Stumped - again!

[Rickster55]

I thought I redid everything the same when I changed out a light fixture except for adding another light to the mix. Now - no lights. Light is dim on tester. So getting some juice (I think). What did I miss?

 

[Doc]

I'm no electrician but black is normally the hot wire, White is Neutral. If you have a red wire, they are normally for 3 way switches. Hopefully that helps a little.

 

[larry_g]

Black is normally power
White is normally neutral

Where does the line you labeled power come from?

Normally black goes to the switch and then on to the fixture
White connects to the fixture where you have the RED line

You are showing no neutral connection to the fixtures... this is a problem

Is this a 3-way circuit with 2 switches?


lg
no neat sig line

 

[Barnabas]

Run the black power source line to the switch, then run the output from the switch (black or red) to the black input on both lamps.

Connect the white from the power source to the whites on all lamps.

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

I can't see your picture too clearly on my phone,but as lon as the center wire in your picture is used as a neutral you should be fine.
Are you tying the the middle and 3rd wire in your picture together to complete the neutral for the circuit?

 

[ddawg16]

It looks like you may have wired them in series. Where are the wires at the top going?

If you are adding a light....the second light goes in parallel....translation....what ever wires to to the light...new light gets parallel wires.

 

[BillK]

Do you remember how it was when you started ?

 

[Rickster55]

Not a 3 way switch. This is how the original was wired (I think). I guess I was trying to simplify the drawing before. Hope this is better. I believe the power is coming from the first set of wires on the left.

 

[WhiffySpark]

Call an electrician in ..

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Not a 3 way switch. This is how the original was wired (I think). I guess I was trying to simplify the drawing before. Hope this is better. I believe the power is coming from the first set of wires on the left.

Your drawings make no sense whatsoever.

Neutral needs to go to each fixture UNSWITCHED.

The black/hot wire needs to go to the switch first then on to each light fixture.

Your second drawing is worse than the first.

U have black/hot going to both sides of the light fixture. Thats why it doesnt work.

And no ground wire?

Where did the red wire come from?

If this is truly how it was wired, u should call an electrician.

 

[BillK]

Rick,
As far as your two lights are concerned all you need is what is in my drawing. However I think there is more going on in the circuit and might take a little sleuthing to figure out. There is no way it was originally hooked up like your second drawing shows. Any chance of a couple of pictures of the box where the switch is, showing the wires ?

 

[Rickster55]

Yes, there are ground wires. The red starts at the switch and goes to the light. I didn't touch anything in the switch box so that remains the same as prior to the fixture replacements. Given that, the red wire should be connected to the black wire in the light, correct?

 

[Rickster55]

BillK,
it's a mess in there as the circuit continues on to another switch about a foot away.

 

[BillK]

Yes, there are ground wires. The red starts at the switch and goes to the light. I didn't touch anything in the switch box so that remains the same as prior to the fixture replacements. Given that, the red wire should be connected to the black wire in the light, correct?

Rick,
I cant say that without knowing for sure what the black wire is. "Normally" black is "hot" so if you hook up the red wire to it, it will do nothing. You need to have a hot and a neutral for the light to work. The one hot is coming from the switch but you don't have a neutral (white) hooked to the light.

I almost have to wonder if they have wired it with the neutral switched instead of the hot ?

Can you put a voltmeter from the white wire to the "power" wire you show on the switch and see what you have ?

Something just does not make sense.

 

[BillK]

BillK,
it's a mess in there as the circuit continues on to another switch about a foot away.

What does the other switch do ?

 

[Rickster55]

The other switch is for the light out back.

 

[Rickster55]

Thanks everyone! Gave it some more thought and listened to your suggestions and I'm good to go! Thanks again all!

 

[pearltsi]

Called an electrician. Good idea. haha

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Thanks everyone! Gave it some more thought and listened to your suggestions and I'm good to go! Thanks again all!

what exactly did u do?

 

[bczygan]

what exactly did u do?

This:

 

[Rickster55]

what exactly did u do?

As you said. Neutrals kept together including light white wire. Red wire from switch to black on light. All connections made in boxes with ground wires.

Lights are up in the ceiling now but this is how I remember doing it.

 

[Rickster55]

This:

For a while this is what it looked like! LOL