New Floodlight has voltage but no power

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Kplescia

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I replaced two floodlight cameras with smart floodlight cameras. After replacing the second one on day 2, the first one stopped working that was replaced on day 1 (worked right before I turned power off). I swapped with a new one and even with the old floodlight and still not working. The circuit breakers are on and the switch is on that controls both floodlights that are on opposite sides of the back side of the house. The tester device indicates there is voltage reaching the floodlight, but they will not power on. I am not sure why the live wires on the one side won't power on any floodlights anymore. The wires are secured in the correct positions.
 

WorthFlorida

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What brand? If these floodlight cameras are SmartPhone accessible, check the settings for each device. Since you stated before "I shut power off", the settings may have defaulted when power returned.

I have RING flood light camera and the light only turns on during darkness. With RING you can manually override and turn on/off the flood lights through the Smart Phone APP only.
 

wwhitney

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Does power for the 1st installed location pass through the box for the 2nd installed location?

If so, my guess is you either made a mistake wiring the 2nd installed camera, or you inadvertently bumped some marginal connection in that box. Depending on the voltage tester you used, you will likely still get a positive test result just due to induced voltage. You need a low-impedance tester to avoid that.

Cheers, Wayne
 

WorthFlorida

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..........but they will not power on. I am not sure why the live wires on the one side won't power on any floodlights anymore. The wires are secured in the correct positions.
I posted this just after Wayne did. We're both saying the same thing.

Are you saying that regular flood lights also will not turn on? The two switches, are they three way? Do check the wire nuts and the feed wires. You may need a voltmeter to be sure what you have.

No matter how good wire nuts may be or look, I always use new wire nuts when replacing outlets and switches, especially when it is outdoors and subject to a lot of moisture.
 
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Kplescia

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This is a Feit smart video floodlight

I just tested with a multimeter and I get close to 120V between ground and hot, .2V between ground and neutral, and it goes down to 1V between neutral and hot. Does this indicate an open neutral? Should I hire a professional to diagnose?

This is strange since I replaced a working regular floodlight with a smart floodlight, and only switched the power a few times, and now it doesn't get power. It is possible I suppose that something with the other floodlight is affecting the power. It is strange on the working floodlight that was installed second, has 2 wires for each type - 2 ground, 2 neutral, and 2 hot. Each floodlight has the wires screwed into terminals securely.

There is only one switch that turns power on for both floodlights. The floodlights are on opposite sides of the back of the house.
 

Reach4

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Open neutral, probably. You are not supposed to switch the neutrals, but maybe somebody did that anyway.
Depends on how into troubleshooting you are.
 

Kplescia

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I am pretty sure the issue is that there is a switch loop with the one floodlight that has two sets of wires and it must be in the middle of the circuit. I could have sworn I copied it the way the old fixture was setup. Should it definitely not have two wires going into each terminal? Should the live black and switch white be capped together?
 

wwhitney

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If you provide a diagram that shows every box you touched, and for each box, each cable entering it (with the count of conductors in the cable, typically 2 or 3, but you can skip the EGCs), and any devices (switch or lamp), then it may be possible to infer how it should be wired.

Cheers, Wayne
 

Kplescia

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image_67173377.JPG

I resolved the issue. I should have focused what happened right before the problem occurred and that was with the second floodlight with the two sets of wires that is in the middle of the series. All the wires were placed just as they were in the last fixture. I reopened the white wires and pushed in a little farther and made sure they touched. Now there is power in the other floodlight. I am not sure if one of the wires wasn't touching the one fixture or if the issue was both white wires weren't touching each other.
 

wwhitney

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Do you have a pointer to the product manual? Are those terminals rated for more than one conductor in them?

Cheers, Wayne
 
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