Hi,
I am in the process of replacing all of my ceiling fixtures in my house. I am currently replacing one in the hall, there is a white, black, red and ground. The only way the light will work is on the black and white but it can not be controlled by the switch. Any suggestions?
snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com wrote in news:1164948413.649072.89190 @h54g2000cwb.googlegroups.com:
Are the wires you mentioned coming into the ceiling electrical box or are you talking about wires that came attached to the fixture? Also, what kind of switch are you refering to......wall installed or integral to the lighting unit you are installing?
Suggest you try connecting it as old one was- what made you decide not to? Is there another switch controlling this light? If so, it needs a switched hot, that's why it was connected to black and red. This is common in hall (or staircase) fixtures, so they can be switched from either end of hall.
. The previous light was
But this isn't what you said you did with new fixture. Is there another switch which controlled the old light?
How was it wired when you started dicking with it?
I am very confuse now.
Please, how many wires are available at the ceiling box where the fixture is?
What colors are they?
It would also help if you would pull the switch out enough to identify the colors on the 2 terminals on the switch.
___________________________ Keep the whole world singing. . . . DanG
OK Light Switch - Black on one terminal red on the other
Electrical Box - Black, White, Red, Ground
Old fixture was connected to black and red with two copper wires from the fixture.
New fixture c> I am very confuse now.
see if black(fixture) to red (house) and white to white works. that is what I would expect in your situation. white is always neutral, green is always ground, most other colors are hot. when you have a black and a red in the same box black is usually always hot and red is switched hot.
nate
snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com wrote:
Then remove the light fixture black wire from the black wire(s) and connect it to the red wire. Leave the light fixture white wire connected to the white wire from the box.
I doubt that very much. Probably it was connected to white and red, and you forgot -- it seems that you didn't take note of what was connected to what, before you took the old one out.
No surprise there: you've connected both sides of the light fixture to hot wires. No current can flow between two points that are at the same voltage.
No surprise there either: you have the neutral side of the fixture connected properly, and the hot side connected to a wire that's hot all the time, and not controlled by the switch.
Try connecting white to white, and black to red -- and next time, pay attention to what's connected where, and label them, before you disconnect anything.
Assuming what you referred to in your OP as the ceiling fixture in the "hall" is the one "the switch for the entry" should be controlling, then I suggest you first start checking for voltage on that switch. Connect a test lamp from a neutral (white) lead to the black lead on that switch and see if the lamp lights. If it does, move that lamp lead to the red wire and see if the switch will turn it on and off.
If there's no power on the black wire to that switch find out why, you may have a "loose disconnection" somewhere. If you do and the lamp won't light, the switch is bad.
If the switch turns the the test lamp on and off when operated, then you may have a break in that red wire going to the ceiling box (unlikely).
HTH
Jeff
if the light was working when you disconnected it there are only two combinations , unless it was miswired in the first place.
Black and white
Red and white
If you have a voltage tester of some sort that would help.
Sounds like you need someone in there that knows what they are doing.
You haven't described enough wires. Is there no white or ground in the switch-box? If there's a red and a black in the switch-box, and a red and a black in the light fixture-box, where is your power coming from?
I suppose suggesting that you buy or borrow a book on home electrical wiring and read the damn thing is going to be totally wasted.
If you disconnect everything, either one wire in the light fixture box OR one wire in the switch box should be hot all the time, but not both.
Figure that out, and then get back to us.
--goedjn
. Forty plus postings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Suggest this is waste of time; and possibly dangerous or non code? Trying to advise someone who hasn't clue about how to wire what 'sounds like' a simple single wall switch to one light, that was working before the existing light was disconnected. All this about the red wire being connected to .................... etc. is not the way to UNDERSTAND and do a safe job. He/she may get it working but will it be safe. Very worrying! An electrician or even someone competent could probably sort that out in less than half an hour even though there now seems to be no record of what the connections previuosly were. Not making a note of them is negligent IMHO.
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