Ask Experts Questions for FREE Help !
Ask
    amoreno44's Avatar
    amoreno44 Posts: 2, Reputation: 1
    New Member
     
    #1

    May 23, 2007, 08:38 AM
    Wired ceiling light causes short
    I recently bought a ceiling light from Home Depot and once I made all the connections, inserted light bulbs and then flipped the switch it caused the circuit breaker to trip. I don't know if I have somehow wired improperly but I did as the instructions told me (two whites from light to white from ceiling, two blacks from light to black from ceiling and red from ceiling to ground screw and ground from light to red). Does it sound like I've done anything wrong or could it be the wiring was done improperly when the house was built?

    Thanks.
    tkrussell's Avatar
    tkrussell Posts: 9,659, Reputation: 725
    Uber Member
     
    #2

    May 23, 2007, 12:47 PM
    Try disconnecting the red wires, cap them with tape or wirenuts, and try the switch again, let us know if the breaker still trips.
    Stratmando's Avatar
    Stratmando Posts: 11,188, Reputation: 508
    Uber Member
     
    #3

    May 23, 2007, 03:49 PM
    Green or Bare is Ground ONLY.
    Like Tk says Cap Reds, or connect the 2 reds.
    Light(Black wire)will either go to black or one of the reds.
    Someone may have used reds for Ground(Dangerous) Check nearby recpticles to see if red goes to ground. Identify with green tape.
    amoreno44's Avatar
    amoreno44 Posts: 2, Reputation: 1
    New Member
     
    #4

    May 24, 2007, 07:46 AM
    Wow! That was really stupid of me. The bare ground wire was painted white from the builders painting the ceiling so I didn't notice it. I forgot that the receptacle is connected to two switches, one for the light and one for the fan. Thanks for your help.

Not your question? Ask your question View similar questions

 

Question Tools Search this Question
Search this Question:

Advanced Search

Add your answer here.


Check out some similar questions!

Ceiling fan not wired correctly [ 4 Answers ]

I and neighbor put in a ceiling fan in the bathroom. It seems that the fan is not blowing the steam out. The fan is designed for a larger bathroom. I'm not a electrician but my thinking is to reverse the wiring to the poles so that the fan will work in the correct direction so that it will blow...

Ceiling light wires [ 1 Answers ]

Hi there folks. Wonder if someone can help me out here. I have taken an old ceiling light down and when I was unscrewing the wires on the old light I didn't check which wire was where. I am now left with 3 grey cables each containing a green, red and black wire. I thought that I just had to screw...

Ceiling Light Wiring [ 2 Answers ]

Hey! I just moved into this 1 room apartment, and decided to put a ceiling light , a 2 bulb. Just to fill you in, before that, and (still) , I had accidentally found out that the switch on the wall , was connected to an outlet, so I just got a cheapo lamp and connected there so it could be...

Ceiling fan light [ 1 Answers ]

My ceiling fan light was nice and bright for the first couple of months after install. Now, the light is very dim. I have replaced the bulb and the wall switch, but it does not make a difference. Not sure what to do next. Please help. Thanks


View more questions Search