light fixture replacement-usa

[skmpf73]

i am replacing a simple light fixture (power from a wall switch)-i have red, black, and a bare ground from the ceiling and black, white, and a bare ground from the fixture-is it black to black and white to red?

[dkerr]

NO do not connect white to red, black & red wires are usually hot conductors.

You said , that there is a red / black / bare at the ceiling. Lets deal with the wires at the ceiling and at the switch before we deal wit h the fixture are proposing to install.

You said you are replacing a fixture, what wires *(colors) were actually connected to the old fixture ?

Take a second look inside the ceiling box, how many electrical cables are entering that box, and what are the colors of the wires from each cable, what are the wires conencted to now ?

What was the old fixture. I may need some info from the switch box but answer tehse questions first.

One last thing there is only 1 switch controlling this fixture ?

What country do you live in ?

[skmpf73]

thank you for your reply-I am in the usa, the light fixture was removed by someone else so i didn't see the previous connection (we know it works, however). there are 2 switches that control the light. in the blue box (ceiling)there are 2 wires the come in-both are black, white, red, and bare ground all three colors are twisted together. the white pair was not being used with the last fixture

[dkerr]

I suspect this is the conguration you have at the following link...

http://www.homewiringandmore.com/switchoutlet/3way/3waypwswthrufx.html

but the color combination that was used is possibily different.

To know exactly what was wired, I need to know what is wired in the 2 electical boxes that the 3 way switches are in.

One of the 3 way switches should have 2 electrical cables entering that box and the other switch is likely to have 1 electrical cable enteing the box.

Look in these 2 boxes and report back the number of electrical cables entering the box and the color of wires in each cable. I also want to know what wire is connected to what, and the color of the wire and which cable it is from that is connected to the common screw of each 3 way switch, the common screw of a 3 way switch is the odd color screw, this screw is distinctly different in shade perhaps darker than the other 2 screws.

If the link I provided is the configuartion that you have, then it is possible that someone previously used the wrong color combinations in your wiring (even though it may have worked). According to code the wires feeding the actual fixture - you must have a white carrying the grounded leg {aka neutral} and the hot conductor could be black or red . A white can be redesignated as a hot to feed or be part of the switch circuit but cannot be redesignated for actual feed to the fixture.

[skmpf73]

switch 1 has 1 wire coming in w/ red to the darker screw, the ground is on the same end , the black is on the other end on the same side as the red, white is next to black

switch 2 has two wires coming in w/ red at the dark screw (next to the ground) the other two connections are black

[dkerr]

Review...

Switch 1 - has 1 cable entering the box - that cable has a black / red / white & bare wire on it. The red wire you say is connected to the Darker screw (common) and the black and white are connected to the other 2 screws of the switch.

Switch 2 - has 2 cables entering the box. Now switch 2 needs a bit clarifying. I assume that one cable has a Black / red / white / bare wire. And the other cable has a black / white / bare wire.

For ease of explanation, lets call the black/red/white/bare cable as cable 1. The black/white/bare cable is cable 2.

Please confirm the existance at switch 2, the 2 cables as stated above as stated above.

you mentioned a red wire connected to the darker screw if switch 2.
This in itself does not make sense, as it should be the hot on this common screw from the circuit power supply power cable which I suspect is cable 2. but here is what I want you to tell me, confirm the existance of teh 2 cables with the color wires as stated above.

I am suspecting that cable 2 (black / white / bare) is your circuit pwoer supply cable. I need to confirm this , as I think I may have you to match the configuration I had in the previous message link, but I have to be certain I know what you have.

[skmpf73]

switch 2 has 1black/red/white/bare ground wire coming into it and one black/white/bare wire

[dmangalo]

hi skmpf73,
I read your problem and beleive this might help you.

you said in your ceiling box you have 2 three wires(red,blk,wh,bare ground) what it sounds like is your three way is junctioned though it. which would mean the white wire from box 2 should be your neutral here at the ceiling. and the red wire from box 1 would be your switch leg(the wire that turns on the light). that same wire(with red used as your switch leg) would have a white and black wire that would be used as travelers for your three way. and would be spliced together with the other travelers from box 2 which brought up your neutral(white) which would mean that a red and black would be travelers from box 2. your travelers would be spliced together(wired and then using a wirenut) which would mean this white would be wired to the black or red (probably the red since black to black would be typical) here at the ceiling box. and both grounds would be spliced together with a 6" pigtail (a wire you will use to ground the new light fixture). also once this is determined you need to use black tape or a black marker to permanently mark this white black.

summed up your new fixture would be wired to red wire from box 1 (switch leg) and white from box 2 (neutral) and to your ground pigtail.

TO CONFIRM THIS:look at box 2 which I beleive is where your light is being fed. and see if indeed your whites are spliced(wired together with a wirenut) here,and that the black (hot) from the two wire (blk,wh,bare ground) is connected to the common of your three way switch(this screw will be a different color than the other two). and the red and black from the three wire (red,blk,wh,bare ground) are connected to the other screws.

if this is the case then at box 1 you will have red connected to the common(switch leg) and a black and white connected to the other screws(travelers).

hope this helps
dmangalo

[dkerr]

What is confusing me, is that you have a power supply cable is a black / wgite / bare at switch 2, yet you say that a red wire is attached to the common screw on switch 1 and switch, and you said that a red / black / bare wire at the ceiling .



http://www.homewiringandmore.com/switchoutlet/3way/3waypwswthrufx.jpg

This is the configuration that you have , with switch 1 in the diagram being your switch 2 as stated in the message and switch 2 in the diagram being your siwtch 1 in this thread. But your description seems to have an inconsistent color scheme.

At switch 2 which screw on switch 2 or which wire is the white wire and the black wire of the black / white / bare cable attached to ? And at teh ceiling where is the white wire from each cable attached to ?