Replacing single pole switch with smart switch

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beachhouse

beachhouse

Bronze Supporter
Jul 11, 2021
81
East Hampton, NY
Pool Size
30000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
Hi,

While fixing my pool light, and decided to upgrade to a smart switch.
Currently, I have is an old 2-gang outdoor metal box containing:
- A GFCI receptacle
- A Single-pole switch for the pool light

The pool light gets power from the LOAD side of the GFCI (note that I omitted the ground wires in the picture).

Screen Shot 2022-06-30 at 10.08.49 PM.png

The smart switch I purchased requires a neutral wire.
So, I would need two neutral wires: one for the smart switch, and one for the pool light.

Where do I get the second neutral wire?

Thanks,
Fabio
 
Last edited:
Pull the neutral that goes to the light. Add a short piece of wire from the load side of the GFCI and pig tail the 3
Screenshot_20220630-223018_Chrome.jpg
 
Newdude said:
Pull the neutral that goes to the light. Add a short piece of wire from the load side of the GFCI and pig tail the 3
Click to expand...

Thanks! That's what I thought, but I didn't know if it was allowed for the smart switch and the pool light to "share" the same neutral wire from the GFCI.
I'll work on it over the weekend and report back.

As a fun note: this is what I am starting with. The metal box with the switch was installed many years ago, and it got partially buried underground. Nobody knew where the pool light switch was. I noticed the box by chance under a big plant, after searching for a year. The old GFCI and the switch were completely rusted, so I'll have to replace everything, including the metal box. The good thing is that I get 120V, so the wiring is still fine.

Pl1.jpeg
pl2.jpeg
 
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beachhouse said:
I noticed the box by chance under a big plant, after searching for a year.
Click to expand...
I cut mine down 3 months after moving in and found it by accident. I remember the great mystery last year. Thanks fot the closure. :)
 
beachhouse said:
Wouldn't that be unsafe, as the switch would not be protected by the GFCI?
Click to expand...
Only way to have the switch in the GFCI circuit is to bring the line into the GFCI first and then into the switch. Or put in a ground fault circuit breaker in your panel to feed the switch and eliminate the GFCI device. You're not protecting the switch; you're protecting the people.
 
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1poolman1 said:
Only way to have the switch in the GFCI circuit is to bring the line into the GFCI first and then into the switch. Or put in a ground fault circuit breaker in your panel to feed the switch and eliminate the GFCI device. You're not protecting the switch; you're protecting the people.
Click to expand...
If I understood correctly, this is the wiring you are proposing, right? (ground wires omitted).

Screen Shot 2022-07-01 at 2.19.43 PM.png
 

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Thanks @1poolman1 !

I just went to purchase a metal box and a GFCI and I got the opposite advice from the electrician at the store, i.e. they recommend using the load-side neutral for the smart switch.
I tried to do my due diligence, but I am still confused. What I understood is that a GFCI trips when there is an imbalance between the current on the hot vs. the neutral.
If I connect the smart switch to the hot and neutral on the LOAD side of the GFCI, how would that create an imbalance? Wouldn't the circuit still be balanced?

Sorry if I am missing anything obvious!
 
beachhouse said:
Sorry if I am missing anything obvious!
Click to expand...
Nope. The radio receiver 'switch' shouldn't cause any imbalance. But they are cheapo electronics and it may cause too much electrical noise / interference for the GFCI causing occasional phantom trips. It also might not.

Use the load side of the GFCI. If it becomes an issue you can always revisit it later.
 
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If the hot wire is coming from the LOAD side of the GFCI then all neutrals downstream need to go back to the LOAD side neutral.

That is both the smart switch being powered by the hot line and the light downstream.
 
SoCalTex said:
So, like this? Thank you!
View attachment 432875
Click to expand...

Yes.

1657161503235-jpeg.432875
 
Thank you all for your help!

I connected the smart switch to the LOAD side of the GFCI (both hot and neutral), end everything is working great so far!
After probably more than a decade, the pool light is on again :)
And I finally have an outlet close to the pool, for the Dolphin.

Next step is to replace the 10-year-old 300W bulb with a led bulb, but I am happy so far!

PXL_20220709_011528190.jpeg
 
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