Bad Loop ?

[Anonymous]

We moved into an older home, and I took down some of the ceiling fixtures to paint and replace. It appears a bedroom, bathroom and hall are on a loop. None of them now work. The only fixture I removed from this loop was the bedroom. The outlets in the BR and Bathroom are also on this loop. There are 2 white wires adn two black wires. When I connect these to the fixture, I get a dim orange looking light in the BR, and the chain on the hall light when pulled turns on the bathroom light. These did work beofre I took the fixture off. Is it possible that I did not connect the correct wires on the fixture to the house wiring.

Thanks

[Wgoodrich]

Sounds like you have light fixtures that had pull chain swithes. If this is true on the light fixture you removed then connect black to black and white to white the circuit should be complete again.

If you have a wall switch then you will need to identify the black and white wire that went from that removed light box to the switch before you can know what else must be connected.

I suspect you had a pull chain because if you had a power feed through and a wall switch then there should have been three blacks and three whites.

Hope this helps

Wg

[Anonymous]

OK, that makes sense, but next question would be this. If the hall light is the pull chain, and my bathroom light is on the wall, then:

From Breaker Box to outlet, to wall switch, to ceiling light to bathroom wall switch, to bathroom wall light to hall ceiling light.

The celing light should be looped to the bathroom light switch ?

Does a pullchain light ever be in the middle of the loop or does it always be the end ?

Thanks,

Mike

[Wgoodrich]

Picture a black and white wire from incoming power into the light box. Then a black and white wire on to the rest of the circuit. If you only have two blacks and two whites and this killed the rest of your circuit then you had to have a pull chain light switch at that fixture and no wall switch because you don't have enough cables or black and white wires.

A pull chain at a light fixture only breaks the black power going to the light fixture through the switch to the black wire of the light fixture.

If you have a wall switch and you only have a black and white wire in the light box that you removed then it can have nothing to do with loss of power to rest of circuit.

If you had a power cable in and a power cable on to rest of circuit and a switch leg to light switch then you would have to have three black wires and three white wires in that light box.

Make sure what you have in that light box.

If you have a wall switch that controls that light then use a continuity tester turning on your light switch fine the black and white wire that has power 120 volts with a voltage tester then test the second cable's black and white wire for continuity. If you find continuity then turn off the light switch. If you then lose continuity then that black and white wire of that cable is your switch cable.

If you truly only have two black wires and two white wires then you either have a power in and switch leg with no power out to rest of circuit in that light box, or you have a power in and a power out to the rest of the circuit and no switch cable. Not much other choices.

Let us know what you find

Wg

[Anonymous]

We were able to section off to find where the issue was. There was a separate feed wire that went to the hall light. The hall light went to the bathroom light. What we did find was the office precedes the bedroom.... All lights are now working...