Replacing light switches
The first step is to turn off the power. Turn on the switch that turns on light. Shut off the breakers in the electrical panel box one at a time until that light goes off. Can turn the rest of Breakers back on, after finding the correct Breaker.
Remove the cover plate on the switch, unscrew the screws holding the switch in, one on top and one on bottom. Pull the switch away from the wall. Remove the wires, either by unscrewing, if they are attached on the side or if the wires are in the back of the switch, the wires can be removed by inserting a very small screwdriver into a small slot above the wire, push the screwdriver in and pull on the wire, if you are doing it right should come easily out. The bare metal wire, the ground, will have a screw that will need to be loosened to remove, its ok to unscrew it all the way off as you are replacing the switch anyway.
The new switch is ready to go on. You will have most of time 3 wires, 1 hot, 1 neutral and 1 ground. The hot wire is either black or red. The neutral is white and the ground is the bare wire. The colored wire will always go on the opposite side of the where you will install the ground wire and the screw will be brass in color. The neutral screw is always silver in color.
Some switches have no colored screws and no ground. Look at the switch, flip the switch and you see “off” on the switch. This is the position the switch will be installed in. The hot wire (Colored wire) is installed on the bottom side of the switch.
The wires can be inserted in the back of the switch, if the wires are small enough. These are the small holes, the size of the wire, do not install in the small slots, this wire will be number 14. Number 12 wire, which is a little thicker wire, will have to use the screws on each side. If you had to clip the wires and strip the sheathing on the wires, use needle nose pliers and make a small hook. Slip this hook under the screw, pinch the wires together so
the wire tightens on the screw. The hook end should go in the same direction as the screw, so as not to unloosen when tightening.
Install the switch and plate.
