Attic Lights

Installed two new fixtures in attic. When restoing power all other lights in garage are now dim. I tied into power from one of the other existing fictures with the black and white leads. The old wire has a red wire that I left tied together and confirmed that the white and black were carrying power with a testor. The new lights are bright? Any hints?

 

Sounds like you put someting in series. Can you describe the connection that were ther before and what is there now? If you tied into the black and white of a light that was switched then you have tied into switched power.

 

That garage has three lights all switched by one switch in the house. The First light has a wire that runs to the other two lights that carries power. I broke that wire and added two additional lights. My new lights are in series. I also broke the common "black" with a single pole switch. That switch has to be on for other lights to work in addition to the switch in the house.

The old ligthts appear to be in series. To hook to two new lights in should I add them the the end of the existing and forget about switching them off? Just added the switch to save some power, but reall don't need it.

 

I created the following diagram to better explain what I want to say:

This is approximately how it should be. The switch is optional, as long as it in the correct place. Where is this red wire?

 

the old wire has a "black" "white" and "red".. Is the red the ground. When I tested it there was no power?

 

does this diagram represent what I need to do?

 

Are jstave and green jacket the same person here?? I am getting confused if there are 2 different question or it all the same thening.
The diagram looks correct for what is being asked.

 

I put the piece of paper in the scanner to provide a diagram for Jstave to use a reference. I wanted to illustrate what I "see" as how the wiring "should" be.
No confusion intended. gj

BTW, the ground wire is bare copper, correct? (no insulation) the normal color for insulation on grounding conductors is green, when insulated. The NEC allows for insulated and bare grounding wires.

 

In the old wire there is a red wire. In my new wire there is a bare copper wire.

I read your diagram. I believe I understand it. I believe the mistake i made is the lights are in series after the switch.

In addition I spliced into the old wire prior to the other two lights. I assume from your diagram I need to either splice into the power at the end of the old parallel connections to use a switch or insert both my new lights in the middle and continue the parallel wiring with no switch.

correct

Thanks for all the help!

 

At any light if you just add your new cable to the black and white wires it should work. You don't have to go to the last light. Instead of 2 blacks and the light connection there will be 3 blacks and the light connection. Same for the white and ground.

 

You can still add the switch in that circuit so that the 2 added attic lights aren't on everytime the garage lights are,but the garage lights would have to be on for the attic lights to work.