How to wire a new switch with fewer connection points
Original switches and relays often held extra wires using additional back holes. When replacement hardware only has standard terminal lugs, there is no obvious place for the remaining wires. This leaves people stuck mid-installation, unable to figure out how to attach the leftover wires to the new part.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Pigtailing the multiple wires together with an additional short piece of wire that connects to the single switch terminal.Did this help you?
- 2searching for video tutorials onlineDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“There were 3 hot wires connected to the original switch, and my new one only has 2 connection points.”source ↗
“The original switch had one wire connected where it would usually go, then it has 2 little holes in the back where the other 2 wires were connected. Is there a way to translate this to my new switch?”source ↗
“I am looking to change this 24V AC Fan Relay, SPNO/SPNC in my Furnace but I notice that the relay has these 6 terminal lugs. But this relay has more than 6 wires connected to it.”source ↗
“how do I connect those extra wires if their are only 6 terminal lugs? I can’t find a video showing how to do it.”source ↗