Three romex into recessed light box

Users who are viewing this thread

Coopns

Member
Messages
93
Reaction score
0
Points
6
Location
Massachusetts
I have three romex coming into one arm of the recessed light. 1 from a new recessed light, 1 from switch and 1 from not sure where. I connected all the blacks/whites/grounds to the recessed light but the light doesn't turn off when I flipped the circuit back on.

When I took the existing light out it had two romex going in but funny (or not) thing was one of the reds wasn't hooked up, it was just sitting there, no wire caps and not attached to anything. I tried it once with the red in with the blacks and one without and neither would turn the light off.

The other romex that came from the switch didn't have a red. Light worked fine.

Please advise.
 

Chad Schloss

Member
Messages
327
Reaction score
0
Points
16
Location
USA
Romex® is made by Southwire, for those who did not know. We now return you to your scheduled program. :)

(someone will chime in shortly)
 

Jadnashua

Retired Defense Industry Engineer xxx
Messages
32,771
Reaction score
1,191
Points
113
Location
New England
If you go look at the switch that controls this lamp, you'll likely find it only has one cable coming in. That means that you need to find that cable, hook one end to the black that is constantly hot, and the other to the black of the lamp(s) you want to control. That is called the switch leg. You should identify the switched hot lead with some red marker or red electrical tape.

Basically, they ran power to the lamp, but since you don't want it on all the time, instead of hooking the black (hot) lead to the lamp, it needs to be sent down to the switch. WHen the switch is on, it goes back up to turn the lamp on.
 

Jimbo

Plumber
Messages
8,918
Reaction score
18
Points
0
Location
San Diego, CA
The History of Romex[SUP]®[/SUP]
The Romex[SUP]®[/SUP] brand of Non-Metallic Building Wire (“NM”) originated in 1922 with its development by the former Rome Wire Company, a predecessor to General Cable Corporation. On September 5, 2001, Southwire purchased the electrical building wire assets of General Cable Corporation. One of the most valuable assets purchased by Southwire in that acquisition was the Romex brand of Type NM cable. The Romex brand of Type NM cable has now been promoted and sold by Southwire and its predecessors for 88 years and Southwire considers its Romex trademark to be one of its most valuable brand names. Romex is a federally registered trademark and we vigorously monitor and protect the use of the Romex brand in North America and around the world. Don’t just look for generic NM cable, look for Southwire’s Romex[SUP]®[/SUP] brand Type NM cable!
 

hj

Master Plumber
Messages
33,599
Reaction score
1,037
Points
113
Location
Cave Creek, Arizona
Website
www.terrylove.com
If you connected all the blacks together AND the whites together, it should have tripped the circuit breaker when you "flipped" the switch, because one of the whites should be been a switch leg back to the fixture. We cannot tell you what the red is because it would depend on WHAT, if anything, it is connected to. it could have been a future leg for a ceiling fan, for example.
 
Messages
594
Reaction score
0
Points
16
Location
Los Angeles, CA USA
Seriously, do you own a proximity tester? A remarkably inexpensive tool that, if used correctly, can diagnose issues like this. Stop doing electrical work until you buy one.

Open the can that was original, pull all the hot wires out and separate them and let them float in the air, not touching anything. Turn the power on. Bring your proximity tester (sniffer) to bear. Only one wire should excite it. That is the power coming into the whole mess. Go turn the power off. Send the power down to the switch, and use the white wire coming back as described above.
 

Chad Schloss

Member
Messages
327
Reaction score
0
Points
16
Location
USA
Seriously, do you own a proximity tester? A remarkably inexpensive tool that, if used correctly, can diagnose issues like this. Stop doing electrical work until you buy one.

Open the can that was original, pull all the hot wires out and separate them and let them float in the air, not touching anything. Turn the power on. Bring your proximity tester (sniffer) to bear. Only one wire should excite it. That is the power coming into the whole mess. Go turn the power off. Send the power down to the switch, and use the white wire coming back as described above.

prox sensor? you mean a NCVT? Non Contact Voltage Tester?

klein-tool-voltage-tester-01.jpg
 

Attachments

  • 1.JPG
    1.JPG
    13.7 KB · Views: 372
Last edited by a moderator:

Kreemoweet

In the Trades
Messages
754
Reaction score
66
Points
28
Location
Seattle. WA
Coopns: I don't know where you learned what little you seem to know about house wiring, but you need to realize that you NEVER hook up
wires at random, without knowing where they go or what they do!! That kind of crap is what electrocutes people and starts fires!! If you
can't scope it out by yourself, you need to get someone else involved.
 

BobL43

DIY Senior Member
Messages
1,802
Reaction score
8
Points
38
Location
Long Island, NY
Seriously, do you own a proximity tester? A remarkably inexpensive tool that, if used correctly, can diagnose issues like this. Stop doing electrical work until you buy one.

Open the can that was original, pull all the hot wires out and separate them and let them float in the air, not touching anything. Turn the power on. Bring your proximity tester (sniffer) to bear. Only one wire should excite it. That is the power coming into the whole mess. Go turn the power off. Send the power down to the switch, and use the white wire coming back as described above.

How did a bear get involved with this Kleenex conversation?


so far, in my opinion, only kreemoweet makes sense. electricity can be very dangerous.
 
Top
Hey, wait a minute.

This is awkward, but...

It looks like you're using an ad blocker. We get it, but (1) terrylove.com can't live without ads, and (2) ad blockers can cause issues with videos and comments. If you'd like to support the site, please allow ads.

If any particular ad is your REASON for blocking ads, please let us know. We might be able to do something about it. Thanks.
I've Disabled AdBlock    No Thanks