Should the bare copper wire in my outdoor carriage light be connected to:
(1) the ground screw in the carriage light (2) the bare copper wire in the outlet box (3) the white wire in the outlet box (4) the ground screw in the outlet box (along with the bare copper wire in the outlet box)?
Not sure exactly how yours is wired up, but you just connect all the earths together. Doesn't matter where, whatever reaches.
4
That's a bit confusing. What is the ground wire that you asking about connected to in the carriage light at this time? Is it just a length of wire, not attached to anything or is it already connected to something? If it's just a length of wire, then it needs to be connected to the ground screw of the fixture and then to the ground screw in the outlet box, as in option (4).
See (4)
Definitely not!
That's the correct option. (Since you mention the ground screw in the outlet box I am assuming a metal box. Option 4 grounds everything, including the box.)
Bzzzztttt. Wrong answer. Put down the wire strippers and back away.
I want to phone a friend.
The replies are typical for questions posted to this forum:
5 replies have conflicting answers.What is the correct answer?
What is the CORRECT answer?
Typically the ground wire from the cable coming into the box on the line side gets looped around the box screw and the pigtail from the light gets spliced to the wire coming from the ground screw in the box. Alternately the ground wire from the box screw may go to the ground screw on the light. As long as everything is bonded, you are good to go and there is no problem with parallel ground paths so more is better.
ALL OF THESE.
(1) the ground screw in the carriage light (2) the bare copper wire in the outlet box
(4) the ground screw in the outlet box (along with the bare copper wire in the outlet box)?
#(4) includes #2......
BUT *NOT* THIS ONE
(3) the white wire in the outlet box
Connect all grounds to the system/supply ground but do _not_ connect ground to neutral. The box should be grounded as well (probably will be by attachment to the light but use the grounding screw and you're sure).
The correct answer is that if someone has to ask a basic wiring question like that he needs to call an electrician or get some training on basic wiring.
I post my questions in this forum to "get some training on basic wiring".
The carriage light stopped lighting so I put in a new bulb but the light still doesn't light so I put in another bulb but the light still doesn't light. (The two new bulbs light in other fixtures).
I've:
replaced the single-pole switch in the wall replaced the socket in the carriage light re-wired the carriage light
but the carriage light still doesn't light.
I just want to know if I've connected the wires at the switch and in the carriage light correctly.
You are obviously a novice, as your question proves. Buy a book describing basic home wiring. Do not depend on forums such as this to get even simple answers that are related to safety. As you have noted there are contradictions in answers and some may have come from someone with even less knowledge than you.
All you need to think about is do you want a fire starting in a wall cavity while you are sound asleep because you followed the wrong advice?
I think Dirty Harry put it very well when he said "Do you feel lucky?"
There is no way anyone here can tell you if you've corrected the wires correctly because we can't see them. If you post some pics on a site that hosts pics so we can see them, that would help. I can tell you this, the lack of a proper ground connection won't prevent the light from working, it will just leave you with an unsafe fixture. As others suggested, you should find some online websites or a book that describes basic electric principles and how to debug circuits. If you know what you're doing it's very easy to find where you have voltage, where you don't and what the problem is. If you don't have the basic skills, it's a crap shoot and dangerous at best. Or find someone you know that can help or call an electrician.
Obviously not!
It's not as obvious as you imply. Have you ever heard of a bad fixture?
Do you know if the fixture in question has any internal electronics that have gone bad?
I just replaced a fixture that works fine if I bypass the motion sensor circuitry but never lights with the circuitry in place. Do you know if GARYWC's fixture is just a basic fixture or something more complicated?
I sure don't, so I'm not going with an "obvious" wiring problem just yet.
You should have made some voltage checks before just changing out parts. With the 'free' Harbor Freight or other inexpensive meters around for under $ 20 there is no excuse for not having one and learning how to make some basic voltage checks.
It could be something as simple as a breaker tripped or another switch in the house turned off. As someone mentioned there may be a 'light sensor' in the thing that has gone bad.
Is that carriage light on a post some distance from the house ? Did someone dig up the ground and cut the wire while planting something ?
The breaker is not tripped There is no other switch There is no light sensor The carriage light is on a wall beside my front door The distance from the switch to the light is about 4 feet.
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