Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

Intelligent_Ebb4887 t1_ispzxd2 wrote

For a switched fixture, you typically don't install multiple black/other color to the black of the fixture. One (black/color) wire should go from switch to fixture. Then the white would tie into the existing white.

Ideally, you'd use a multimeter. Flip the switch off and see what's hot and what's not. Then flip the switch on and the one that goes from 0 to having a current is the one that you connect to the fixture.

Are the other loose words in the box grounds?

2

Flying_Mustang t1_isq1er6 wrote

Need more info… what’s a boob light? I thought those were wine powered, not 110v… pics please

1

VacationMuted8791 t1_isq1qu6 wrote

Are the switch wires black / black or black /white. From your original post I think the switch wires are black/white which is why you may have seen white-black wired together.

If you've then decided to wire it up white-white black-black you may have wired the switch in parallel which defeats the purpose of a switch i.e. you've wired power directly to the lights. The switch will need to be wired in series to be effective.

1

Intelligent_Ebb4887 t1_isq3sk0 wrote

Replying to New-Replacement-8784 (#127,360)

It really depends on how it was wired before. But if the light is staying on, you have a hot connected to the fixture.

So how it works: hot is connected to the switch, then another wire connects from the switch to the fixture. When you flip the switch, the hot continues through the switch, to the fixture=on. When you turn the switch off, the current stops at the switch. The blacks in the box could be another circuit.

Typically here, a red is used to connect the switch to a light fixture and black is always hot. But wiring in Chicago is much different than other places.

In the future, always take a pic before unhooking any wires. Even if you can't figure out what to do, it helps others help you.

1

djdylltron t1_isq48iu wrote

Replying to New-Replacement-8784 (#127,360)

What’s most likely happened is the electrician pulled power from a device to the light and pulled a wire down to the switch. The black wire going to the white wire is bringing permanent power down to the switch to be controlled on the black wire up to the light while the white wire they had from the permanent power brought to the light box will be the neutral for the light. So you need to figure out which wire has power all the time and bring that to white of the opposite wire so that it can be switched again

1

djdylltron t1_isq4i3z wrote

If something ain’t broke don’t fix it. It’s an easy fix if you know which wire is which and you can return it to its original state

1

jasonkohles t1_isq9owt wrote

Replying to Flying_Mustang (#127,424)

“Boob light” is a pretty generic term for those lights that have a round glass cover (the boob) held in place with a little decorative nut (the nipple). Just search Google Images for “boob light” and you’ll get the idea..

1

MrStealYoBichonFrise t1_isqe4dp wrote

I had a similar issue before where some of the wires continued over to power another fixture in another room. A voltmeter helped me check for hots reliably and I was able to see when something was wrong when the voltage was off (no where near 120v). Good luck!

1

AutoModerator t1_isqf75a wrote

###Please read this entire message in length before messaging the moderators or you will not receive a response.
 
Hi New-Replacement-8784,

Your post has been automatically flagged for removal because it appears you are asking:

  • for brainstorming ideas.

  • how to "get started" on a project.

  • what is the best method or approach to a project.

  • whether or not you should do a project.

  • if anyone has used a product, or for a product recommendation.

While we do allow questions in /r/DIY, they must relate to a specific aspect of a project, include the research you've done to find an answer yourself and explain why that research didn't answer your question.

If you have any of these questions, some places to get help are:

  • The Getting Started thread at the top of the subreddit.

  • Our Discord server in the appropriate channel.

  • You may also try other subreddits - /r/homeimprovement, /r/woodworking, /r/electronics or /r/findareddit to help you find a subreddit applicable to your question.

Please read our help request Full Sub Rules before resubmitting.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

1

a_lost_shadow t1_isqf7of wrote

My guess is you have a switch loop here. In this case, you would have 2 romex cables coming into the ceiling box. One cable is the input line and is always hot. The other line goes down to the switch. The one going to the switch probably has some sort of black marking on the white wire. This indicates that this white is not a neutral, but is being used a a hot.

At the switch, you'd see both the black and the white with black marking attached to the switch. When the switch is on, it connects both wires.

Before you go to far you should use some sort of connecting testing to confirm if you have a switch loop or something more convoluted.

If you have a switch loop, you would normally wire the ceiling box like:
- Input black connects to switch loop black
- Input white connects to lamp white
- Switch loop white (with black marking) connects to lamp black
- All grounds connected together

Here's a diagram that I found:
https://www.diychatroom.com/attachments/f18/45554d1328773102-switch-loop-wiring-switch-loop-extension.jpg

I don't recall if there's code regarding whether black or white marked black should carry hot to the switch. My preference is to use the black wire.

1