Ceiling light wiring help???

[Solaris]

Guys, I replaced my ceiling light fixture with the recessed light can. I'm having trouble with the wiring. I forgot to label them before taking it apart!

Here is the picture:


3 Blacks
1 Red
1 Brown
1 White/Brown
1 White
3 Ground

[Scarriere]

Maybe there's some help on youtube or wiki?
Sorry I can't but good luck!

[solarrdadd]

Originally Posted by Solaris

Guys, I replaced my ceiling light fixture with the recessed light can. I'm having trouble with the wiring. I forgot to label them before taking it apart!

Here is the picture:


3 Blacks
1 Red
1 Brown
1 White/Brown
1 White
3 Ground

ok, 2 things:

1 yes, i can help you if you answer a couple of questions.

2 i'm gonna quote my father as i would have heard it "what kinda dumbass forgets to label the wiring?!?" just laugh, that's the spirit it's given and hopefully it will make you remember to label the wiring in the future.

also, we live in the age of technology. you can use your digital camera to take a couple of very good pictures with the wiring still made up before taking it apart, then there is no guess work as to what was what. think about the picture you took, how helpful it would have been if you had one before disconnecting anything! when i was a young electrician, they didn't have such things, so your well ahead of the game!

first thing, very carefully put an individual wire nut on the black from the beige cable, the black from the silvery cable and the red from the silvery cable.

then connect all of the bare ground conductors together, twisting them in a cloclwise fasion using pliars and then cap them with a wire nut. this is for safety, trust me.

ok, lets get started with some questions:

of the two cables on is modern romex and one is old cloth type. is there one or more of the conductors that are constantly hot (with all light switches off) it will be either the single black conductor (from the romex from the bedroom) or it will be either the black or red conductor inside the silvery cloth cable.

the cable that you list as coming from other bedroom. is there anything in the other bedroom that is not working since you disconnected this light fixture? if the answer is no (meaning all the receptacles have power and all the ceiling lights & fan if you have it) then that cable would be the feed to the silvery 3 conductor cable.

also, the room that you are in where the silvery cable is. are all the receptacles working in that room and also, is this the only light fixture that you have in the room that you are currently working on? if there are others are they working?

also, most likely from the silvery cable the red one is from the existing switch so the other thing is to find out which one is the switch leg. that can usually be determined by removing the switch that exist that controls the lights and see what color wires are connected to it. you are very likely to see a red wire.

also, what kind of light fixture did you take out? did it use standard incandescent lamps or flourescent tubes? i'll gather it too was 120v?



so, here are some potential solutions that may end up being like this:

the beige cable on the left is coming from the other room is the feed so connect the black from that cable to the black from the silvery cable as this should be the constant power and it will feed outlets and feed one side of the switch for the light fixture. on the switch, there will be a black & red wire. the red wire is the other wire you see in the box that's red, that would connect to the black wire for the new recessed fixture so that it's controlled by the light switch. everything else that's white or white with any colors on it get connected together those are neutrals they just have paint or something on them; they should total 3. all the bare grounds also get connected together; they should total 3.

those conductors that look like they are brown/beige are white or off white because of age, they look to be a very dull beige color. the white parts are usualy from spray painting a room white with the fixtures removed and the wiring showing while it was being done. for those who did that you can tell them what my father would have said!

it might end up being like this:

if the 3 conductor cable (silvery) is the source, the black would be constantly hot and the red would be the switch leg. connect the same way as listed before. the only difference would be the direction that the power is coming from. in this case it's from the silvery cables black conductor. in the other case it's the beige cables black conductor.

yes, it's possible that some idiot made the red constant power and used the black conductor the switch leg at the point of connection to the light. again, my fathers words would be appropriate to that person!

one of the issues should be the case here and you will be fine. you just need to determine which is black or red is constant hot. you will need to have a voltage tester to determine that. one lead of the tester would be in contact with the bare ground conductor and then one to test the blacks first then the red it's the phase to ground that will let you know which is constantly hot or unswitched.

if you don't have a voltmeter and/or your nervious about proceeding any further, i would recommend you get a licensed electrician to put it back together for you. i think i've given you enough information in this post to resolve your issue.

keep me posted. be careful and good luck.

[Solaris]

Originally Posted by solarrdadd

ok, 2 things:

1 yes, i can help you if you answer a couple of questions.

2 i'm gonna quote my father as i would have heard it "what kinda dumbass forgets to label the wiring?!?" just laugh, that's the spirit it's given and hopefully it will make you remember to label the wiring in the future.

also, we live in the age of technology. you can use your digital camera to take a couple of very good pictures with the wiring still made up before taking it apart, then there is no guess work as to what was what. think about the picture you took, how helpful it would have been if you had one before disconnecting anything! when i was a young electrician, they didn't have such things, so your well ahead of the game!

first thing, very carefully put an individual wire nut on the black from the beige cable, the black from the silvery cable and the red from the silvery cable.

then connect all of the bare ground conductors together, twisting them in a cloclwise fasion using pliars and then cap them with a wire nut. this is for safety, trust me.

ok, lets get started with some questions:

of the two cables on is modern romex and one is old cloth type. is there one or more of the conductors that are constantly hot (with all light switches off) it will be either the single black conductor (from the romex from the bedroom) or it will be either the black or red conductor inside the silvery cloth cable.

the cable that you list as coming from other bedroom. is there anything in the other bedroom that is not working since you disconnected this light fixture? if the answer is no (meaning all the receptacles have power and all the ceiling lights & fan if you have it) then that cable would be the feed to the silvery 3 conductor cable.

also, the room that you are in where the silvery cable is. are all the receptacles working in that room and also, is this the only light fixture that you have in the room that you are currently working on? if there are others are they working?

also, most likely from the silvery cable the red one is from the existing switch so the other thing is to find out which one is the switch leg. that can usually be determined by removing the switch that exist that controls the lights and see what color wires are connected to it. you are very likely to see a red wire.

also, what kind of light fixture did you take out? did it use standard incandescent lamps or flourescent tubes? i'll gather it too was 120v?



so, here are some potential solutions that may end up being like this:

the beige cable on the left is coming from the other room is the feed so connect the black from that cable to the black from the silvery cable as this should be the constant power and it will feed outlets and feed one side of the switch for the light fixture. on the switch, there will be a black & red wire. the red wire is the other wire you see in the box that's red, that would connect to the black wire for the new recessed fixture so that it's controlled by the light switch. everything else that's white or white with any colors on it get connected together those are neutrals they just have paint or something on them; they should total 3. all the bare grounds also get connected together; they should total 3.

those conductors that look like they are brown/beige are white or off white because of age, they look to be a very dull beige color. the white parts are usualy from spray painting a room white with the fixtures removed and the wiring showing while it was being done. for those who did that you can tell them what my father would have said!

it might end up being like this:

if the 3 conductor cable (silvery) is the source, the black would be constantly hot and the red would be the switch leg. connect the same way as listed before. the only difference would be the direction that the power is coming from. in this case it's from the silvery cables black conductor. in the other case it's the beige cables black conductor.

yes, it's possible that some idiot made the red constant power and used the black conductor the switch leg at the point of connection to the light. again, my fathers words would be appropriate to that person!

one of the issues should be the case here and you will be fine. you just need to determine which is black or red is constant hot. you will need to have a voltage tester to determine that. one lead of the tester would be in contact with the bare ground conductor and then one to test the blacks first then the red it's the phase to ground that will let you know which is constantly hot or unswitched.

if you don't have a voltmeter and/or your nervious about proceeding any further, i would recommend you get a licensed electrician to put it back together for you. i think i've given you enough information in this post to resolve your issue.

keep me posted. be careful and good luck.

That worked!!! Thank you very much Solarrdadd!!!

[solarrdadd]

glad i could help out with this electrical problem since your not only a member but a fellow Virginian!