Outdoor lights not working


  #1  
Old 03-06-21, 03:05 PM
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Outdoor lights not working

I have 2 outdoor lights on the same circuit, controlled by a single switch inside the front door.
I removed one of the lights to replace it with a nicer one. Then decided not to do it.
I hooked the old light back up as it was. Black to black and white to white. Now, neither of the lights work. I have 120V on the black wire with the switch on, but neither light works. Breakers and GFI are fine. I’m using a no touch probe to test for voltage. I did nothing to the other light on the circuit, so haven’t checked it. No need, I think. All was working fine before removing and reinstalling the one light. Any suggestions are appreciated!
 
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Old 03-06-21, 03:07 PM
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Welcome to the forums.

The non contact pen only tells you that you have dangerous voltage in the area.
It has no way of checking for proper neutral.
You will need a two wire voltage tester or meter to check from white to black for power.

I'd imagine the problem will be in the white splice at the fixture you had removed.
 
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Old 03-06-21, 03:10 PM
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I’m using a no touch probe to test for voltage. I have 120V on the black wire with the switch on,
If you are using a non-contact voltage tester how do you know you have 120 volts? Non-contact testers can give many false positives and are only good for quick tests. To do any real troubleshooting you need a real meter. Just a cheap $15 analog meter will work.

My first guess is there is a loose neutral in the box where you took the light down.
 
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