I am installing a light in a closet.
In the attic there is a square box that delivers power to the outlets.
I cut a hole in the ceiling and installed a box to mount the light fixture to. (mounted boc\x on 2x4 between joist!)
I attached the black wire to black wire and white to white and ground to ground on the power box in the attic and ran the other end into the box for the lif\ght fixture. (black, white and ground). Then I mounted the three-way-pole toggle switch to it's box and ran the blac, white and ground cables to the light fixture,].
I attached the ground to ground, white to wite but when I attaché the black to black it trips the circuit?

I wouls appreciate anyy assistance.
Jeff

Hi Jeff

To wire a switch into light fixture, the black wire from power is tied to the black wire from switch.

The white wire from switch goes to the light fixture. Mark this wire with black mark or black tape to show it is hot.

The white wire from power goes to light fixture.

The grounds are all tied together.

By hooking the wires color to color, when switch is on, u have a dead short. It would be the same as hooking the black and white from power together.

Chuck

Chuck,
Your wire scematic is what I have from the swith to the light and to the power source.
It is when I attach the two black wires at the power source it blows a circuit.

a) power comes from breaker dox to metal square box mpounted in attic.
b) I am attaching to those wires to the light and swithc.
Jeff

2 Answers
creahands Posts: 2,004, Reputation: 695
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Yesterday, 09:18 AM

Hi Jeff

To wire a switch into light fixture, the black wire from power is tied to the black wire from switch.

The white wire from switch goes to the light fixture. Mark this wire with black mark or black tape to show it is hot.

The white wire from power goes to light fixture.

The grounds are all tied together.

By hooking the wires color to color, when switch is on, u have a dead short. It would be the same as hooking the black and white from power together.

Chuck
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jeff7323 Posts: 2, Reputation: 1
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Today, 04:44 PM

Chuck,
Your wire scematic is what I have from the swith to the light and to the power source.
It is when I attach the two black wires at the power source it blows a circuit.

a) power comes from breaker dox to metal square box mpounted in attic.
b) I am attaching to those wires to the light and swithc.
Jeff




Quote:
Originally Posted by creahands
Hi Jeff

To wire a switch into light fixture, the black wire from power is tied to the black wire from switch.

The white wire from switch goes to the light fixture. Mark this wire with black mark or black tape to show it is hot.

The white wire from power goes to light fixture.

The grounds are all tied together.

By hooking the wires color to color, when switch is on, u have a dead short. It would be the same as hooking the black and white from power together.

Chuck

Here is what I have in pictures.
Every time I tie in the black wire in the attic box it trips a breaker??

Chuck answered some of my question but I am still having problems.
Thankout maybe pictures would help you to help me so;ve it?

Thanks.
Jeff

Attached Images

   

Apparently you have two different posts going here and I have trouble changing back and forth. creahands instructions are correct for a switch drop from the power source at the light (they are other ways to wire a switch). It appears from one of the pictures that you have the white wire from the switch hooked to the power source neutral which is a direct short.
You should have two white wires on the screws on the light fixture, one neutral from source and the other from the switch with black tape to indicate that it not a neutral.

>Threads Merged<

I'm not sure I follow your labeling. See my assumptions below. If my assumptions are correct eliminate that junction box. All it's doing is junking up the place. Wire as shown.

PS
Earlier you said What does that mean. The switch should be a simple single pole switch, not a three way.

Attached Images

  

Thanks to curly for putting everything in reach here.
Referring to the 2nd photo (the one showing 3 red wirenuts):
1. Remove the black wire that you have going to the fixture off the fixture screw, and out of the wirenut on the right. Reinstall the wirenut securing the two remaining black wires.
2.Remove the white wire coming from the right cable out of the center wirenut. Secure the remaining two white wires with the center wirenut.
3. Now connect a white wire (that will reach the from the white wire you just removed from the center wirenut in step 2, to the remaining screw on the fixture (the screw from which you removed the black wire in step 1). Identify the white wire as a hot wire.

Where you went wrong in following crea's directions:

"To wire a switch into light fixture, the black wire from power is tied to the black wire from switch." YOU TIED THE BLACK WIRE TO THE BLACK SWITCH LEG AND ADDED A THIRD WIRE TO THE FIXTURE.

"The white wire from switch goes to the light fixture. Mark this wire with black mark or black tape to show it is hot." YOU TIED THE WHITE WIRE FROM THE SWITCH TO THE NEUTRALS.

The white wire from power goes to light fixture. YOU TIED THE WHITE FROM POWER TO THE SWITCH AND THE LIGHT FIXTURE.

The grounds are all tied together. YOU DID OK ON THIS ONE

By hooking the wires color to color, when switch is on, u have a dead short. It would be the same as hooking the black and white from power together. BINGO

Jeff

In first picture shows 3 cables. Explain what the 3 cables do.
U have 2 cables marked to ceiling box.

Which cables comes from circuit breaker?

Which cable goes to light?

What is 3rd cable for?

In 2nd picture, It appears u have 3 whites together and 3 blacks together.

U should have the black from the power tied to the black from the switch.

The white from the power to the black from the light box.

The white from the switch to the white from the light box.

In the 3rd picture it looks like u have the white and the ground( bare wire) hooked together under the screw.

The ground wire should be hooked to the green screw on the switch with a pigtail attached to the box.

I usually attach a pigtail to the box and another to the switch. Then wire nut them the to ground in the cable and push to back of box.

Let us know if what I see is correct and if this works.

Chuck

(A) Power comes from basement breaker box to attic to run plug outlets. It is split off to another box to power sealing light with pull chain fan. I was going to tap into this power to run to closet ceing ficture (B) and then run another cable (C) to the switch.

I wired the switch black (top), white (bottom) and ground (green).
That wire comes up the inside wall to the box for litght. Again I wire black to black, white to white and grounds to grounds.
The wire coming from there goes p to the attic and I twist the grounf to ground, white to white and black to black. "When i put the blacks together it trips the breaker and all lights go out including ceiling fan in main room???"

Attached Images

   

You have changed the labels on the cables but you still have the same problem- a direct short because you hooked the white coming from the switch to the circuit neutral. It's just that simple. The circuit neutral hooks directly to the fixture. The white coming from the switch also hooks directly to the fixture--not to the circuit neutral just because it is white. If you can't grasp that concept you need to hire a qualified electrician.

>Threads Merged Again<

I agree with smearcase. Time for u to get an electrician.

Between to pics by HK and the written instructions, there is nothing else we can do.

FOR UR OWN SAFETY HAVE AN ELECTRICIAN DO THE WORK.

Chuck