Wiring in a new Fixture


  #1  
Old 05-30-00, 01:33 PM
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I bought a dinning table fixture from a home improvement place that was going out of business. I hung it over my dinning table and ran new wire from the new fixture to a new switch. I ran another piece of wire from the new switch to an existing switch for power that goes to my attic light. On the hot switch I hooked up the black wire on the top screw and the white wire on the bottom screw (existing wiring matches). Then at the new switch, I spliced all the wires together and then plugged the black wire into the top and the white into the bottom. The fixture has a switch inside it that controls a bottom light and candelabra type lights at the top. Here are my problems. The candelabra lights won't come on. (It has occured to me that the fixture could be defective) Also, the bottom light is very dim. I assume you must not be able to run a new switch off an old switch (at least not the way I have it wired) because now the light on the fixture that does burn toggles off of my attic light. Also, the new switch is backwards. When it says it's on, it is off and visa versa. I had to unhook the wiring because one of the lights was always on. How can I wire the switches so that each fixture works off the appropriate switch? I really don't want to run any more wire!! Please help.
 
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Old 05-30-00, 04:50 PM
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rodeogrl,

Unfortunately, you need a an additional wire but there are a couple of options by which you can accomplish this task.
First, the reason your fan does not work, it lacks a neutral.
Here are the options.
First you can follow the route you have taken but you will need a 3/wire from your attic light down to the switch controlling the attic light. If you do it this way, here is how you need to tie the wires.
At the attic box, take the hot wire and wirenut it to the black of the three wire going to the switch. Connect the white wires in the attic box, should be a feeder white, a pigtail for the fixture there and the white going to your switch box.
Then put the red wire on the fixture and reinstall the fixture.
Then, at the switch box, you need to connect the white from your 3/w to the white you pulled earlier from your new switch box which I assume was a 2/wire. Connect the black from 3/wire, the one from 2/w and add a pigtail, wirenut them together. Put pigtail on any screw of the switch, then the red wire from 3/w from attic on the other switch screw.
Now when you install the switch the screws should be on your right. This will make the switch switch properly, Up is on, down is off.
Ok, now at your new switch box.
Tie the two whites together under a wirenut.
Put both blacks on the switch screws of the switch and install it the same way.
In case you want to do it another way, here is the scenario.
Run a two wire from your attic light box to the fan box which are both in the attic.
Now, you need to follow closely.
The feeder white, (neutral) will be wirenutted to the fixture and with the white going to the fan.
You now will still have an existing 2/wire going down to the switch for this attic light.
The white wire of this set must be wirenutted to the hot wire in that fixture box. (carefull in keeping your whites straight here. Mark the white your are making hot down to the switch so you don't loose its designation. The black from the switch box will remain the same, attached to the fixture.
Now, at the fan box. Your white from the attic light box is your neutral and will attach to the white of the fan. The black from the attic light box will attach to the white, (mark this white also,)going to the switch, your new switch box. Then the black from the switch box will attach to the black of the fan.
You now can abandon the wire you pulled between the two switches as it is not needed.
I hope you can follow this but if you need clarification, just let me know.
 
  #3  
Old 05-30-00, 04:53 PM
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Just after I sent the previous post away, I remembered I forgot a minor detail.
There are gound wires included in all of this. Just tie them together and pigtail to the fixture boxes and at the fan also tie in the fan green.
 
  #4  
Old 05-30-00, 06:33 PM
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hello rodeogrl,
looks like david filled u in on what u will need to make your new light work properly, i would hacve given u the same advice.
 
  #5  
Old 05-30-00, 07:30 PM
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If I understand your instructions correctly, I am using the attic fan and light to make my fixture hot. That is actually a great idea. The attic fan is about 4 feet from the new fixture. I will give this a try. I'm not sure what the symbols 2/wire and 3/wire mean unless that is just I need to run 2 or 3 wires. Is that correct?
 
  #6  
Old 05-31-00, 08:37 AM
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A /3 wire has 3 wires (Black,Red,White) and
a bare ground, a /2 wire has 2 wires (black,
white), and a bare ground. You neen the 3 wire to carry hot (black), switched circuit
(red), and Neutral (white), as well as ground
(bare)
 
 

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