Is this a neutral line?

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jgofnj

jgofnj

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May 28, 2013
414
Hillsborough, NJ
Pool Size
18500
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
I want to install a wifi switch to control my pool light, I am 99% sure I have a neutral wire as required for the switch but want to make sure.
I have 120 v light switch but with 2 blue wires, not the typical black and white. I assume since it's 120 volts, one has to be the hot and the other is neutral. Is this correct? Not suure what the white wire in the back of the box leading to the GFCI outlet above is.

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The neutral bypasses the switch and goes to the device. A switch is only the hot leg, with one in and one out to the device.
 
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jgofnj said:
I want to install a wifi switch to control my pool light, I am 99% sure I have a neutral wire as required for the switch but want to make sure.
I have 120 v light switch but with 2 blue wires, not the typical black and white. I assume since it's 120 volts, one has to be the hot and the other is neutral. Is this correct? Not suure what the white wire in the back of the box leading to the GFCI outlet above is.

View attachment 511018View attachment 511019View attachment 511021
Click to expand...
If you turn the switch on, you should have 0V between the two blue wires.
 
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Newdude said:
The neutral bypasses the switch and goes to the device. A switch is only the hot leg, with one in and one out to the device.
Click to expand...
Thanks. a few questions.

1) When you say the neutral bypasses the switch and goes to the device, are you talking about the GFCI outlet or the device the switch is connected to (the pool light)?
2) I assume this means I can not use a switch that requires a neutral line in this situation?
 
Does power come from the breaker to the gfci then down to the switch and continue down to the light? If so, then that neutral should be connected to the load side if the gfci and fully usable for your wifi switch. You will need to add a length of white thhn wire from the gfci load side thru to the switch box so that you have enough wire to make your connections.
Show the wiring to the gfci outlet to confirm.
 
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Please be careful. Nobody can learn without playing with it, but without a basic understanding of how it works, you need to treat every wire like its hot.

No exceptions. :)
 
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Ahultin said:
Does power come from the breaker to the gfci then down to the switch and continue down to the light? If so, then that neutral should be connected to the load side if the gfci and fully usable for your wifi switch. You will need to add a length of white thhn wire from the gfci load side thru to the switch box so that you have enough wire to make your connections.
Show the wiring to the gfci outlet to confirm.
Click to expand...
Yes, the there is a blue and white wire coming from the breaker into the GFCI outlet, then the blue wire goes to the switch, and of course to the light.
 
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jgofnj said:
Yes, the there is a blue and white wire coming from the breaker into the GFCI outlet, then the blue wire goes to the switch, and of course to the light.
Click to expand...
Ok so it's pretty standard issue.

The neutral leaves the GFCI and goes straight to the light. Remove it from the GFCI and pull it down into the switch receptical. Install a new neutral up into the GFCI and then wire up your wifi switch connecting its neutral to the 2 legs you created.
 
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Newdude said:
Please be careful. Nobody can learn without playing with it, but without a basic understanding of how it works, you need to treat every wire like its hot.

No exceptions. :)
Click to expand...
More importantly, the neutral is "hot" at all times, even if power to the appliance is off. Grab one and then ground yourself and you will find out the hard way. Yeah, that's how I learned and then had an electrician explain it to me 35 years ago. Unless power to the main panel is off, there is virtually always something running in a home; refrigerator, clocks on everything now, computers, TVs, nothing ever shuts completely off. Therefore the neutral is used all the time and you just make up a different path for the power to flow.
 
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1poolman1 said:
More importantly, the neutral is "hot" at all times, even if power to the appliance is off. Grab one and then ground yourself and you will find out the hard way. Yeah, that's how I learned and then had an electrician explain it to me 35 years ago. Unless power to the main panel is off, there is virtually always something running in a home; refrigerator, clocks on everything now, computers, TVs, nothing ever shuts completely off. Therefore the neutral is used all the time and you just make up a different path for the power to flow.
Click to expand...
Right. We cannot be sure that the neutral is properly grounded. If it’s not, it may be at high potential. The connected appliances will still work, so there is no tell-tale sign.
 
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