Light switch question

i've installed a light in a hall closet , to get the power to it i hooked it up to the light switch on the other side of the wall. the new light is operated by a pull chain.

this wall switch that i hooked into controls the lights for the landing for the upstairs. there's a switch at the bottom of the stairs and another at the top.

where i hooked into there is red,white,and black wires running to it.
i took the power for my pull chain light by connecting to the black/white wires but now if i turn on the landing light the closet light goes out.

can i use this switch for my closet light without this happening and without disrupting the use of the light switches at the top and bottom of the landing???

thanks gord

 

Good evening Gordow. No you can't use the switch wires for your closet light. The white wire connected to the switch is not a neutral wire. It is a "traveller" used in the three way switch setup. There is no neutral in that box. You will have to find another source from a receptacle box if possible to connect your closet light. Unless this is a large walk-in closet I would question the advisability of having a bare bulb fixture in the closet at all. Check the legality of this light with your local inspection authority and don't take a chance with setting your house on fire.
Have a good day.

 

Lew is correct. You are attempting the impossible.

If this existing switch is a 3-way switch, and if you only have one wire of each color, then this is impossible for two reasons: not only do you have no neutral in this box, you don't even have a source of continuously unswitched hot.

And Lew is wise to sternly warn you about adding a closet light. If this is not a walk-in closet, the only light you can safely and legally add is probably a fluorescent fixture mounted on the wall above the door. It's the only way you can get sufficient clearance required by code.

The above is pretty discouraging. But give us some more information and ask some more questions and we can help you explore alternatives.

 

the closet is about 4' wide by 3 1/2' deep ,, it's an entrance way closet for coats and shoes , would this still be a problem?

what if i changed it to a flouresent fixture , would that be acceptable??

as for the wiring , i guess i'll have to live with what i've got or if i have to change the fixture , then i'll have to go down to the base ment and wire it up through a junction box down there.

thanks for the responses

 

Actually you can't live with what you have. You do not have a neutral to the light from the switch so you are effectively using the ground wire as a neutral. This is dangerous and against code. Please disconnect the light fixture and remove the new wires from the switch box as soon as possible. Why don't you try one of the battery operated stick up lights they sell? They provide good light and for the short term usage the battery should last a long time.

 

Okay, your closet is deeper than a lot. So you may be okay with an incandescent light. As Lew said, you are not allowed to have a naked-bulb fixture. Then you must ensure that there is at least 12 inches of horizontal distance between any edge of the fixture and the nearest storage. This must be true, even if every shelf is stacked all the way to the ceiling.

I don't think you should live with what you've got. I think you'll find other funnies about how it operates other than the one you've already mentioned.

 

thanks again guys for your input.

i'll have to head out to the hardware store tomorrow and see what else they have out there in the way of closet lights.

Lew after i get off here i'll disconnect the closet light and look into maybe running a wire to the basement instead as there's a junction box right below the closet , i just don't know if i can fish a wire down there or not.

thanks again for all the info.

 

okay guys i've decided to scrap the setup that we talked about before for my closet light ,, but a new set of questions

i've found a route to the basement that i can run the wire to either a junction box on an overhead light or run it to one of two light switch boxes.

now a really stupid question,, there are one white and one black plus grounds going to both the junction box or to the light switch box but when i connect white to white and black to black when i switch the existing light off it just dims , it doesn't go right off.

if i hook it up to the junction box that is for a basement light it comes on but when i switch the basement light on by the switch it turns the closet light on and off as well.

what would be the best way to hook this up and the biggie can this be done?? after the last try i'm a little sceptical ,, i had a look for battery operated closet lights and the only one i could find wouldn't light up the inside of my pocket nevermind a closet this size.

thanks again gord

 

You can draw power from neither a switch box nor a light box when there is only one black and one white wire present. You are still attempting the impossible.

The surest place to draw power from is an unswitched receptacle.