Help me understand why my house is switched on neutrals?

[DIY4life]

Good evening everyone, I'm hoping one of you professionals can help me understand what is going on with my home wiring and confirm my thought process. We bough a home in July, built in 1993. As we have painted and remodeled I have been replacing switches and cover plates as to be expected.

When rewiring, I found my front door 3 gang box was wired odd. The 3 way fan switch was wired to black/red, and then the remaining blacks were twisted and set in while the whites for the front porch lights and corner flood light were all on switch. I rewired this box to have the neutrals twisted and set in the back of the box, put in proper pigtails to replace the screwed and backstabbed connections and put them to the switches.

Now, I've found all the light switches in my master bed and bathroom are wired the same way. Whites on switch, blacks twisted with a wire nut in the back. I've tested the individual wires and found with black lead of my multimeter to ground, and testing with the red lead, both the bundle of black wires and one end of the white wires to switch are hot with 120V.

I double checked the breaker box and all white/ground wires are attached to the ground/neutral bar and the black wires are connected to the breakers.

Unless I'm completely lost, the black wires are in fact hot wires as they should be, and should be what is on switch correct?

I suspect the 120V to one side of my switched neutral wires is being backfed from the remaining switches on the circuit from the other front bedroom, that I have not disconnected the switches in.

If anyone could help me confirm, I should rewire all these switches to be black to switch, white to bundle with a wire nut correct?

2 separate 3 gang switch boxes in my kitchen have the same situation as well. I suspect the rest of my light switches are wired the same. Was this house wired by a backwards electrician, or am I missing something here?

Thank you all,
Justin

 

[Rockingit]

Hi and welcome! We're a mostly Brit forum here but I'd say your assesment is smack on - wired backwards.

For safety reasons all switching should ALWAYS be on the live / hot side of any circuit. If your colours are backwards one thing to check is if they're also not reversed coming out of the breaker too - that would make them the right way around just on the wrong colors. I'm also assuming that the polarity in your house isn't also the wrong way??!

 

[DIY4life]

Hi and welcome! We're a mostly Brit forum here but I'd say your assesment is smack on - wired backwards.

For safety reasons all switching should ALWAYS be on the live / hot side of any circuit. If your colours are backwards one thing to check is if they're also not reversed coming out of the breaker too - that would make them the right way around just on the wrong colors. I'm also assuming that the polarity in your house isn't also the wrong way??!

Thank you! and yes, I have confirmed at the breakers that all whites are connected to the ground bar and the blacks are wired to the breaker switch. So it does appear these are wired backwards. I do not believe the polarity is wrong but how can I confrm?

 

[Rockingit]

Thank you! and yes, I have confirmed at the breakers that all whites are connected to the ground bar and the blacks are wired to the breaker switch. So it does appear these are wired backwards. I do not believe the polarity is wrong but how can I confrm?

If you're correct at the breaker box then you must be - else something/one would have died by now!

 

[westward10]

Without testing impossible to say they could be travelers if three or four way switched. Can you show some pics.

 

[DIY4life]

Without testing impossible to say they could be travelers if three or four way switched. Can you show some pics.

I will have to get photos this evening when i get home. I can say, the white wire which was showing voltage was to the bottom terminal screw and the top had one wire to the screw, one back stabbed beside it. When the switch was flipped to the on position, neither white wire was showing voltage when grounded out with the multimeter

If you're correct at the breaker box then you must be - else something/one would have died by now!

So you believe the polarity IS switched at the breaker box?

 

[Rockingit]

I will have to get photos this evening when i get home. I can say, the white wire which was showing voltage was to the bottom terminal screw and the top had one wire to the screw, one back stabbed beside it. When the switch was flipped to the on position, neither white wire was showing voltage when grounded out with the multimeter

So you believe the polarity IS switched at the breaker box?

No, I'd *guess* that you're fine with that. Is there a 'simple' 1g switch that you can check to see which way that is worked? I think Westward's idea that what you might have found are the link cables on two-way switching is likely.

 

[DIY4life]

No, I'd *guess* that you're fine with that. Is there a 'simple' 1g switch that you can check to see which way that is worked? I think Westward's idea that what you might have found are the link cables on two-way switching is likely.

I did check my single gang master bed switch, and the single master closet switch, along with the 2 gang master bath light/fan switches and they are all wired similar. So far, it seems all the light switches in my house are wired with whites on switch, except the 3 ways which are wired black-black-red to switch

 

[Rockingit]

I did check my single gang master bed switch, and the single master closet switch, along with the 2 gang master bath light/fan switches and they are all wired similar. So far, it seems all the light switches in my house are wired with whites on switch, except the 3 ways which are wired black-black-red to switch

OK - sounds to me like you had a backwards fit out!

 

[westward10]

Agreed something seems odd.

 

[DIY4life]

OK - sounds to me like you had a backwards fit out!

This is what I've been thinking but I wanted to ask some more experienced folks what they thought as well.. so it looks like I'll need to rewire all these switches to be standard black switched white bundled? Or treat my whites as hot and blacks as neutral?

 

[Lister1987]

If you're dealing with potential polarity issues I would advice in this instance to get a professional in, not that I'm saying we can't talk you through it but polarity is one of the go/no go tests and need proper testing and investigation.

 

[DIY4life]

If you're dealing with potential polarity issues I would advice in this instance to get a professional in, not that I'm saying we can't talk you through it but polarity is one of the go/no go tests and need proper testing and investigation.

I was leaning in this direction as well. Calling in a professional to test and determine exactly what needs to be done seems well worth the price for a service call, when you compare it to potentially wasted time and unsafe wiring.

Thank you all for your help!