Electrical

I have pulled electric from an outlet to a switch for an outside light. When the switch is on the light comes on but when I turn the switch off the breaker trips. What am I doing wrong?

 

At the switch you should have both blacks on the switch and both white tied together. If that is not what you have desrcibe the wiring. I thnk you have black and white on the switch and it is acutally tripping when turn the switch on not when you turn it off.

 

Describe exactly the wiring in the box with the switch.

1. Your power source is in the switch box.
Is the white wire from the lamp tied to the other white wires in the switch box, then you should have two black wire connected to the switch, and both hot and neutral are coming from the switch box out to the lamp.

2. Your power source is at the lamp.
If you have only two wires in the switch box, the white wire from the lamp loop is connected to one of the switch terminals and the black to the other. This is a switch loop. The lamp is getting its neutral connection at its box. Just because the wire is white, does not mean its a neutral! With the switch off, check for voltage between the white wire, and ground ( the bare wire or the metal box, if you have one.)

3. Your power source is at the lamp, and you are feeding power through to the lamp fixture box.

In this case you will have three wires going to the lamp fixture. The white neutral, and black and red for the switch loop.

 

My guess (if your wiring is correct):

1. You created a short somewhere in your wiring. It could be at the light fixture - you may have pinched a hot wire or hit one with a mounting screw during installation or it could be in the switch box - where a ground may be making contact with the "load" side screw AND

2. You mounted your switch upside down and are actually turning the switch on when the breaker trips. Look to see if your switch reads "NO" instead of "ON".