I am trying to install a new bathroom light. I can get the light to come on but it will not shut off with the new switch. There are eight wires coming in to the box. 4 black and 4 white. One white is marked with a piece of black tape indicating it is also a live wire. One of the black wires is also wrapped with tape. When I touch a black to a black and a white to a white I can get the light to come on but it will not go on and off. What is the problem? It used to work but all of a sudden it is not.

When I use the tester only one of the black wires show it has power and it will only work with one of the white wires but as I have said it will not shut off.

 

Find the black wire that is paired with the taped black wire. Connect this black wire, and only this black wire, to the black wire from the light fixture.

Connect the other three black wires together with the taped white wire. These wires do not connect to the light fixture.

Connect the remaining white wires to the white wire from the light fixture.

 

I hooked up the wires as you said John but when I hook up all the white wires together it keeps blowing the breaker. I disconnected the white wire that belongs with the black taped wire becasue it seemed to be the wire that caused the breaker to blow. When I test this white wire it shows as being a live wire. Now the light stays on but again it will not shut off with the switch.

 

Shut off the breaker. Pull the switch out of the box without disconnecting any of the wires. Tell us everything (and I mean everything) that you see in this box.

Then describe back to me the wiring connections I suggested to you in my last post so I can see if you interpreted it the way I meant it. I am especially interested to make sure that you have a group of three black wires in that box that are not connected to the light fixture in any way whatsoever.

 

I pulled out the breaker and there is only one black wire hooked up to it. It is a single 15 amp breaker.

I checked the black wires and I only had two black and the white taped wire together. I had the black live and the black taped wire with the light fixture wire. I changed that and put the black taped wire with the other two black and white taped wire. I know have three black wire and the white taped wire together and now all the white wires go together. The light is on but still will not shut off with the new switch.

 

Pull out the wall switch, not the breaker.

I hope you really didn't mean "taped" when you said "taped".

 

When I pull out the wall switch there are two wires. One black and one white. the white wire is on the top and the black wire is on the bottom.

 

I still believe that my earlier directions were correct. Perhaps we are miscommunicating about my intent.

I make no judgement about the "taped" black wire. It has no meaning. The only black wire that is special is the one that is from the same cable as the taped white wire.

Find the black wire that is from the same cable as the taped white wire. That is the wire that should be connected to the light fixture. The other three black wires connect to the taped white wire (and to nothing else). And the other three white wires should connect to the fixture white wire.

Are you sure that this is what you did?

If this still fails, then perhaps the wrong white wire is taped. The white wire that should have the tape on it is the white wire that goes to the switch (if you can figure out which one that is).

 

The black taped wire, is the wire that belongs to the white taped wire. They both come out of the same sleeve. When I hook it up to the light fixture I have no power. When I take the black wire that shows power when I test it and put it with the other black wires and the taped white wire it blows the breaker. I have checked this several times. The only way I can get the light to turn on is if I use the black wire that tests live whjich is not the wire that comes from the same sleeve as the white taped wire.l

I do not know how or where to begin to find out if this is the right white wire that is taped. It sounds like this is a bigger job than I had anticipated. I have changed lights before but never ran into this kind of problem.

Thanks very much for all you help. I was hoping to solve my problem but I guess I will have to call for some help.

 

Do you have a multimeter? If not, perhaps you want to get one.

When you get one, conduct this experiment. Set it to the ohm scale (marked with a Greek omega). Shut off the breaker. Connect the two leads to the taped white wire and the black wire that it goes with. Have someone flip the switch back and forth while you measure the resistance. See if the resistance swings back and forth from zero to infinity when the switch is flipped. If it doesn't do it with that pair, try the other pairs. The one that responds as indicated is the switch loop. Once you find out which one that is, the rest is easy.

Here's another way to do it without a multimeter. Shut off the breaker and connect the black power feed to one of the other black wires. Then turn on the breaker and measure for voltage between the white power feed and the white wire that is in the same cable with the other black wire you connected to power. If this voltage comes and goes when you flip the switch, then you have also found the switch loop.

When you find the switch loop, treat it as I told you to treat the taped white wire. I have been assuming that the taped white wire is the switch loop, but it is now apparent that that assumption was wrong.

 

CarolQ , Johns multimeter test is going to tell us what the two wires going to the switch are (aka switch leg) we need to know this. In the mean time and I dont want to sound redundant but how many black wires do you have in the light fixture box Including the black wire coming from the light itself? The taped black wire is unusual and really doesnt have a meaning unless it was just something the electrician did for his own reminder. The black wire that shows power has to be connected to one of the wires in the other cables that goes to the switch. The light will come on if directly wired to this power wire given that the grounded path (white untaped wires) is good but you will have no control of the light. We are also assuming that the taped white wire is being designated as a hot wire, usually this is done on the switch leg. But this is in question now. When you had the black wires connected to the white taped wire as you did in your previous post, did the breaker trip regardless of what position the switch was in? If you can or have someone perform the tests John is asking for he will have your light working as you want......Goodluck-------RL

 

I do not have a multimeter but I tried the other test as you indicated and it worked. I put the black power wire together with another black wire and I tested the two white wires for voltage when I turned the switch off and on and it worked. Unfortunately, I am not sure what to do now with the white wires. I know that I must put the black wire of the light switch with the two black wires I just tested but can you remind me of what I should do with the white wires. Thanks

 

So the cable you have identified as the switch loop is not the one with the taped white wire???No. Let's take it from the top. I'm just going to cut and paste from my earlier post and substitute terminology. Two cables now have names (the power cable and the switch loop cable). The other two cables don't have names, but they don't need them.

Take the switch loop black wire and connect it to the light fixture black wire. Next, connect the other three black wires to the switch loop white wire (and to nothing else). Finally, connect the remaining three three white wires to the fixture white wire.

 

Rlfrazee. I have eight wires coming into the box. 4 black and 4 white. One white wire is taped and two black wires are taped.

 

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. You have no idea how good it feels to finally fix this problem. We have been without a light in this bathroom for at least two months because of this problem

The white taped wire is not the switch loop wire as it should be. It is another wire altogether. I purchased a multimeter before but took it back as I did not know how to use it. Would it be a good idea to purchase it again for future use? I really want to thank you for helping out with this problem.

I have removed all the tape on the wires and taped the two switch loop wires so that if ever I have to come back to tis areas again I will know exactly which wires are the switch loop ones. Thanks again John and RL.

CarolQ

 

Carol, congratulations. You have shown a lot of persistence. Most DIYers would not have stuck with it long enough to get a successful outcome. Success always feels good.

 

Way to go Carol! I'm glad you stuck with it. I still wonder what all those taped wires meant? Better give John most of the credit and I would learn to use a multimeter if you have time they really help you troubleshoot quickly.....RL