My dad and I have been going at this for a couple of hours. He has a hanging lamp over the kitchen table. It hangs from a chain with a power cord threaded through the chain. That power cord attaches to 2 main wires, white and black in the ceiling. There is a bare copper ground that is screwed into the side of a standard outlet box. That bare wire was shoved way up and I don't think it was being used for the 50 years that the lamp has been there.

Lamp stopped working. Tried bulbs. Then tried replacing socket. Took the whole lamp down and disconnected the black and white wires (no green) in a ceiling electric box, from the cord. Replaced the socket and cord, got nothing.

OK- if I touch the meter to the main black and white ceiling wires it turns on. If I attach another cord(with wire caps) to the black and white, the meter will not light at the end of that cord. We than took another new socket with built in black and wire wires and hooked them directly to the black and white ceiling wires, and the bulb will not light.

Perfect signal at ceiling black and white wires, no signal at the end of a cord properly attached, and no bulb will light. Like I said even a new socket with built in black and white wires hooked directly to the source wires does not light a bulb.

Any ideas???? I mean we have changed out sockets many times, and yes there is plenty of juice judging by the jolt I got because dad had the wall switch on

 

That seems to indicate you aren't using a real meter...just one of those type with lights on it. You need a real analog multimeter or a quality digital.

You can have voltage without current.

Your terminology also tells me, you don't really know much about electric. Socket? Signal? Wire caps?

 

Sorry, it would not let me log back in. Right it is simple tester, not a real meter. Wouldn't it show anything at the end of another cord though even if the voltage was way off, its a 3 foot cord I attached. Maybe very weak?

 

Correct I do not know much about electrical, in fact almost nothing. I can replace a car battery though . I meant connectors, always heard them called caps.

So voltage and no current? It looks like he's calling an electrician which he should of done in first place.


Is this a socket, cause that's what I have...

https://www.1000bulbs.com/product/65...Fc9ffgodOIIAhA

 

Ok, yes, that is a socket. But what you refer to as caps or connectors are normally referred to as wire nuts. Where you insert the wires then twist it down tight?

Signal is reserved for things like cable or audio.

I can't explain why it shows in the box, but not at the end of the cord, unless its was just a bad connection.

I'd suggest you get a copy of "Wiring Simplified". It's highly recommended and written for the newbie.

Sorry if I sounded a bit snarky earlier, not my intent.

 

Don't worry it's ok. I've never misspoken, haha. It's probably good for anyone have that book. Anyway he's calling the pro.

I mentioned I got a serious shock, isn't that dependent on current? I've changed out my share of fixtures and outlets using common knowledge, and I met my match here. Oh well. Thanks for trying though. I thought people might say," you need to hook this to that you fool!!"

 

Before you started all this disassembly I would have advised bend up the tab at the bottom of the socket. Redo all connections. if the switch is back stabbed move the connections to the screws. Test the switch by bypassing it.

 

Thanks Ray. I'm curious to see what the diagnosis is. Thanks for the help all.