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Wiring Question bizee 07-15-2006
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Posted by bizee on July 15, 2006, 6:31 pm
My home was built in the 40's with a lot of junction wiring located in
the light fixture areas.

Bedroom, during a remodel, we put a double gang box in so I could have
a switch for a closet light. Wiring for that is in. (this was 3 years
ago, some family things put off completion, and my installer isn't
available). Today I pulled out the working switch for the room light.
It had 2 hot wires (looks like in one sheath). No neutral wires seen.


I took off of the top wire to the switch, placed a new black wire to
the top connection on the switch and one to the hot. (using wire screw)
Light works. I then took another new black wire to the hot/new wire
(using a wire screw) put that to the top of the new switch. Took the
black from the new wiring to the closet to the bottom of the new
switch.

This leaves a neutral from the new wiring to the closet light with no
where to go. And the closet light does not work in this configuration.


I have replaced several switches, outlets over the years, first time
I've come upon this issue.


Posted by buffalobill on July 15, 2006, 6:48 pm
hard to see what you are doing with this, perhaps a 3-way switch part
is in use. or, maybe the power is already top fed hot at the light's
fixture box on the ceiling and you are just using the wall switch to
interrupt the hot or neutral as if using the wall switch to replace the
function of a ceiling pull chain switch.
you need an inexpensive meter to see what's live in the ceiling box and
it will allow you to correctly install hot to the center bulb terminal
and neutral to the threaded bulb shell.

faq at:
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/electrical-wiring/part1/

bizee wrote:
> My home was built in the 40's with a lot of junction wiring located in
> the light fixture areas.
>
> Bedroom, during a remodel, we put a double gang box in so I could have
> a switch for a closet light. Wiring for that is in. (this was 3 years
> ago, some family things put off completion, and my installer isn't
> available). Today I pulled out the working switch for the room light.
> It had 2 hot wires (looks like in one sheath). No neutral wires seen.
>
>
> I took off of the top wire to the switch, placed a new black wire to
> the top connection on the switch and one to the hot. (using wire screw)
> Light works. I then took another new black wire to the hot/new wire
> (using a wire screw) put that to the top of the new switch. Took the
> black from the new wiring to the closet to the bottom of the new
> switch.
>
> This leaves a neutral from the new wiring to the closet light with no
> where to go. And the closet light does not work in this configuration.
>
>
> I have replaced several switches, outlets over the years, first time
> I've come upon this issue.


Posted by RBM on July 15, 2006, 7:34 pm
It's unclear what you have in the box. I understand you have a working room
light switch, and you want a closet light switch. Currently there are two
wires on the room light switch, so what else is in the box?


> My home was built in the 40's with a lot of junction wiring located in
> the light fixture areas.
>
> Bedroom, during a remodel, we put a double gang box in so I could have
> a switch for a closet light. Wiring for that is in. (this was 3 years
> ago, some family things put off completion, and my installer isn't
> available). Today I pulled out the working switch for the room light.
> It had 2 hot wires (looks like in one sheath). No neutral wires seen.
>
>
> I took off of the top wire to the switch, placed a new black wire to
> the top connection on the switch and one to the hot. (using wire screw)
> Light works. I then took another new black wire to the hot/new wire
> (using a wire screw) put that to the top of the new switch. Took the
> black from the new wiring to the closet to the bottom of the new
> switch.
>
> This leaves a neutral from the new wiring to the closet light with no
> where to go. And the closet light does not work in this configuration.
>
>
> I have replaced several switches, outlets over the years, first time
> I've come upon this issue.
>



Posted by Jeff Wisnia on July 15, 2006, 7:34 pm
bizee wrote:

> My home was built in the 40's with a lot of junction wiring located in
> the light fixture areas.
>
> Bedroom, during a remodel, we put a double gang box in so I could have
> a switch for a closet light. Wiring for that is in. (this was 3 years
> ago, some family things put off completion, and my installer isn't
> available). Today I pulled out the working switch for the room light.
> It had 2 hot wires (looks like in one sheath). No neutral wires seen.
>
>
> I took off of the top wire to the switch, placed a new black wire to
> the top connection on the switch and one to the hot. (using wire screw)
> Light works. I then took another new black wire to the hot/new wire
> (using a wire screw) put that to the top of the new switch. Took the
> black from the new wiring to the closet to the bottom of the new
> switch.
>
> This leaves a neutral from the new wiring to the closet light with no
> where to go. And the closet light does not work in this configuration.
>
>
> I have replaced several switches, outlets over the years, first time
> I've come upon this issue.
>


You've pretty much got it figured out already. The neutral lead from the
closet light HAS to get connected to the neutral of the circuit powering
the existing room light.

That should be easy enough to do if there's an attic space over the
bedroom and you can get at the boxes the light fixtures are in and run a
new piece of cable between them. If you can't get at those boxes from
above then you're in for some fun and games and maybe a little wall and
ceiling patching too.

What you've got now is a power source coming into the existing room
fixtures box with it's neutral connected to the neutral side of that
fixture and the hot side brought down to that existing switch and then
back from that swich to the hot side of the fixture. Remove what you've
done already so things are back the way they were.

You'd be well advised to use the same setup for the closet light. Bring
a hot and neutral feed into it's box, tapped off what's available in the
existing fixture's box and wire the closet fixture as I described above,
using the pair of wires your installer put in to bring the hot side
through your new switch and back to the fixture. There won't be any
wires connected directly between the two switches.

Don't forget to check and/or make a proper ground connections at the
closet fixture box.

And, I believe those things you called "wire screws" are probably what
the rest of us would call "wire nuts", 'eh?

Good luck,

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
"What do you expect from a pig but a grunt?"

Posted by Mark Lloyd on July 15, 2006, 8:06 pm

>My home was built in the 40's with a lot of junction wiring located in
>the light fixture areas.
>
>Bedroom, during a remodel, we put a double gang box in so I could have
>a switch for a closet light. Wiring for that is in. (this was 3 years
>ago, some family things put off completion, and my installer isn't
>available). Today I pulled out the working switch for the room light.
> It had 2 hot wires (looks like in one sheath). No neutral wires seen.
>
>
>I took off of the top wire to the switch, placed a new black wire to
>the top connection on the switch and one to the hot. (using wire screw)
>Light works. I then took another new black wire to the hot/new wire
>(using a wire screw) put that to the top of the new switch. Took the
>black from the new wiring to the closet to the bottom of the new
>switch.
>
>This leaves a neutral from the new wiring to the closet light with no
>where to go. And the closet light does not work in this configuration.
>

Does the closet light work when you turn BOTH switches on?

>
>I have replaced several switches, outlets over the years, first time
>I've come upon this issue.
--
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what
to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb
contesting the vote." - Benjamin Franklin

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