dslreports logo
 
    All Forums Hot Topics Gallery
spc
Search similar:


uniqs
715
Marcer
Premium Member
join:2007-07-08
Hamilton, ON

Marcer

Premium Member

Question: Rewiring a light

Ok,

I'm on the tail end of some basic home reno's and have a quick question regarding a light in the master bedroom.

There was a Ceiling fan in place, I've removed that (after figuring out the installer screwed it into the ceiling joists instead of attaching it to the box) and they made quite a mess of the wiring up there (I probably removed 2' of electrical tape).

There are 2 runs of 14/2 entering the box one looks to be running to the switch, the other to an outlet on the wall.

If I've figured it out correctly there were 4 wires connected to the fan.

1. Ground
2. Common Neutral
3. Hot (constant connect for the fan)
4. Switched Hot (for the light)

Now that I am installing a regular light, I'd like to install this correctly. My understanding is I will connect the source hot to the neutral wire running back to the switch, the hot coming back from the switch will connect to the hot lead on the light and the source neutral to the light's neutral, and get rid of the rest they had shoved up in there (4 other wires and a half dozen wire nuts)

Mdoc
Ehh... munch munch... what's up, Doc?
Premium Member
join:2007-03-27
Sterling, VA

1 edit

Mdoc

Premium Member

said by Marcer:

Now that I am installing a regular light, I'd like to install this correctly. My understanding is I will connect the source hot to the neutral wire running back to the switch, the hot coming back from the switch will connect to the hot lead on the light and the source neutral to the light's neutral, and get rid of the rest they had shoved up in there (4 other wires and a half dozen wire nuts)
Sounds right to me. But make sure that neither one of the wires in the cable running directly from the switch (hot or neutral) is live with the switch on. If it is, you need to modify your wiring plan.

nunya
LXI 483
MVM
join:2000-12-23
O Fallon, MO

1 recommendation

nunya to Marcer

MVM

to Marcer
The white "neutral" going to the switch should be re-identified at both ends with with either black tape or a sharpie since it's not "neutral".

cowboyro
Premium Member
join:2000-10-11
CT

cowboyro to Marcer

Premium Member

to Marcer
On a side note the switch doesn't have a "hot" and a "neutral".
I'd connect the black wire of the switch to hot and label the returning white wire as a "switched hot".
Marcer
Premium Member
join:2007-07-08
Hamilton, ON

Marcer to Mdoc

Premium Member

to Mdoc
said by Mdoc:

Sounds right to me. But make sure that neither one of the wires in the cable running directly from the switch (hot or neutral) is live with the switch on. If it is, you need to modify your wiring plan.
I'll be pulling out the extra wiring with the power off after confirming no AC voltage present with my non-contact AC probe and multimeter. After that, confirm switch wiring/operation with the meter, and proceed to install the light (including wiring labels for the next person to work on it) and without the use of electrical tape.

davidg
Good Bye My Friend
MVM
join:2002-06-15
00000

davidg to Marcer

MVM

to Marcer
are you 100% positive that the "rest" is not connected to anything else? if you have a run going to a light switch, which you said you do, then you should not have to do anything but hook the light to the existing connections and cap off the hot all the time that fed the fan. sounds like this was a common junction point(and should be in a box) with a pigtail that went to the fan. undo that wirenut, remove the pigtail for the fan hot, then reconnect the other wires.

whizkid3
MVM
join:2002-02-21
Queens, NY

1 edit

whizkid3 to cowboyro

MVM

to cowboyro
said by cowboyro:

I'd connect the black wire of the switch to hot and label the returning white wire as a "switched hot".
Except that is a code violation. The only white wire to the light fixture is to be the neutral. One can not use the white wire, even re-marked, as the switch hot to the light fixture. It is perfectly acceptable, however, to use it as the hot to the light switch, provided it is re-marked.

The OP has it right, provided he re-marks the white wire that will be used as the switched-hot with black tape for example, and connects the ground wires properly.