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Pendant Light Tripping Breaker
We just purchased 3 Hampton Bay pendant lights. Each are 12 volt w/ 50 watt bulb with a transformer in each. Here's the problem - My fiancé (an electrical engineer who's hooked up many lights etc) connected one light to test before we cut into the ceiling to set-up the 3 lights since we're replacing our track lighting with these (we're not connecting these to the track, instead we'll extend to each of the 3 spots in the ceiling and yes, we'll have to tape, spackle and paint again). He went to the basement, turned the breaker back on, I flipped the light switch on upstairs and it tripped the breaker, and it's done it nearly every time. We have called our electrician, and Home Depot. No one seems to know the problem. He has made sure each wire is connected the correct way, the ground was connected, nothing seems to be working. One of the times, I left the light switch in the on position, he turned the breaker on and the light came on and stayed on. Then I turned the switch off and it tripped the breaker. I then turned the switch on again, he turned the breaker on and the light came on but this time I was able to turn the light switch off and on many times without it tripping the breaker. When he tried turning the light off using the other switch in the kitchen, it tripped the breaker again. We need help! I know this was wordy but thought it would be better to give the whole account. We know we should check the voltage but cannot find our meter. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!
-Audra |
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Looks like the hookup is to a 3-way circuit and one switch common may be connected to a grounded return neutral conductor. If the three-way worked before, then there is an incorrect hookup to the lighting outlet. (if this is a 3-way feedthrough in the outlet, this is generally the case.) nm:)
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The best you can do to start troubleshooting is to take apart any splices and disconnect any switches, so that with a voltage tester you can step through each cable, testing for the proper voltage at each cable, and connecting one cable at a time, to see if there is a short in a cable or device, or to confirm each is connected properly.
Difficult to trouble shoot from here, you really do not explain how the circuit is wired in detail. |
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