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    mretzak's Avatar
    mretzak Posts: 2, Reputation: 2
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    #1

    Jan 19, 2006, 10:11 AM
    Track lighting question
    Hello. In my kitchen, there is an old track lighting fixture that does not function. I'm assuming that this worked at one time, but not while I've lived in the house. I am interested in replacing it with a new fixture. There are electrical connections in the ceiling where the old fixture is but they are not live. There is only one switch in the room that controls an existing ceiling fan. Is there any way I can figure out where the wiring for the track lighting comes from so I can attempt to locate where a switch might have once been, or figure out which junction box the electricity comes from so I can install a new switch? Since it does not function at all, I'm not even sure how to determine which circuit the fixture is on. Any help is greatly appreciated.

    Edit: I would prefer to use the existing wiring for the simplest solution.
    labman's Avatar
    labman Posts: 10,580, Reputation: 551
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    #2

    Jan 19, 2006, 10:38 AM
    Check in the box for both the existing switch and light for disconnected wires. Look around the walls in likely places for where the drywall may have been patch over a box for a switch. Merely being against code to eliminate access to wiring connections, doesn't mean it wasn't done. If you have access above the ceiling, you could try tracing the wires. If nothing else works, maybe a stud detector will pickup the wires.
    Borewyrm's Avatar
    Borewyrm Posts: 65, Reputation: 2
    Junior Member
    		  
    #3

    Jan 20, 2006, 05:34 PM
    If the circuit is de-energized Greenlee makes an inexpensive toner tool to trace the wire.
    mretzak's Avatar
    mretzak Posts: 2, Reputation: 2
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    #4

    Jan 23, 2006, 07:00 AM
    Well, I finally broke down and went up in the attic... I was hoping to solve the problem without doing this because in order to access it I had to take everything out of my closet (that's convenient) and deal with messy blown-in insulation. However I figured out the dilema... The track light was actually disconnected. I'm guessing the power was disconnected from the fixture and moved over to the newer ceiling fan in my kitchen. I'll just run a new line and switch to it and everything should work out fine. Thanks everyone for your help and quick responses.
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