Need help with circut


  #1  
Old 03-29-08, 08:15 PM
B
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Posts: 5
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Need help with circut

I am helping my mom with a problem. She had a light that quit working and smelled funny. I removed the 2 tubes and covering to find the ballast and wires melted to nothing.

I turned off the breaker and capped the wires.

Now I have a circut with a few lights and switchs that do not have power. I believe the way it is wired is wrong and hope someone can help me here.

The lead from the breaker box went into the light and then back out to a switch and a junction box, which went to 2 other lights and switches.

The diagram of the circut is here,

http://cid-2b5b828362ac3107.spaces.l...useSlideshow=0

Can someone help me to get this up to par.
Thanks for any help.
 
  #2  
Old 03-29-08, 10:33 PM
ray2047's Avatar
Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: USA
Posts: 29,711
Upvotes: 0
Received 15 Upvotes on 13 Posts
I will guess all cables are two conductor NM (Romex). You didn't say and your diagram doesn't indicate individual conductors. It appears at the first light all whites should be wired together except the switch loop white which may have been re-marked another color. If you are temporarily by passing the light disconnect only the white from the light and the switch loop. All blacks except the one from the light and switch loop should be tied together. The circuit should then work. There is really nothing wrong with the way it was done that I see but wait for the experts opinion. I know this is ok when you daisy chain several lights.
 

Last edited by ray2047; 03-30-08 at 12:54 AM.
  #3  
Old 03-30-08, 07:16 AM
B
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Posts: 5
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Thanks Ray for the reply.
I have a new light to install to replace the one that burned up.
The wiring from the breaker box is the Romex 2 wire, and all other wires are Romex 2 wire with ground.
It appears that all whites to white and black to black is the way everything is aside from the switches. They used a ran of 2 wire Romex with the black feeding and the white as the return.
 
  #4  
Old 03-30-08, 08:54 AM
F
Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: NE Wis / Paris France{ In France for now }
Posts: 4,364
Upvotes: 0
Received 2 Upvotes on 2 Posts
some place they wired like that but however you should have junction box above the luminare so make it easier to splice it and if you have someway to get above the ceiling if so great.,,

you will have to use the exsting junction box in the attic and use that to splice the power and switch loop then run short length of romex to the luminaire [ it will be good idea to install a junction box when you take down the old luminaires off ]

and make sure you mark one set of wire is switch loop so you dont get all mixed up.

Merci,Marc
 
  #5  
Old 03-30-08, 09:04 AM
ray2047's Avatar
Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: USA
Posts: 29,711
Upvotes: 0
Received 15 Upvotes on 13 Posts
They used a ran of 2 wire Romex with the black feeding and the white as the return.
That is a correct and common practice. The white wire should have been relabeled with colored tape or magic marker black (or red or any color except green) but often it isn't. Usually the black is used for return not the white to avoid confusion but electrically it doesn't matter.
 
  #6  
Old 03-30-08, 09:34 AM
B
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Posts: 5
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Thanks for the posts guys. I am in the process off running new wire and installing a new light.
This is in the basement so I have easy access to the wires.
However I did also learn that what I thought was a feed to a wall outlet, fed electric to 3 bedrooms.
I think this may be too much for a 15 amp breaker, so I may add a new breaker for the bedrooms and have everything on the diagram on another.
 
  #7  
Old 03-30-08, 09:41 AM
ray2047's Avatar
Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: USA
Posts: 29,711
Upvotes: 0
Received 15 Upvotes on 13 Posts
so I may add a new breaker for the bedrooms and have everything on the diagram on another.
It is recommended you use an AFCI breaker. Depending on your AHJ it's probably required for the bedrooms. If this is an unfinished basement you were originally posting wasb about you need GFCI protection there.
 
 

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
 
Ask a Question
Question Title:
Description:
Your question will be posted in: