I bought a work bench with a fluorescent light fixture that had no switch. I was trying to wire a normal light switch in line with the power cable but I messed it up I'm certain, as I keep blowing fuses. However, I tried to twist the wires back together like they came and it still blew a fuse. However, this time it blew the fuse on the outlet down the wall, rather than the circuit panel fuse. I could have perhaps mixed power and neutral when I wired them back together. The power cable has three wires. I assume one power, one neutral, one ground. The middle is the ground. I have a normal light switch with one ground screw on the left and two screws on the right. Any help for me? I read somewhere else I was maybe supposed a wire from the ballast to the switch too. I don't know. I was assuming I could use the switch to just hold or release power to the fixture. I'm no electrician though...
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wiring switch to fluorescent lights
- Thread starter cody84
- Start date
I'm a little confused sorry. I assume that you mean that you tripped the ground fault plug after you wired it together. I will try to help you out but just remember you are playing with fire and it might be best to have a friend that knows help you out.
Generally the neutral is white, hot is black and ground is green or bare. Inside of some cords that is not always the case. To wire a switch the hot wire attaches to the two screws on the right you are referring to. The ground wire goes to the ground screw on the left. You need to add in a pigtail on the ground wire to accomplish this. Think of it this way, the ground wire needs to go the whole way to the light itself but it still needs to be grounded at the switch and to the box also if you are using a metal box with romex. To do this cut a small length of green wire and attach it to the ground screw and to the box if needed. Take all of the grounds wires together with a wire nut.
The neutral wire does not attach to a switch but needs to pass complete a circuit to the fixture. The switch in it's simplest form interrupts the circuit when in a closed position. If you have a loose neutral or fail to wire the ground correctly you will trip the ground fault and if you are sloppy in your work you can create an arc and then a fire. I always tape the terminals on switches and plugs even when they are secure. I also tape wire nuts on starting by binding the wires together and then up to the nut head. I'm not an electrician but was taught to do it this was by electricians in the family. Many don't go that far but as a detective/fire investigator I have seen arcing in boxes where somehow the wiring was pulled too tight down the road and a wire came out of the nut.
Good luck and hope that helps.
Generally the neutral is white, hot is black and ground is green or bare. Inside of some cords that is not always the case. To wire a switch the hot wire attaches to the two screws on the right you are referring to. The ground wire goes to the ground screw on the left. You need to add in a pigtail on the ground wire to accomplish this. Think of it this way, the ground wire needs to go the whole way to the light itself but it still needs to be grounded at the switch and to the box also if you are using a metal box with romex. To do this cut a small length of green wire and attach it to the ground screw and to the box if needed. Take all of the grounds wires together with a wire nut.
The neutral wire does not attach to a switch but needs to pass complete a circuit to the fixture. The switch in it's simplest form interrupts the circuit when in a closed position. If you have a loose neutral or fail to wire the ground correctly you will trip the ground fault and if you are sloppy in your work you can create an arc and then a fire. I always tape the terminals on switches and plugs even when they are secure. I also tape wire nuts on starting by binding the wires together and then up to the nut head. I'm not an electrician but was taught to do it this was by electricians in the family. Many don't go that far but as a detective/fire investigator I have seen arcing in boxes where somehow the wiring was pulled too tight down the road and a wire came out of the nut.
Good luck and hope that helps.
dipper
Well-known member
wow sounds like you need to do some more research or just hire a pro.
installing a switch is about as basic as you can get.
installing a switch is about as basic as you can get.
Kevin54
MEMBER EMERITUS
You have three wires going to the light. Correct? If standard wiring the wires will be white, black, and green or bare. The black will be hot, white neutral, and green or bare is ground. The switch needs to break the black or hot wire. If you popped a fuse to a lower outlet, is the outlet itself a GFI outlet or a standard outlet and you popped a fuse in the panel box? If it popped in the panel box and you rewired your light back correctly, then you may have fried an outlet.