Wiring question


  #1  
Old 01-15-18, 08:34 PM
B
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 12
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Wiring question

In my kitchen i do have a toggle switch that connects to the lamp in the ceiling and additionally shares black cable with lamp in the living room. The electricity box has one switch that controls the lamp in the living room , kitchen and additionally another lamp in the small bedroom so it seems like there is 3 lamps on that line.
I drew how the wires connect in the kitchen outlet and what wires are in the ceiling for the lamp in the kitchen.
The outlet in the ceiling for the kitchen uses purple color wire for the line.
What i dont understand is the connection in the kitchen box.
The red line (i assume it is a line) connects to orange wire that goes to the dimer in the dining room.
What is weird is that the black line is shared.
Is it possible that someone screwed the connections and actually the black like should be connected to the toggle switch only the natural line should be shared between the dimmer and the toggle switch?

The purple line wire does not match the color of the black line but i guess it might be connected to the power box where it is spliced with the black wire. This is an old house with old wires so probably old wire color was used.

Would the proper trouble shouting be to check if the black wire and red wire have power?
I assume it is impossible for this to work if both red and black wires have power as this would cause a short?


Name:  Untitled.jpg
Views: 259
Size:  7.9 KB
 
  #2  
Old 01-15-18, 08:47 PM
PJmax's Avatar
Group Moderator
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Jersey
Posts: 64,928
Received 3,947 Upvotes on 3,540 Posts
Normally with a switch loop..... the white brings the hot power TO the switches. The red is OUT to one device and black is OUT to the other device.

In your case.... black brings power TO the switches. Red is OUT to the dining room light and white is OUT to the kitchen light. Technically the white wire should be taped or colored something other white as it is not a neutral. I like using blue for my remarked color.

Since you have purple at the ceiling light.... that would suggest you have a conduit system in the house.
 
  #3  
Old 01-15-18, 09:07 PM
B
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 12
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
I just discovered that the white line in the ceiling is shared with another neutral line.
I also discovered that there is actually 4 lamps on that electrical box switch.

Regarding the black line would not it be a cleaner to connect the black wires together instead of looping through the toggle switch?
Is this a preference or the standard way in this case is to do the loop?

Not sure if i can use a dimmer here in place of the toggle switch as that white wire is shared.

I updated the drawing.

Name:  Untitled.jpg
Views: 259
Size:  12.1 KB
 
  #4  
Old 01-15-18, 09:13 PM
B
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 12
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
it seems to me that the white must be actually spliced with the purple,.
 
  #5  
Old 01-15-18, 09:23 PM
PJmax's Avatar
Group Moderator
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Jersey
Posts: 64,928
Received 3,947 Upvotes on 3,540 Posts
Yes... the white is spliced to the purple but not like you've shown it. Those two white wires at the ceiling box are neutrals. The white is spliced to the purple elsewhere. Probably at the other light box.

You can take the black wire at the switch and pigtail it so that you have two black wires to work with.
 
  #6  
Old 01-16-18, 08:01 AM
B
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 12
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
ok so in that case i can easily install the dimmer switch for that light.
thx for explaining it.
 
  #7  
Old 01-19-18, 09:25 PM
B
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 12
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
I understand now that the cables for both switches were using the looped line (black wire) and that i can simply replace the toggle switch with the dimmer and that will work with no issues.

Now, i do have another lamp that was just wired. There is 3 cables coming from the ceiling box for that lamp.
Orange, white and green. I already connected all the wires at the lamp box but now i need to get power for it.
I also have additional line for the under cabinet low voltage light that will use elv dimmer that also has Orange, white and green run into the same box,

In the same box where i have the toggle and loop that goes to the other room, I also have a GFI outlet.
I attached the photo how GFI is wired.
3 wires come form the main junction box: white, red and black.
Seems like black and red are lines and white is natural.
Black is used for the GFI and red is used for the power outlet that is in the other room.
Natural is shared.

Can i split the other black line that is used for toggle and the other lamp and connect to new lamp dimmer and other elv and then used the natural that is shared with GFI and power outlet or I must use either GFI or power outllet line and its natural wire.
Is natural shared in the main junction box for all lines?

I drew the two options.
THere is no ground in the small box so i guess i have to just tape it or put a wire connector over it.


Name:  Untitled2.jpg
Views: 208
Size:  9.9 KB

Name:  Untitled2-option2.jpg
Views: 182
Size:  12.8 KB

Name:  Untitled2-option1.jpg
Views: 237
Size:  12.6 KB
 
  #8  
Old 01-19-18, 10:26 PM
PJmax's Avatar
Group Moderator
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Jersey
Posts: 64,928
Received 3,947 Upvotes on 3,540 Posts
There is 3 cables coming from the ceiling box for that lamp.
That is three wires. A cable is a sheath or jacket with more than one wire in it.

You cannot take hot from one circuit and neutral from another like in picture 2.

Your first post was a box with a switch and a dimmer.
Now that same box has one or two receptacles in it too ?
You show a GFI and an outlet. That's two different devices ?
 
  #9  
Old 01-20-18, 07:32 AM
B
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 12
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
yes in the same box there is another wire feeding GFcI and and the outlet.
See attached original photo.
That wire has red, black and white wires.
red goes to outlet, black to gfci
II checked with the tool and both black and red are hot.
So i want to use that red wire and share with 2 additional dimmers like in the example i provided.
I though that sharing the outlet with GFCI might not be a good idea.
I marked with white the new wires. (on the left new lamp on the right dimmer ELV)

Name:  InkedIMG_0589_LI (2).jpg
Views: 204
Size:  89.3 KB
 
  #10  
Old 01-22-18, 05:44 AM
B
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 12
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
i wired everything as in second drawing and everything works.
Thx for all the help.
 
 

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