I have a light (electrical) switch that switches power off/off to an outlet. This outlet is connected to my electronics, so I need to remove the switch.
I open up the switch housing. It’s a simple 2-wire affair, one black, one white (i’m pretty sure on the colors, but didn’t pay much attention) and a ground wire connected to the electrical switch.
I have removed the wires from the switch and nutted the two wires (with those colored cap thingamajigs) together so as to form a continual circuit.
a) is this safe (I see it as the same as leaving the switch on in perpetuity, so I don’t think it’s a problem)
b) what should I do with the copper ground wire? It is currently just out there by itself, but should I add it into the wire nut mix?
you’re going to have to elaborate on what a 3-pole switch is. (unless you mean a circuit that has 2 switches and one “outlet”, like a hallway light ; no it is def. not a 3-pole switch if that’s what that is)
The switch has two slots (like places which you can put the wires in) - those are on the right of the switch, near the middle and they go int to the black backing (the guts) of the switch
There is a third screw on the left, not connected to the black guts of the switch, and a bare copper wire was connected to that. The screw itself and the thing the screw screws into have a very faint green color to it.
yes you can permanently connect the wires and have it be safe. you should put a cover plate that doesn’t have a hole for the switch handle.
it is poor procedure to have a white wire going to a switch without it being marked as not a neutral wire.
switches do have a ground wire connection in modern days in the USA. the ground wire can be connected to a screw in the back of a metal box. if the box is plastic or there is a grounding wire connected to the metal box then the grounding wire can be nutted or taped over.
DO NOT connect the ground wire to the other two. If the box isn’t metal and there’s nowhere else to connect it, just snip it off far enough back that it won’t come in accidental contact with the other wires.
Spark, bad smell, tripped circuit breaker is your most likely scenario. You may melt the wires together so you have to cut them apart before you re-set the breaker. If you’ve done this without turning off the breaker first(you didn’t, did you?) you’ve probably been shocked too. As long as you did it with just one hand you’re probably ok, but if you had one wire in each hand you could be in a world of hurt.
I disagree about snipping the wire off. That makes it real hard if you or some future homeowner wants to re-install the switch here. If the two live wires are properly connected inside the wire nut, there is no more chance of them touching the ground wire than in any electrical box. Just arrange the wires neatly inside the box and it should be fine.
because it’s ugly as sin to have a wad of tape slapped all over the switch and it’s a less-than-5-minute job to put it back when the situation calls for it.
Is there another switch near the entrance to the room which turns on overhead lights or a lamp plugged into a switched outlet? If not, you have likely created a code violation by removing the switch. Most rooms must have lighting which can be turned on and off at the entrance(s) to the room. This is usually accomplished by either having a switched overhead light fixture or a switched outlet intended for a lamp. If you no longer have a switched light source in the room it does not meet code.
Whenever I run into a switched outlet I change it into a half-switched outlet - the top half is controlled by the switch and the bottom half is always live. You can then plug a lamp into the top and whatever you want into the bottom.
