I need to replace a combination switch for a garbage disposal.
If you don't know what you're doing, it's better to let an electrician do the job properly than having damage done to save a few bucks. Having said that, make sure you TURN OFF THE POWER. If you don't know for sure which breaker operates that circuit, turn off the main breaker. If you can find an identical switch at the hardware store, also grab a circuit power indicator and have somebody show you how to use it. Don't skip that step as it may save your life. Never trust the labels on your breaker panel. Unscrew the cover from the switch. Unscrew the screws at the top and bottom off the switch. Pull it out a little and take note of which wires are connected where. A lot of newer switches have quick connector holes where you can just shove the wire in there instead of having to wrap it around the screw. To release the wires from these holes, stick a small screwdriver or object into the slot next to it and pull. If the old switch has quick connector holes and the new one doesn't, put the wires on the screws closest to the holes. The light may be wired internally in the switch and you won't have to worry about it. It may have two terminals and you have to attach jumper wires yourself. The light, unless for some reason required by your province, it not necessary or common, and you can easily replace it with a normal switch. A combo switch like that will probably come with an instruction sheet that will walk you through wiring it up how you want it. If you choose to use a normal light switch, make sure to pick up a cover plate for it for a few cents. Now you'll connect the bare wire to the green terminal, the white wires should connected with wire nuts unless required by a combo switch with a light, and I doubt it then anyway, and the black wires will connect to the two screws probably on the right side, and will probably be labeled black or hot. Remember that home wiring is generally pretty simple. All wires start inside the breaker panel. If your home has grounded wiring, which means each socket on each outlet has three holes instead of two, the power cables will have three wires. If the outlets only have two, each cable will have two, and if that's the case, you should seriously consider having new wiring installed. You'll thank me when you don't die. House wiring runs on alternating current, which means that the electricity runs back and forth on the wires instead of in one direction, changing directions 60 times a second. Think of it as a sink. The black wire, called the hot wire, is like the high pressure fresh water line. It brings in all the energy. The white or netual wire is the drain for the sink. It carries away the power and is less dangerous than the hot wire. The bare wire is the safety ground wire, is like an overflow drain. If the appliance malfunctions the ground wire will carry away the electricity. When the electricity has a path that satisfies it it will rush down the ground wire so fast that the breaker will trip and the power will shut off. The ground wire keeps you from getting shocked if a wire inside the appliance touches a part of the machinery.
