’ve now eliminated WHITE BUNDLE 2 (both to XMAS Neutral). WHITE BUNDLE 1 will just be T2 W & T4 W.
All the above makes sense to me, but I’m not an electrician and can clearly see that I’m not sure what to do here. I’d hate to run with my above assumptions, then cause an electrical fire or shock someone. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.