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Turkleton · May 23, 2008, 03:51 PM

I just installed a chandelier light fixture to a pre-existing junction box in my condo. When I flip the electricity back on for the room however, the fixture lights up in spite of the light switch being in the OFF position. When I flip the light switch to ON, the breaker trips.

Is the problem I'm having at the switch, or with the wiring of the chandelier?

Thanks!

donf · May 23, 2008, 04:06 PM

Turk,

Sounds like you reversed the wires in the ceiling.

When you removed the old fixture, do you remember what wires were up there and how you reconnected them?

Turkleton · May 23, 2008, 04:09 PM

There was just a plate covering the jbox. I'm the first tenant in the unit, and the builders left the living room lighting option open.

Unfortunately for me, the chandelier came with shoddy instructions. Instead of black and white wires it had two clear insulated wires, one ribbed and one smooth.

If its as simple as reversing the wires I'll give that a shot.

mr500 · May 23, 2008, 04:18 PM

Originally Posted by Turkleton

There was just a plate covering the jbox. I'm the first tenant in the unit, and the builders left the living room lighting option open.

Unfortunately for me, the chandelier came with shoddy instructions. Instead of black and white wires it had two clear insulated wires, one ribbed and one smooth.

If its as simple as reversing the wires I'll give that a shot.

The ribbed wire is the nuetral/white wire. Smooth is the blk/hott. If that will help you out any. Also, on your switch check wiring there. Make sure its all connected tight etc.. Is this a SINGLE pole switch for the fan? Should have both blacks on one side, going to those 2 screws and the whites nutted together and green to the grnd screw. Hope this helps

Mike

Turkleton · May 23, 2008, 04:26 PM

I originally had the ribbed nutted with the white and smooth w/ the black when I posted this question. When I flipped them the same problem occurred. The light would come on with the switch in the off position.

It is indeed a single pole switch and I'll check to see if all the connections are good there.

mr500 · May 23, 2008, 05:13 PM

Check the switch and post back.

One more question, do you know if this switch is at the end of a run?(switch loop) Are there 2 wires coming into the box or just one. (romax)

The pic (A) shows you the corect way. Here the YELLOW is ground. It will pigtail over to the gnd screw on the switch and the gnd screw in the box if you have a metal box. Whites are nutted as one and the hots to the 2 screws.

If its only 1 wire coming in the box,( Pic B) then both are hott. Might out of put a piece blk tape around the white to show it is hot. IF IF IF you have only 1 wire coming into the box. Gnd will hook up same way, pigtailed to the green screw on switch.

Hope this helps

Mike

Turkleton · May 23, 2008, 05:20 PM

Originally Posted by mr500

The ribbed wire is the nuetral/white wire. Smooth is the blk/hott. If that will help you out any. Also, on your switch check wiring there. Make sure its all connected tight etc.. Is this a SINGLE pole switch for the fan? Should have both blacks on one side, going to those 2 screws and the whites nutted together and green to the grnd screw. Hope this helps

Mike

There are actually 3 switches next to one another housed in one box. One controls the kitchen light, which works just fine, the other controls one of the sockets in the living room, also working fine. The 3rd switch is the one controlling the chandelier. All 3 switches were wired the same, a black wire to the bottom screw (off position), a yellow wire to the top screw (on), and behind the 3 switches were two whites nutted and the green to a ground.

When I leave the switch in an OFF position and flip the breaker, the light is on. Flipping the switch to an ON position from here trips the breaker.

When I leave the switch in an ON position, and flip the breaker, the light remains off, and the breaker doesn't trip.

Turkleton · May 23, 2008, 05:26 PM

Originally Posted by mr500

Check the switch and post back.

One more question, do you know if this switch is at the end of a run?(switch loop) Are there 2 wires coming into the box or just one. (romax)

The pic (A) shows you the corect way. Here the YELLOW is ground. It will pigtail over to the gnd screw on the switch and the gnd screw in the box if you have a metal box. Whites are nutted as one and the hots to the 2 screws.

If its only 1 wire coming in the box,( Pic B) then both are hott. Might outta put a piece blk tape around the white to show it is hot. IF IF IF you have only 1 wire coming into the box. Gnd will hook up same way, pigtailed to the green screw on switch.

Hope this helps

Mike

There are two wires coming into the box. Pic A is what I'm seeing in the box, except 3 times the switches :)

mr500 · May 23, 2008, 05:36 PM

So you have 3 switches problaby controlled by the same hot wire. How many wires are connected to your problem switch?>

You say there are only 2 whites feeding into the box?

Turkleton · May 23, 2008, 06:03 PM

Originally Posted by mr500

so you have 3 switches problaby controlled by the same hot wire. How many wires are connected to your problem switch?>

You say there are only 2 whites feeding into the box?

I photoshopped your diagram to show what I see in my box.

The two whites coming from the top are nutted to the bottom white.

There is an "orange" wire coming down from the top left hole, and two of the same down the top middle.

The grounds are all screwed in to the plate. And from what I can see, there are a total of 6 black wires, all nutted, coming from the two top holes, the bottom hole, and attaching to the three switches.

mr500 · May 23, 2008, 06:11 PM

Yeah I photo shopped the first one as well lol. Ask a weird question, when this problem occurs, is the switch IN the box or OUT. Have you tried it both ways?

Looks like you have it wired correctly from what I can see. You say there are no wires exposed and everything is tight. So that's not the issue.

Unless the switch itself is gone bad. If you have a meter you can check across the 2 screws for Cont. POWER Off course.

Turkleton · May 23, 2008, 06:28 PM

The problem occurs with the switch both in and out.

There definitely isn't any issue with the condition of the wiring. If the switch itself is faulty I suppose I should just undo the wiring for the chandelier so that at least the kitchen and living room lights will work w/o having to worry about the problem switch tripping the breaker.

Turkleton · May 23, 2008, 06:50 PM

Is it possible that there is a problem with the fixture at all?

mr500 · May 23, 2008, 07:02 PM

Yeah take the load OFF the switch and try it ? See if it trips. If it still does it then it probably is not the light.

Just undo the light wiring and see what happens. Like you said then at least you will have power where you need it

Turkleton · May 23, 2008, 07:37 PM

There is a new development!

What I had originally thought to be the ground wire from the ceiling is actually not a ground. The ground is already attached to the metal frame that the bracket is screwed into.

When this orange wire is disconnected, turning on the electricity turns the chandelier on, and the light switch doesn't do anything at all. It doesn't trip the breaker in the ON position (it did before when I assumed it was the ground). This is the same type of wire that is attached to the top screw of the "problem switch".

I am thoroughly confused now. The black wire from the junction box is still connected to the smooth wire from the chandelier. The white wire is still connected to the ribbed wire. What am I supposed to do with this orange wire now that seemingly controls whether this light goes on or off..

mr500 · May 23, 2008, 07:49 PM

Yeah, What color wires on the light is the ribbed and smooth wire connected too? Is it orange etc. or is it blk white?

Turkleton · May 23, 2008, 07:53 PM

Ribbed is on white, Smooth is on black, and I have nothing left to connect to the seemingly important orange :\

The black and white wires are both two twisted copper wires. The orange is a single copper wire.

mr500 · May 23, 2008, 08:38 PM

So coming out of the light is blk and white, yet in the switch box there is not a blk and white is this correct? Rather that orange wire

Turkleton · May 23, 2008, 08:42 PM

Out of the light is black, white and orange, but currently only the black and white are connected to the chandelier's 2 wires. In the switch box, there is a black in the bottom screw of the switch, an orange in the top screw, and all the whites are nutted together

mr500 · May 23, 2008, 08:47 PM

OK gotcha. What was this switch used of for before you installed the new lights? Orange has got me confused somewhat... lol.