[nybelle]

I just hooked-up a new light fixture but it doesn't work. Any ideas? The bulb is OK, and other lights on the circuit work. The ceiling has three wires, two of which are twisted together, which I believe is for the dimmer. The fixture has two wires; I connected one to one from the ceiling, and the other to the other 2 in the ceiling. I had an old fixture there before which worked.

I know the light fixture itself works because I connected it to an extension cord and it works fine.

Thanks!

[tkrussell]

Sounds like it is connected correctly, but without knowing the color code of the wires, hard to tell what the problem is.

Can you give a better description or a picture?

It is possible the dimmer failed, also.

[nybelle]

The wires on the fixture are black and white. The ceiling wires are all white. Here are pictures.

[tkrussell]

OK looks like someone not using proper color codes.

If those are the wires the old fixture was connected to,try the fixture black to the single white, should be hot so be careful, be sure the switch is off.

And the fixture white to the twited whites.

[nybelle]

I tried both ways and it doesn't work. Any other ideas?

[tkrussell]

Do you remember which wires the old fixtures used?

[nybelle]

One wire of the fixture went to one wire from the ceiling, and the other fixture wire went to the other two from the ceiling. I don't remember which color of the fixture connected to what.

[tkrussell]

There must be another problem if there is not 120 volts across the indivdual white and the twisted whites.

Is there any other wires in the box not connected? Are there other lights that are on the same switch?

Could be a fluky problem like a broken splice or wire in that box, or a bad switch. Time to get a voltage testing and do some troubleshooting to find where the power is.

Sorry can't be of more help.

[bhayne]

Turn the power on and measure the voltage between both wires:
If it is zero volts with the swich in the off position and zero or 55V volts with the swich on the 'on' position. Do the following:

Disconnect power. Remove the cross braket on the junction box. Locate the cable that supplies the single white conductor. This cable should have a single black conductor (it may be attached to other black conductors that are on the same switched circuit). Pull the black conductor out from the box as the white conductor is.

Install the cross bracket back in place. Attach the fixture to the white and black conductors. Attach all white conductors together.

The problem is a simple matter that the wires were pulled apart when you removed the original fixture.

[nybelle]

Grrr. So I got a multimeter, but I'm not sure I'm using it right. I know the battery works, but when I try and test either the wires coming out of the ceiling or any outlet, I get no results whatsoever. I'm not sure whether I'm testing AC or DC, but I get nothing for either one. This is the multimeter I have:http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...entPage=search


Here are some more pictures of the wires. The exposed ones are what the old fixture was attached to. There's a single white, and another 2 twisted whites.

[tkrussell]

Set it to AC volts, touch one probe to the green or bare ground, touch the other probe to one wire, if hot the meter will read about 120 volts.

To test the meter, try the probes in an outlet, remember, the u shaped hole is the ground the wide blade opening in neutral and the short blade opening is hot.

At the light keep one on ground and test all the other wires for power. If the twisted are what I think, neutral, there will be zero or maybe a 1-2 volt reading.

I got to give you credit, you are persistent.

[RichardBondMan]

I am no electrician but are you sure about the dimmer wire, all new fixtures should have a ground wire, a positive and a negative.

[tkrussell]

Rich, this is alternating current, positive and negative is irrelevant.

Don't confuse nybelle, with your advice she may put the meter on DC and have problems with the meter.

If as you say, "I am no electrician", then be careful with your advice.

[HSDADIALA]

Rich, this is alternating current, positive and negative is irrelevant.

Don't confuse nybelle, with your advice she may put the meter on DC and have problems with the meter.

If as you say, "I am no electrician", then be careful with your advice.

Hi,
This is harpreet
If you are not able to use multimeter then use a 60w ac filament lamp with two wires to verify the phase and neutral wires. Also if possible straighten wires in pics so that one can see the circuit flow clearly.
Please do let me know the viltage of fixture and that avaible in the circuit

Regards
Harpreet

[stanfortyman]

You do realize this is over a year and a half old?