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    dhrobertson's Avatar
    dhrobertson Posts: 9, Reputation: 1
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    #1

    Jul 9, 2007, 08:44 PM
    Light switch trips breaker
    Here's question number 2 in switching out fans and light fixtures. I replaced the ceiling fan in my son's room with one from our previous home. After getting everything wired rather difficult because of some very short wires, the ceiling fan will work with the remote, but using the wall switch trips the breaker causing most of the lights in the upstairs of the house to go out. There were 2 cables coming into the elctrical box - 1 with a white, black and ground wire the other with a black and a white wire. I connected the ground to the green , the whites together the white from the fan remote and the blacks to the black from the remote. I alos changed out the light switch has the ground wire was not connected and the was not place to connect it. Where do I go from here?
    dhrobertson's Avatar
    dhrobertson Posts: 9, Reputation: 1
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    #2

    Jul 9, 2007, 08:53 PM
    Replacement bathroom switch trips breaker
    Our upstairs bath exhaust fan and light are connected to a single switch, we prefer separate switches. I read on this site that it might be possible to install a combination switch that would allow them to operate individually without having to enlarge the receptacle box. This was tried, but then the fan and light would not work - they tripped the breaker. Reading the directions in the box with the switch there was reference to a break off fin - should this be left in place or removed. This things seem relatively simple, but I'm beginning to think it would be better just hiring an electrician.
    tkrussell's Avatar
    tkrussell Posts: 9,659, Reputation: 725
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    #3

    Jul 10, 2007, 02:55 AM
    What do you have for wires in the box? Is there a separate wire for each the light and the fan?
    tkrussell's Avatar
    tkrussell Posts: 9,659, Reputation: 725
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    #4

    Jul 10, 2007, 02:58 AM
    Now I see your detail which answers my question in the other post.

    Can't do it, the whites must be spliced together and not connect to the switch. This leave one black as the hot feed and the other as the switched leg. Of course, the grounds connect together and the green screw on the switch.

    A separate two wire cable with ground needs to be run from the switch location to the fan or light to be able to control each separately.
    Stratmando's Avatar
    Stratmando Posts: 11,188, Reputation: 508
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    #5

    Jul 10, 2007, 04:45 AM
    If only a black and white at switch box, white is not neutral, if you are thinking neutral,
    And wire at light like that, you may be switching hot to neutral.
    Or wire came loose or pinched
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