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I have 2 questions if that’s okay.

  1. Outlet works but switch suddenly doesn’t. Had a painter in there. Possible that he rewired it wrong or knocked a wire loose when he replaced the plate?

  2. More annoying than #1. My outdoor floodlights (motion sensor) are controlled by indoor switch. Occasionally it changes to on when switch is off and off when switch is on. What can I do?

Thanks so much!!

TRAD
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  • Really hard to wire a simple switch wrong, loose wire is more possible. Any chance these switches are three way, two switches for one(set) light? – crip659 Feb 05 '23 at 01:37
  • 1 - Painter shouldn't be rewiring. They should remove the cover plates, put some tape over the box to keep paint from getting on the wires and then replace the cover plates when done. Not clear what isn't working - switched receptacle? switched ceiling light? 2 - Does switch have embossed ON/OFF marks? If not, it is a 3-way switch and there is another switch somewhere or possibly the motion sensor itself is the second 3-way switch. – manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact Feb 05 '23 at 01:37
  • Thanks for your quick response! Sorry for not being clear. 1- the light switch doesn’t turn on anything plugged into any socket but lamps turn on manually in every socket. 2-most of my switches do not have on/off embossed including this one at issue. If motion sensor is the 2nd 3-way switch, what does that mean and why does the indoor light switch just suddenly flip from on/off to off/on? It eventually corrects itself but it’s frustrating. First time I’ve looked for an answer and there are so many helpful people here. Thanks! – TRAD Feb 05 '23 at 01:55
  • Occasionally it changes ... what is it? – jsotola Feb 05 '23 at 03:08

2 Answers2

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Answer to the floodlight.

It is not clear if you are aware that some floodlights have a feature where if you turn it off and within 3-5 seconds, turn it back on, they stay on. Perhaps this is causing confusion.

Rohit Gupta
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Rumor is you had flunky wiring to start with.

The cover plate was holding/pushing the wire to the contact. Seldom, but possible. The only way to know is to take look if all wires are firmly attached. Turn off the circuit breaker and give the wires a tug. Especially sensitive if they are the back stub type.

Traveler
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