[Poppy Jim]

I installed two lights in the kitchen that are controlled by a common switch. Now, the lights on the same circuit in an adjacent room won't come on. Also, a GFCI receptacle on the same circuit doesn't work.

[hkstroud]

OK, tell us what you did. Like how many and what colors the wires are.

[Poppy Jim]

I connected the red hot wire to the white from the switch. Connected the black from the switch to the black from each of two lights. Connected the white from the new light to the white from the white bundle. These are all in the kitchen. I did this as you instructed me yesterday. The kitchen lights all work fine with the switch, but now the lights and receptacle in an adjacent room and an exterior GFCI receptacle do not work. I pushed the reset button on the GFCI, but it made no difference.

[hkstroud]

Yesterday you said that the red came for the red bundle. I understood that to mean you had a short red wire connected to a bundle of red wires. Is that correct?

If that is not correct and you meant that the red wire was part of the red bundle, reconnect the red wire along with the white wire to the switch, to the red bundle.

[Poppy Jim]

Yes, the red wire is part of the red bundle, and it is connected to the white wire from the switch. The two kitchen lights work and are controlled by the switch. That's why I don't understand why the other lights on that circuit don't work now. The interior and exterior receptacles on that circuit don't work either.

[hkstroud]

The red wire is the hot coming to the box. It needs to be connected to the red bundle and to the switch. Apparently what you have is two circuits sharing a neutral. You have a 3-wire cable coming from the circuit panel. The red is connected to one breaker and the black is connected to another. They both use the white as a neutral back to the panel. The black circuit is just passing through the box. The red is also passing through the box and going to the other outlets. When you connect the white wire, which goes to the switch to the red bundle you are tapping into that circuit. This is one of the two times you are allow to use a white wire as a hot conductor. Technically it is supposed to be remarked to black on each end with tape or paint.
When you said you had a red wire coming from a red bundle, I assumed that you meant you had a short piece of red wire attached to the bundle of red wires. This is know as a pigtail. This is commonly done as a convenience. When you have a number of wires being connected together it requires a large wire nut. Getting a small, usually stranded, fixture wire entwined in that connection can be inconvenient at times. By adding a pigtail you can pull the wire down where you can work on it with out pulling all of the wires down. You can also use a small wire nut to connect the fixture wire.

Reconnect the single red wire back to the bundle of red wires. That will restore power to the outlets. Include the white to the switch in that bundle and that will provide power to the switch.

If this is what you have already done, check you connections in the red bundle. Also check the connections in the white bundle. If you have a break in the neutral at this point, it will appear that you don't have power at the outlets. Now that I think about the fact that some exterior outlets don't work, that is probably where the fault is. The black circuit probably serves those outlets and uses the common neutral.

Also check each GFI receptacle buy pressing the reset button.

[Poppy Jim]

Thanks for the help. It will be several days before I can try what your suggestions. Will let you know how it turned out.

[Poppy Jim]

I have rececked all the connections and they are all good. The receptacles all work except the one directly below the switch for the lights in the adjacent room and the GFI receptacle outside which is a branch of the receptacle inside that doesn't work. I pushed the test button on the GFI receptacle and nothing happened. I pushed the reset button and it will not stay in. The GFI is at the end of the line. The lights in the adjacent room still do not work. They are on a three way switch.
I'm about out of ideas. What should I do?

[hkstroud]

Tell describe the wires in the ceiling. Remove the switch and tell me what wires are there.

[Poppy Jim]

This wiring is all run through conduit. In the junction box in the ceiling there are 4 red wires which I have wire nutted together and attached a red pigtail to them. There are 4 white wires which I have wire nutted together and attached a white pigtail to them. There are four black wires (one to the kitchen light not attached to this junction box), one to switch box #1, and two that go to switch box #2. I have attached the black wire from the new light fixture (attached to the is junction box) to the other black wires. I have attached the white wire from this fixture to the white pigtail. The red pigtail is attached to an orange wire which was pigtailed to the white wire from switch box #1 which controls the kitchen lights. In switch box #1 there is one black wire and one white wire. Coming into switch box #2 (controls the den lights) there are 2 black, 1 white and 1 red. Going out of switch box #2 there is one red and one white wire. These go to a receptacle below which is does not have power, going out of this receptacle box is one white and one red which go to the exterior GFI receptacle. Everything works except the exterior receptacle, the den lights and the receptacle below switch #2. I realize this is complicated, that is why I'm having trouble figuring it out. Again, I have checked my connections and they are all good. What should I try now? Thanks for your patience and help.

[hkstroud]

This is what I think you said you have.

There are two red wires unaccounted for.

What are the connections at switch 2?
Is switch to a 3-way switch?
Is there another switch for the den light?

You said that this is all in conduit. How many conduits do you have.

[Poppy Jim]

It will be a while before I can check out the rest of the red wires and the conduit. There are some other electrical problems in this room (dead receptacles, switches that don't seem to control anything). When I know more questions to ask, I will get back to you. Thanks for the help so far.

[Poppy Jim]

I have attached a drawing of how the wires are attached to the switches. Yesterday I checked the wires coming into the three way switch box and found the red and black wires on the right side to be hot. The regular receptacle and the GFI were both not working. I pushed the reset button on the GFI and both regular and GFI receptacles were working. The lights in the den were also working. Put the three way switch back in the box and tried again, and nothing worked. Today, I checked the wiring insulation in the three way box and found nicks down to the wire on the red and one black wire. I covered these with electricians tape and replaced the three way switch. I also covered the sharp edge of the conduit with tape as best I could. Now I can't detect current in any of the wires. What is going on? The kitchen lights still work fine.

[hkstroud]

1. Your drawing doesn't show where the power is coming from.

2. 3-way switch always work in pairs. You can't have just one. Is there another one? What is the function of the 3-way suppose to be if the other switch is controlling both lights.

3. The fact that resetting the GFI restored power indicates that the power source is through the GFI. Did you show all of the wires there?

4. Did you show all of the wires in the junction box?