Rewiring...

[lsanderson]

At one point, when I put up the run of salvage track lighting up in the kitchen it worked fine with a fluorescent light each on it's own switch. At some point, a certain Asian fixed them, and instead of two switches controlling two different light systems, there's been two switches controlling the lights. I'm trying to separate them again, and it's proving much more complicated than I imagined. My simple plan A got the fluorescent back on the switch, but oddly enough the tracks won't light. Being such a wizard of wiring, this shouts out: "Something's not right." Of course, my usual hint that something's not right is when I throw the circuit breaker and it goes off immediately.

Comments

Re: A stab in the dark

[mle292.livejournal.com]

Edited to make more sense.

I think I'm getting warmer. In the second drawing, the two switches are physically in the same location, the light is only electrically between the switches because the wiring travels up and back.

There are only three boxes in my assumption. One with two switches, one with one light fixture and one with the other light fixture. The romexes each go to one light fixture, the old wires are the power in.

The two old wires are the power in. One is a hot and one is a neutral.

So, to make it right, connect all three neutral wires under one wire nut together first, then the rest will probably make sense. Those three neutral wires do not connect to any of the switches. One neutral wire from the panel box (old wire), one from one light box down to the switch box (the white from one romex), one from the other light down to the switch box(the white from the other romex).

That connection is the dot on the right side of the top drawing.

After the neutrals are all connected, connect two short pieces of wire to the other non-neutral wire from the old wiring. connect one of each of those to one screw on each switch.

Then, connect the two remaining black wires (one from each romex) to the other screw on each switch.

I'll make a drawing of what I'm trying to say in the morning if that doesn't make sense.

Re: A stab in the dark

[lsanderson.livejournal.com]

Yes but...

Can't do colors 'cause one B, W, & G romex does down to the switches and I'm splitting it for the two switches. So, one white is hot.

The original hot & ground are up in the ceiling -- orange & white that's faded to yellow.

It should all be simple this morning... I'm about to throw the switch.

Re: A stab in the dark

[mle292.livejournal.com]

Can't do colors 'cause one B, W, & G romex does down to the switches and I'm splitting it for the two switches. So, one white is hot.

The hot white is a switch loop, for when the power starts in the ceiling. There is probably no neutral wire to the switch box.

I'll guess that you've probably already got it. The important thing to remember is to have a neutral wire for everything that consumes power (switches do not consume power, light bulbs do).

So that the colors make sense, here's a drawing of a typical switch loop with only one switch, power starts in the ceiling.