Switch Problem on New Circuit
#1
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Switch Problem on New Circuit
It's days like this I feel soooo stupid.
Last year I claimed my attic as a new indoor space.
I connected the needed wiring to a new circuit, wired up half dozen receptacles and roughed in the wiring for the lights above. Then called it a year.
I came back to complete it last week and hooked up some pot lights (4) to the switch I set up last year (everything is on 14-2 wire) and found that when I turned the lights off, the breaker flicked off too. It should have been a simple parallel circuit but it is not.
I read that you can only hook up a simple parallel circuit with 14-2 wire when the switch box is fed from a receptacle. I'm not sure but I think my switch box is connected straight to the fuse box. Is that my problem? How do I solve it? I'm expecting visitors in a week and wanted to impress them with a room in a cool attic.
Help is desparately needed...and much much appreciated.
MK
Last year I claimed my attic as a new indoor space.
I connected the needed wiring to a new circuit, wired up half dozen receptacles and roughed in the wiring for the lights above. Then called it a year.
I came back to complete it last week and hooked up some pot lights (4) to the switch I set up last year (everything is on 14-2 wire) and found that when I turned the lights off, the breaker flicked off too. It should have been a simple parallel circuit but it is not.
I read that you can only hook up a simple parallel circuit with 14-2 wire when the switch box is fed from a receptacle. I'm not sure but I think my switch box is connected straight to the fuse box. Is that my problem? How do I solve it? I'm expecting visitors in a week and wanted to impress them with a room in a cool attic.
Help is desparately needed...and much much appreciated.
MK
#2
I read that you can only hook up a simple parallel circuit with 14-2 wire when the switch box is fed from a receptacle.
If you brought power to the switch box you should have two whites wire nutted together and two blacks on the switch.
In the first part of your post you mention a breaker tripping but later you say fuse box, which is it?
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My apologies. It's a breaker switch on a 100Amp service.
Coming in are 2 lines, one from the main breaker box and one continuing on to the receptacle line servicing the room. There are only 5 receptacles connected to the line and one dimmer switch (which works).
I joined the 2 black wires coming into the box together with a short black wireto feed to the switch, and similarily the whites and neutrals. I screwed the short black with the out going black wire to the pots, and similarily to with the whites (and neutrals). Then I joined all the pot blacks together, the whites together and the neutrals together as I had read in another forum.
The breaker trips everytime I turn it off.
Does this help visualize the issue?
Coming in are 2 lines, one from the main breaker box and one continuing on to the receptacle line servicing the room. There are only 5 receptacles connected to the line and one dimmer switch (which works).
I joined the 2 black wires coming into the box together with a short black wireto feed to the switch, and similarily the whites and neutrals. I screwed the short black with the out going black wire to the pots, and similarily to with the whites (and neutrals). Then I joined all the pot blacks together, the whites together and the neutrals together as I had read in another forum.
The breaker trips everytime I turn it off.
Does this help visualize the issue?
#4
Are you saying you have a white wire connected to the switch? If so, remove it.
The only wires on the switch should be the power in and the switched feed going out to the lights and a grounding conductor.
The only wires on the switch should be the power in and the switched feed going out to the lights and a grounding conductor.
Last edited by pcboss; 06-14-11 at 09:00 AM. Reason: spelling
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By jove, I think you got it Boss! Sometimes I get a brain freeze after straight weeks of renovating.
Maybe it will come to me but what about the white wires connected to all the 4-40watt pots and where do they get connected to...? Do they get connected to the white supply incoming power?
Thanks a million PCBoss. You saved me $50 on a consultant to tell me something so rudimentary.
Maybe it will come to me but what about the white wires connected to all the 4-40watt pots and where do they get connected to...? Do they get connected to the white supply incoming power?
Thanks a million PCBoss. You saved me $50 on a consultant to tell me something so rudimentary.
#7
but what about the white wires connected to all the 4-40watt pots and where do they get connected to
f you brought power to the switch box you should have two whites wire nutted together and two blacks on the switch.
#8
Switches only need to break the hot leg in the circuit. Neutrals are unswitched and splice thru a switch or fixture.
A white connected to a switch is not a neutral. It would be part of a switch loop. It should have been re-identified as a hot, but often times was not.
A white connected to a switch is not a neutral. It would be part of a switch loop. It should have been re-identified as a hot, but often times was not.
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Switch Problem on New Circuit
Hello misha karo
You might already have your lights and switch hooked up and working.
But if not here is a fast drawing I made on how to wire up your project..
Hope this helps ---
Let us know how you made out with your wiring project
Have A Nice Day
Linesman
You might already have your lights and switch hooked up and working.
But if not here is a fast drawing I made on how to wire up your project..
Hope this helps ---
Let us know how you made out with your wiring project
Have A Nice Day
Linesman
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This is exactly what i was looking for the last 24 hours. I will be doing the lights tonight and this makes it clear as blue sky. Thanks so much for making the effort and all of you that basically supported linesman in words. Tell you how it goes.
All the best
misha