Junction box to split power


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Old 04-22-17, 12:18 AM
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Junction box to split power

Hello there everyone

I have a quick question here. I have some interior lights in my garage that are on their own breaker. I installed a couple lights on the exterior back, and want to put them on the same breaker. At the moment, the power from the breaker is coming into a 3 way switch controlling the interior lights I mentioned above.

The exterior lights that I added are being controlled by a separate switch (just a 2 way). What I did was splice into the cable coming from the breaker, and join up with wires running to the switches. The blacks (hot) are all marretted as well as the whites. I figured this would give me the power I needed to both sets of lights and still let the neutrals do what they need to do. However this setup is currently instantly tripping the breaker when flipped back on.

Is there something obvious that I am missing? It was the end of the day and so I didn't do a lot of basic troubleshooting yet (that's the plan first thing tomorrow). I just thought I would check and see if there is anything that I didn't think of.

Mike O.
 
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Old 04-22-17, 01:18 AM
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What I did was splice into the cable coming from the breaker, and join up with wires running to the switches. The blacks (hot) are all marretted as well as the whites. I figured this would give me the power I needed to both sets of lights and still let the neutrals do what they need to do. However this setup is currently instantly tripping the breaker when flipped back on.
I couldn't exactly follow your description but it sounds like a dead short. If you are sure it is the power cable from the breaker that you tapped then this is the wiring.
  • The white of power in from the breaker is wire nutted to the white of the power out cable to the original light and wire nutted to the white to the new light.
  • Black of power in from the breaker and black of power out to the original light is connected to a pigtail.
  • Pigtail goes to one side of the switch.
  • Black of new lights goes to the other side of the switch.
  • Grounds connected per code.

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Terminology: Nitpick but,
just a 2 way
No such critter. You mean a SPST regular switch. (2-way is what the British call a 3-way)
 

Last edited by ray2047; 04-22-17 at 02:32 AM.
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Old 04-22-17, 04:42 AM
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In addition, make sure all your connections are in an approved junction box and covered, while remaining accessible, even if you cover the walls of the garage later.
 
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Old 04-22-17, 07:28 AM
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Ray: that looks like what I have. Inside my junction box, the black from the breaker is wire nutted to the black that goes to my new lights as well as to the black going to the 3 way switch. The white from the breaker is wire nutted to the white coming back from the new lights as well as the white from the 3 way. It looks to me like I did what your diagram is showing me. It made sense to me to do it that way.

Chandler, yep. Got it covered. I put it in a hidden spot under my landing but it will remain accessible.

Thanks for the replies guys. Any other advice is appreciated. I'll get to troubleshooting it today after breakfast.
 
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Old 04-22-17, 08:09 AM
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Please post a picturer of your new switch with the switch pulled out so we can see all the wires. http://www.doityourself.com/forum/li...rt-images.html

Is the switch for the new lights not in the junction box? My diagram shows it in the box.
 
 

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