How to wire switch for blower motor?

Badfish740 said:

I want to install a switch on my add-on furnace to control the blower motor so that I have the ability to shut it off while I'm loading the firebox. The blower currently plugs straight into the wall and is controlled thermostatically. What I want to do is cut off the plug end and wire it to a simple wall switch. Then that switch would plug into the wall-the question is how to do it? When I cut the plug off of the blower I'll have two hots and one ground. If I get a single pole switch (two hot posts and one ground post) how do I wire it?

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I would buy the outlet that comes with a switch and one outlet it turns on and off the plug in part . not sure why you would turn off the blower just to open the door?

Is this a 120 volt blower? If so you mave 1 hot (black) 1 neurtal (white) and 1 ground (bare or green). if it is you only switch the hot (black) and a standard wall switch should work fine, Just cut the black and attach each side to one pole of the switch.

Your two black wires are landed on to the terminals on the side of the switch. The line side is the power coming in and your load would be what the power is feeding on the other side of the switch.

Your two white (nuetrals) get spliced together with a wire nut and gets tucked in behind the switch in the switch box.

Grounds also get spliced together with one leg left longer. That leg is then landed on the ground terminal on the switch.

I like to wrap electrical tape around the wire nut to keep everything nice and tight. I also lay it across the terminals on the switch. A little extra insulation never hurt.


The other thing you can do is buy a power strip that has the rocker switch built in to it. That would be a quick and inexpensive solution.

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=168551-334-274A-SP-L&lpage=none this will keep you from cutting the wire to the motor

HopWallop said:

Your two black wires are landed on to the terminals on the side of the switch. The line side is the power coming in and your load would be what the power is feeding on the other side of the switch.

Your two white (nuetrals) get spliced together with a wire nut and gets tucked in behind the switch in the switch box.

Grounds also get spliced together with one leg left longer. That leg is then landed on the ground terminal on the switch.

I like to wrap electrical tape around the wire nut to keep everything nice and tight. I also lay it across the terminals on the switch. A little extra insulation never hurt.


The other thing you can do is buy a power strip that has the rocker switch built in to it. That would be a quick and inexpensive solution.

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now theres a good idea and probably the easyest way to do it

Yes but the poster describes a 220 volt appliance no? Two hots? If this is true then it is more complicated. My 220 volt wall heaters turn on and off by interrupting one of the hot leads only. Most wall switches are rated for 15 amps but up to like 600 volts so you could switch either leg of the 220 load with a normal light switch.

Highbeam said:

Yes but the poster describes a 220 volt appliance no? Two hots? If this is true then it is more complicated. My 220 volt wall heaters turn on and off by interrupting one of the hot leads only. Most wall switches are rated for 15 amps but up to like 600 volts so you could switch either leg of the 220 load with a normal light switch.

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Thats technically a no no. They do make a 2 pole switch for this application though (switch both hots)