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    ekarch's Avatar
    ekarch Posts: 1, Reputation: 1
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    #1

    Jan 1, 2011, 03:40 PM
    After installing a new bathroom vanity light it doesn't work
    I have a new bathroom light (w 2 lights) with 2 white, 2 black & 1 ground wire. The box has 1 white, 1 black and 1 ground. I connected whites to white, blacks to black and ground to ground and turned the power on and put in the light bulb.

    When I turned it on nothing happened. The old light was working before I turned off the power and took it down. The old fixture had 1 white, 1 black and 1 ground wires.

    Do I do something different with the second white and second black wire? Or what should I do?
    aguywithfeet's Avatar
    aguywithfeet Posts: 29, Reputation: 3
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    #2

    Jan 1, 2011, 06:42 PM
    Got to ask the obvious. You turned back on the breaker, tried differents bulbs and made sure the switch is on? If it is a two head light then you will have a hot and neutral(black and white) from each head which WILL all be made up whites to whites and blacks to blacks. Sounds like straightforward install. Make sure the breakers is not tripping and that the wires are making copper to copper connection under the wire nuts. To be sure strip the wires and then twist them together, then put the wire nut on.
    stanfortyman's Avatar
    stanfortyman Posts: 5,598, Reputation: 279
    Electrical & Lighting Expert
    		  
    #3

    Jan 1, 2011, 08:03 PM

    I bet the light is wired to the LOAD side of a GFI and the GFI tripped during the installation.

    Look at the receptacle in the bath. See if the "trip" button is popped out.
    aguywithfeet's Avatar
    aguywithfeet Posts: 29, Reputation: 3
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    #4

    Jan 3, 2011, 06:50 PM
    Comment on stanfortyman's post
    Do they do that often? I'm commercial, so just curious.
    stanfortyman's Avatar
    stanfortyman Posts: 5,598, Reputation: 279
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    #5

    Jan 3, 2011, 06:53 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by ;aguywithfeet
    Do they do that often? im commercial, so just curious.
    Not really. There is no real reason for it.
    stanfortyman's Avatar
    stanfortyman Posts: 5,598, Reputation: 279
    Electrical & Lighting Expert
    		  
    #6

    Jan 3, 2011, 06:54 PM

    Two days on, I wonder if the OP is ever coming back.
    georgiaguy's Avatar
    georgiaguy Posts: 1, Reputation: 1
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    #7

    Jan 17, 2011, 09:06 AM
    Ever figure this out? I'm having a similar issue. 2 light vanity -- either 1 side works or the other, but not both at the same time. I've tried different bulbs, and confirmed that each side works on its own. Wall has two switches -- 1 for the vanity light, 1 for the bathroom fan. Vanity has 2 black wires and 2 white wires and 1 ground. Wall box has 1 black wire, 1 white wire, 1 ground. Wiring is 2 black wires from vanity wired to black from wall; 2 white wires from vanity wired to white from wall; ground from vanity wired to ground from wall. Still, only 1 light from the vanity works, not both. Any ideas?
    donf's Avatar
    donf Posts: 5,679, Reputation: 582
    Printers & Electronics Expert
    		  
    #8

    Jan 17, 2011, 09:28 AM

    Well we never heard back from the original poster.

    My suspicion was that when he removed the old fixture he broke the switch loop connection by connecting the whites together.

    In a switch loop, the white wire to the switch is connected to the supply black. The black return from the switch is then connected to all of the blacks.

    The whites from the fixture is then connected to the whits from the supply side.
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