wiring an older home

[Anonymous]

Question - It has been a while but wiring a older home , we ran the wire to different switches - then took measurment to make sure tings we working. Switch turned on we got 120 volts. Switch turned off we go about 60 volts..WHY?

[Wgoodrich]

I suspect you are reading a feed through style back feed caused by light bulbs being in fixtures making a connection to loaded grounded legs [aka neutral conductors].

If you are reading from brass screw to brass screw of the same switch if so then your tester is acting like a closure of the switch itself.

Hope this does not confuse you too much.

Wg

[imported_joed]

You need to give us more info. Where are you reading the volts. Is it from black to ground? across the switch? from black to white? at the switch? at the light?