Light Switch Wire Size

It will either be 12 or 14 gauge wire.

Light switch wire size.

Then use your wire strippers and strip away about 5 8 of an inch of the insulation from the wire. The 14 gauge wire or 14 2 and 14 3 type nm is most commonly used for home lighting circuits because most switches for homes are rated for 15 amps therefore using a larger size would not be compatible with these devices and it would not be as easy to make the connections when using a larger wire size. Next bend the wire into a pig tail loop so that you can easily attach to the screws on the light switch. A dimmer switch is wired the same way as a single pole switch.

Fully explained wiring instructions complete with a picture series of an installation and wiring diagrams can be found here in the gfi and light switch area here in this website. How to wire a gfci and outlet to a light switch. The wire strippers should have a spot marked for each gauge wire. A standard 12 gauge copper wire has a diameter of 2 05 mm while the diameter of 14 gauge copper wire is only 1 63 mm.

If you re wiring a circuit on which there are both lights and outlets or you just aren t sure which wire gauge to use you can t go wrong by choosing a 12 gauge wire. Questions about wiring switches. Just click the wiring diagrams.