Is the yellow jumper wire between the switches necessary for proper wiring of the bathroom lights and exhaust fan?
Asked by Noémie Addy 
7 months ago
Last Updated: May 9, 2024
So in this double gang box, we’ve got switch number one controlling the main bathroom lights and a double switch number two handling the exhaust fan and light separately. I spotted a jumper wire in there, and there’s another hot on the switch feeding into a conduit. I’m thinking the jumper must be necessary for something down the line, right? Or maybe it’s the path for something going from right to left. The humidity sensor switch I’m about to put in only has one line, a black wire. Do you think the way I’ve sketched it out is the right way to wire both the switch and the sensor?
Certain humidistats may require a neutral wire. The two black wires provide power, while the red and blue wires are for the switch legs.
Confirmed that the connections are neutral when connecting to the others.
There was no neutral connected to the old switch, but your new one will require a pigtail off the two neutrals in the box
Got it. That’s what my diagram is showing. I’m just trying to double-check if the hot wires in my diagram are wired correctly. I’m wondering about the jumper between the two switches and why it was there. I think it was to transfer electricity from one side to the other.
Right? I explained how to connect it. The two black wires going to the stacked switch are power, so pigtail them. The red and blue wires are also switch legs, so pigtail them. You’ll also need to pigtail a white wire.
You’ve got 3 neutrals, 2 hots, a hot jumper, and 3 switch legs.
Are you trying to have the humidistat or switch control when the fan turns on and off?
‘s fan will activate once the humidity reaches a specific percentage. It’s programmed to deactivate after 10, 20, or more minutes. The switches can manually control the light or fan separately.
Mentioned that the humidistat and fan switch should be connected to the same switch leg. This way, they will both complete the circuit, whether together or individually. The humidistat might require a neutral wire for power. The other switches can stay as they are or be removed.
Just a heads up, make sure they are both connected to the same hot wire.
Said he intends to connect all the hot wires with Wago nuts. It seems like the jumper was meant to carry power to the double switch.
Hey, , that’s right.
Hey, , just wanted to express my gratitude for your help. I’ve encountered similar situations with jumpers in my switches in the past. Not entirely sure if it’s related to the code, though.
I tried using two humidity switches from Dew Stop in each bathroom, but I ended up removing them. Even when set to the highest level, they would randomly turn on and off throughout the day. I also didn’t want the fans to activate when I was away on vacation. Just a heads up about them. 🙂
Hey , have you had a chance to look at your settings? You can set it to circulate automatically. I read some good reviews on it so I’ll keep that in mind.
Hey , I tried that approach too. I ended up just shutting off the breaker when I traveled. I switched to Kasa switches that I could schedule to turn off after being activated. Bathroom fans aren’t meant for continuous operation, and I’ve heard of local house fires caused by them. I decided it was safer not to use them.
Hey , I appreciate the heads up. I’ll definitely give them a shot.
To fix the issue, remove the blue black at the switch. Leave one end of the jumper on the switch and the other on the sensor. Cut the jumper in the middle and connect it to the main feed (blue wire). This way, you’ll have pigtailed to both the switch and sensor. Delete the red wire from the back of the switch and wire it directly using the screw. If the wire going into the conduit was where the jumper was connected, it should be pigtailed back to the main hot wire, not through the switch. It’s hard to confirm this due to the angle of the picture…hope this helps.
Hey, , I wanted to say thank you. I managed to figure it out and it’s working now. Let me know if you can check out what I’ve been working on, it seems to be functioning properly.
The arrangement appears much improved, ensuring that all the hot wires are grouped together with a pigtail and connected to screws.
Expressed gratitude for getting it right on the initial attempt.