Re: How to wire up a RS-150BA-N Vacancy Sensor Switch with Nightlight and Manual On/Off

[OneSolution <onesolution@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Thu, 04 Oct 2007 06:18:23 GMT, Noozer wrote:

> The black is always on and is the power. The white is what is switched on
> and off and is the load. You're missing the needed neutral. You should also
> have a bare copper wire, which is ground. This is because the switch comes
> AFTER the light in your circuit instead of before it.

Thank you Noozer for your volunteer help; I greatly appreciate the advice.
I'm a bit confused. If a circuit is a complete loop, why would it matter if
the switch is before or after the load?

Note: I do understand that the black wire in the wall is the hot (incoming
120vac) wire and that the white wires in the wall are the neutral
(outgoing, supposedly near 0vac) wires which go into the ground at every
fifth telephone pole or so. And I do understand that the bare wire (green
on the switch) is grounded to my water pipes and does not carry current
normally. But I have no idea what this red (load) wire is supposed to do.

In looking again, there is a bare copper wire inside the box as you noted,
so you know your stuff. But there certainly isn't a red wire.

While I understand your basic premise that I can't use the switch because I
don't have three wires in the box (black, white, red) to connect the three
wires on the switch (black, white, red), I still don't understand why this
circuit is different.

If it helps, I did put the switch on another wall outlet which did have a
black, a set of whites crimped together, and a red ... and the Legrand
"WattStopper RS-150BA-N Vacancy Sensor Switch with Nightlight and Manual
on/off" wall switch worked fine.

Can you explain why some of my wall boxes have only a black and a white and
ground while other boxes have a black, a set of whites crimped together,
and a red wire?