After replacing the light bulb, the switch in the wall and the socket and the wiring within the fixture, my porch light still doesn't turn on.
I suspect that the wiring between the switch and the fixture may be broken/shorted out.
How do I check the wiring?
Note: When I hook up the fixture to the wiring on a different switch, the light does turn on
After replacing the light bulb, the switch in the wall and the socket and the wiring within the fixture, my porch light still doesn't turn on.
I suspect that either there's:
I have photos of the wiring in the switch box in the wall and the fixture's junction box.
How do I check the wiring?
Note: When I hook up the fixture to the wiring on a different switch, the light does turn on
A "short" condition would blow a breaker or have the light on all the time. I would suspect the fixture or the wiring under it. It is subjected to temperature changes that may vary contact through corrosion, or expansion and contraction.
Get a multimeter or even a cheap neon test light. See where you have 120V between the hot and neutral and where it ends.
One photo shows the outlet box; the other photo shows the switch box. Are the wires connected correctly?
(The dimmer switch at the bottom of the photo operates an interior light that works OK).
Tell us how!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And???????
The identity of the culprit is more interesting than anything Trump and HRC said today.
Originally, a white wire was attached to one screw on the switch and a black wire was attached to the other screw.
I disconnected the white wire and attached a previously unconnected red wire in the switch box to that screw. That solved the problem!
First off, your OP did not make it clear that this fixture never worked. Did you just move into this house? Do you have any idea who would have wired the switch in a manner that didnt work and then just leave it that way?
Second, did you swap the wires and hope for the best? That IMHO is a really bad trouble shooting technique, especially when electricy is involved. Do you have any idea *why* it now works or are you simply content with the fact that it does?
Third, did you leave the now abondoned white wire just hanging in the switch box, uncapped and unmarked, to confused either you or the next person who opens the switch box many years in the future?
Fourth, please post those those pictures that you said you have. I'm really curious as to what color wires are in the fixture's junction box.
Finally, if, as it appears to me at this time, all you did was swap two wires without any understanding of why and without knowing how the circuit is wired and why it now works, you *may* have created an unsafe situation. If it were me, I would want to understand exactly how the circuit is wired and why there are extra wires in the switch box. I have my suspicions as to why, but it's more important that *you* know why since you live there.
Re: your OP did not make it clear that this fixture never worked. Answer: The subject of my OP is: My porch light NO LONGER turns on
Re: Did you just move into this house? Answer: No. I bought this condo new in 1972
Re: Do you have any idea who would have wired the switch in a manner that didn't work and then just leave it that way? Answer: The wiring must have been done by the builder in 1972
Re: Did you swap the wires and hope for the best? Answer: No, the solution was made by a responder to my post
Re: Do you have any idea *why* it now works or are you simply content with the fact that it does? Answer: The responder knew "why" it didn't work and why it now does.
Re: Did you leave the now abondoned white wire just hanging in the switch box, uncapped and unmarked, to confused either you or the next person who opens the switch box many years in the future? Answer: No, I capped the white wire per the responder.
Re: Please post those those pictures that you said you have. I'm really curious as to what color wires are in the fixture's junction box. Answer: I did post photos of the wires in the switch box and in the outlet box where the light fixture is mounted.
Re: If, as it appears to me at this time, all you did was swap two wires without any understanding of why and without knowing how the circuit is wired and why it now works, Answer: The responder knew what he was talking about
OK, here's why this make no sense from where I am sitting:
If the light work previously, then didn't and you were able to fix it by swapping wires, how did it work beforehand? Did you take the wires off at some point and rewire it incorrectly? (Nothing in this thread indicates that you did that.)
Then, once again I have to ask: How did it come to be that the wires in the fixture had to be swapped to fix a fixture that used to work but then was no longer working? Wires may become unattached on their own, but they don't usually swap places.
Which wiring? The white wire on the fixture that used to work but then was no longer working until you swap it for the red? (Do you see why this is so confusing?)
Not in this thread. There is not one solution offered except to your question "How do I check the wiring?"
What responder are you referring to?
What responder are you referring to?
What responder are you referring to.
Not in this thread.
What responder are you referring to?
the wiring within the fixture, my porch light still doesn't turn on.
I'm going to make a guess.
"After replacing the switch in the wall?
That switch was changed out. You did that. You put the wrong wire on the screw.
Second guess. Why is there a red wire at all? Switches usually have a bla ck wire.
Except when they are a three way switch.
So my second guess, you replaced one three way switch with what you thought was an identical one. But it wasn't identical. The traveler screw was in a different place. (This problem bit me the last time I replaced a 3-way. The new one had three screws in exactly the same places, but I failed to look closely and notice the screw colors were different. So I connected it wrong the first time.)
Hey, just guessing. Normally wires don't swap themselves.
Agree. A white wire didn't get switched for a red wire by itself. He did say that:
"After replacing the light bulb, the switch in the wall and the socket and the wiring within the fixture"
So, I would assume that he managed to mix up wires in the process. You would think when you have different color wires to work with, apparently an extra white wire, that you'd write down which goes where before taking it apart, especially when you don't know how to debug it if you screw up, but apparently he didn't. Even so, there are usually some indications of which wire was connected, ie a loop in the end of one to go around the screw, etc.
Agree, there wasn't even a discussion about any extra white wire here. And if you have something that isn't working and you had an extra white wire that you were not sure about, you'd think that would be in the first post. Something like, I replaced the switch, there is an extra red wire in the box, I don't think that went to the switch, but maybe it did and I have it mixed up.
Unless they are a mind reader, we all know whoever this person is, they couldn't "know", at best they made an educated guess, that it would be normal for a red wire to be connected to a switch, an untaped white wire, not so much.
+1
You can't really assume that just because the terminals appear to be in the same place that they still represent the same things as on the original switch. You should instead, be looking for the odd screw out. The ones that look the same on a new switch will be the travelers.
If you have a meter and/or ticker and don't mind initially checking the circuit hot, you can find out which ones are the travelers using one of the tools. Pretty easy. Useful in the event you weren't the one who removed the original switch and forgot to mark the wires as they did so. I'm notorious about using a small piece of white electrical tape wrapped like a sticker so that I can write on it, clearly IDing what the wire is for. it's a habit another electrician taught me years ago. Good habit, imo.
I like your guess work. Sounds about right.
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