3-switch gang boxes--ouch!

[eufreka]

So, I have received my shipment of various Insteon switches, and happily plunge into the first swap-out...then I realize this may be a little more complicated than I thought.

Now, I have done a wide variety of minor electrical surgery in the past (at my older home; since sold); so I thought I wouldn't experience any real surprises.

I was wrong.

First MAJOR realization: I am planning to do my upgrade to insteon in gradual phases, which means selectively replacing specific switches during each phase.

Phase 1: All existing outside lighting and all Kitchen/hearthroom switches.

Unfortunately, when I started in on the first outside light switch, I realized that many of my existing switches are in 2 and 3 switch gangboxes, and I am only planning to replace 1 of the 3 switches. This is going to mean a lot of duplicate work, it seems (more explanation below). So my big tip to other Noobs is to target your switch upgrades to do all switches in a box at once!

As an example, my first switch is a 3-switch gangbox:

1--outdoor lights flanking garage door (single switch)
2--inside garage overhead lights (single switch)
3--Laundry room overhead light (3-way; other switch in a single box)

My target is #1, to be replaced with an Icon relay. However, ALL the helpful diagrams I have ever found show pretty little SINGLE 3-way switches (never as part of a 3-switch gang)...

So this particular box seems to be set up such that the LINE power comes into the box via a yellow-jacketed cable, which connects to ALL three switches?!?! and another jellow-jacketed cable which exits the box (I assume to deliver additional LINE to some other box/es on that circuit). There are then 3 separate white-jacketed cables each of which connects to one of the switches (LOADs).

Is this the normal method?

I have not yet installed my first "smart" switch, and there are already 6 NEUTRAL WIRES capped in the box!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! That means that eventually there will be 8!

Not to mention the 5 ground wires...but since I did, although all the cables have them, none of the switches seem to. Is this normal?

Needless to say, I was a bit non-plused; if only because I was gonna need bigger nuts to tackle this job--wire nuts that is...

So I closed it all back up and headed for Home Depot.

Now, the switch I am going to replace in this mess currently has 2 black wires to it and nothing else--looking at the layout, it certainly "seems" clear that the line is coming from the yellow-jacketed cable and the load is the black wire of one of the white-jacketed cables.

So all I have to do is wirenut the load black to the red and the line black to the black of the Relay and then add the white to the BUNCH already in there; along with the grounds...

Can I just add in a new Neutral pigtail and a ground pigtail so that I can tie off all the NEW switches to a smaller bunch?

 

[RAM]

Now, the switch I am going to replace in this mess currently has 2 black wires to it and nothing else--looking at the layout, it certainly "seems" clear that the line is coming from the yellow-jacketed cable and the load is the black wire of one of the white-jacketed cables.

So all I have to do is wirenut the load black to the red and the line black to the black of the Relay and then add the white to the BUNCH already in there; along with the grounds...

Can I just add in a new Neutral pigtail and a ground pigtail so that I can tie off all the NEW switches to a smaller bunch?

First, the yellow or white jacketed cable is called romex. The difference in colors (yellow and white) are because of wire size. The yellow is 12 gauge wire and the white is 14 gauge wire, 12 gauge being the heavier of the two.
It sounds like what you plan to do is correct. I know it looks like a rat's nest, but you seemed to have properly figured out exactly what is going on. You have yellow romex coming in and continuing on to more of the same curcuit and 3 white romex lines feeding your three lights.
You need to connect the black wire from the Insteon switch to the black from the yellow 'line' or supply romex. Then the black wire from the white jacketed white 'load' romex goes to the red wire on the Insteon switch. You can add a pigtail to the white/neutral and ground/bare bundles and connect your new switches to these new pigtails and start new smaller bundles.

Rich

 

[eufreka]

First, the yellow or white jacketed cable is called romex. The difference in colors (yellow and white) are because of wire size. The yellow is 12 gauge wire and the white is 14 gauge wire, 12 gauge being the heavier of the two.
It sounds like what you plan to do is correct. I know it looks like a rat's nest, but you seemed to have properly figured out exactly what is going on. You have yellow romex coming in and continuing on to more of the same curcuit and 3 white romex lines feeding your three lights.
You need to connect the black wire from the Insteon switch to the black from the yellow 'line' or supply romex. Then the black wire from the white jacketed white 'load' romex goes to the red wire on the Insteon switch. You can add a pigtail to the white/neutral and ground/bare bundles and connect your new switches to these new pigtails and start new smaller bundles.

Rich

Many thanks...