lighting fixture in kitchen with two switches

I had a functioning light fixture and I wanted to replace it with a new fixture. I have done this in numerous places throughout my house with no problems.

This case is unique. Basically, I opened the junction box and found 1 set of red, black and white wires and a 2nd set with only a black and a white wire. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4372[/ATTACH]

I have attached a diagram since it is too difficult to explain in writing.
I have used merets to wire the light with the red wire (1) and the white wire (2). This is how I found the previous fixture and it worked. When I took it apart I got a small shock since I believed the black going to the light was not live but upon further review I realized it was on the hot side. Now I try to wire the red (1) and the (2) to the light fixture without any luck.

Looking for some help. The voltages measured are odd.

Thanks in advance for everyones help

 

You should connect the new fixture the same as the old fixture. You might have a poor connection or a blown bulb.

 

Welcome to the forums!

Where are you? Filling in the location information in your profile will help us understand more about your situation.

If you have two switches that control one light, then you have a pair of 3-way switches. 3-way switches do not close or open a circuit - they chance the path of the ungrounded power through the system.

What are merets?

Are you saying that in the ceiling box there is one 3-conductor cable (black, red and white plus bare ground) and one 2-conductor cable (black and white plus bare ground)?

And that you found power on one of the black wires until you turned the breaker off?

Which white wire? Both of them, twisted together?

You need to find the cable that is feeding this light and its switches from the panel. With the breaker off, uncover both switches, dismount them and pull them out of the wall to be able to see the wires connected to them and any wires in the boxes behind them. Leave all of the attached and describe what you see to us or, better yet, post pictures of each of the three open boxes. See How To Include Pictures.

We can advise you from there.

 

Merets is a Yankee term for wire nut but the poster is actually north of the boarder in Ontario Canada.

 

Thanks, Ray. I figured that's what it was but, since I'd never seen it before, I thought I'd ask rather than assume.

 

To clarify there is 1 switch for this fixture

the black wires in the ceiling junction box are live when the breaker is closed and they are live no matter what the position of the switch


when I take a voltage reading across the red wire upstream of the switch and the white in the wall junction box I get 120 V. When I wire the bulb I get no light.

when I take a voltage reading across the hot black and the white in the wall junction I get 120v. When I wire the bulb I get light.


Hope the pictures help. Looking forward to your insight

 

It looks like you should recap the black wire connection at the ceiling box and then combine the two white wires together. Your fixture should connect to the two white wires and the red

 

Thansks Pj. I have done exactly what you have suggested with no luck.

If anyone has any ideas I can take voltage readings.

 

Is that a 3 way dimmer in your pic ? 2 red wires and a black wire ?

 

It is a 3 way switch but I am not using the second red. I had it setup this way prior to my attempt of changing the fixture and it worked.

 

Did you try connecting the light to the combined whites and red at the ceiling box and then not using the dimmer ? Connect the red directly to the common wire nutted blacks at the switch box.

 

For testing purposes replace the dimmer with a regular switch and retest. I agree that the 2 white and the fixture white and the fixture black with the red should work.

 

When bypassing the switch (not connected) wiring the black to red in switch box the bulb will light up but it will not turn off.

i can try buying another switch tomorrow. Thanks for the help tonight. I will let everyone know the outcome.

thanks again

 

Yep....there's your answer.... bad dimmer.

 

There may be nothing wrong with the dimmer you started with, other that the fact that you don't need a three-way dimmer to control lights that only have a single control point.

Do you have a dimmable bulb in the light fixture?

 

I simply changed the dimmer for a replacement in kind and the issue has been resolved.

Thanks everyone for your input.

 

Glad you got it, and thank you for the feedback.