Replace single switch with a duplex switch?
Question:I have power going first to a light fixture and then on to a single switch on a loop. Can I replace the single switch with a duplex switch in order to add a second light fixture to the circuit? I'm not clear on whether a duplex switch is safe to put on a switch loop.
Answers:
You do not have enough wires. The loop carries power to the switch and, when the switch is on, back to the light. There is no neutral in the box the switch is in, it stopped at the light. I'm not sure where the second fixture was going to go, but you don't have a wire to bring a second load back on and you don't have a way to get neutral to the second fixture.
It is fine as long as you don't exceed the load limit for that particular circuit. You need to find what else that incoming power line is hooked up to and all the total wattage that circuit supplies and divide it by the voltage (usually 120v) to get the amp draw. As long as the total amp draw does not exceed 15 amps on a 14 AWG size circuit you should be fine. Generally lighting circuits do not draw much current so you should be ok adding some additional lights on a duplex switch.
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