Breaker trips when light switch is turned on... Help!!

[Backyard builder]

I'm in the process of wiring my garage, passed rough inspection and have moved on to finial wiring. The recepticle are working fine GFCI functioning and all is good there. The problem is with lights.

I'm running from breaker to GFCI recepticle, to switch, to lights. I have power to GFCi and power to switch, whenever I flip the switch to turn on lights the breaker trips, not GFCI. Can someone draw me up a diagram of the proper wireing or make some suggestions as to what is causing this? Thanks!

 

[larry_g]

How many lights are on the circuit? I would suggest that if you can break the circuit easily in the middle, do so, and then try again. That will tell you either you have to great of a load or you have a problem in the 1/2 circuit that is disconnected. If you can't run 1/2 the lights try disconnecting so only one light is in the circuit. If that won't work then you have wiring problems. Do you have a load plugged into the GFCI receptacle?

lg
no neat sig line

 

[Zeke]

You're switching to ground. If your switch is in the middle of a black wire (only blacks on the switch) and the white from the light fixture goes back to the neutral splice, it should work. Now that's not how it would work if the power goes to the light box first.

 

[Backyard builder]

Larry G , there are 4 -4' t8 lights. I tried only wireing one light and same thing.

Thanks for help.

 

[Backyard builder]

Zeke. I ran black in on bottom terminal on switch then out to lights on top terminal and nutral is ran back to GFCI. That's how I saw it online and still triping breaker. Thanks for help

 

[justsam]

Should look like this.

http://www.electrical-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Basic-Light-Switch.gif

Each of your four lights will be black to black, white to white, and ground to ground.

In yor case, power is coming from your gfi.

 

[justsam]

Zeke. I ran black in on bottom terminal on switch then out to lights on top terminal and nutral is ran back to GFCI. That's how I saw it online and still triping breaker. Thanks for help[/QUOTE

What top terminal. That sounds like the ground terminal. Both switch terminals should be on side or back.

 

[larry_g]

I'm thinking Zeke is on the right track. It sounds like when your powering up the light circuit it is going to ground. Time to start looking for a miss wire somewhere. Any chance you drove a nail into the wiring? Is your wiring still out in the open or is it covered? Do you have an ohm meter to check if there is continuity between the hot and ground circuits if they are disconnected from the GFCI?

lg
no neat sig line

 

[pattenp]

 

[Mustang51js]

Open up the lights and check to see if a wire is shorting out anywhere. Start at the first light and disconnect wire, if it trips then you have a problem going up to the lights. Reconnect and move on to the next light. I don't know what kind of lights you installed but usually ends up being a wire touching the side of the light somewhere when stuffed in the box.

 

[Mustang51js]

And I never put lights on a gfi but that's a different argument lol

 

[Evan(CA)]

Open up the lights and check to see if a wire is shorting out anywhere. Start at the first light and disconnect wire, if it trips then you have a problem going up to the lights. Reconnect and move on to the next light. I don't know what kind of lights you installed but usually ends up being a wire touching the side of the light somewhere when stuffed in the box.

Do this OP.

And I never put lights on a gfi but that's a different argument lol

It's on the line side so it doesn't matter.

 

[Milton Shaw]

I would start at first light disconnect it completely and try it . Could have a staple to tight and shorting from black to neutral or ground. Sounds like you have a dead short either in the wire from switch to lights or from light to light.

 

[Zeke]

Do this OP.



It's on the line side so it doesn't matter.

You're sure? He didn't clarify that.

 

[Evan(CA)]

You're sure? He didn't clarify that.

Whoops, I was just going by the picture above. Thought that was the op

 

[Backyard builder]

I want to thank everyone for their advise. After disconnecting the lights and inspecting the 12-2 I found a small hole in the insulation. Either from pulling the wire or over righting the cable clamp at the light. Problem solved and lights working.

Thanks again guys!