# electrical



## fyurslf2 (Dec 8, 2007)

i'm remodeling my basement i restuded my wall put in new electrical boxes for plugs and switches i had a wall switch that works a ceiling light and was power by a wall plug how do you wire the wall switch back up i jumped off the wall plug noe i flip the switch it blows the breaker


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## blues_harp28 (Jan 9, 2005)

Hi what country are you posting from?
Regulations are different depending on where you live.
Ceiling lights are always on a different circuit from wall sockets that you plug appliancies into 
[TVs PCs etc]
As the power consumed by the lighting circuit is lower that the wall sockets the breaker will switch off the electricity.
May be best to ask an expert for help.


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## iltos (Jun 13, 2004)

what blues harp is saying is true, and those are legitimate considerations for any electrical remodeling....check your local codes

on the other hand, any older home may not be wired to conform to those codes....so you're left with what you've got, and for practical reasons, lots of homeowners just make due....

if you are doing your basememt without a permit, then you're probably willing to work with what you've got....so....

you have a black and white wire (and a ground, hopefully) coming out of the plug box....do they both run into the switch box?.....

your wiring to the light fixture should look like this.....the supply (black, white, ground) from the plug is at the bottom of the drawing


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## fyurslf2 (Dec 8, 2007)

i have black,white and ground going to plug they were coming off plug with one wire to give power to switch the light has black wire .white and ground the only wires hook into switch are white and ground black wasn't used this was done by an electrician i was only changing plus and switches do i need a diferent switch or can this be done with anormal switch i guess i'm lost at this point


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## buck52 (Mar 9, 2001)

fyurslf2 said:


> i guess i'm lost at this point


You have kind of lost me as well with no punctuation or sentence breaks...it is difficuct for me to understand you...

My guess would be that the white going to the switch should have a piece of black tape or a black marker to indicate it is hot... white is never switched without a black marker of some sort...

as was already asked... what country are you posting from?


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Looks like he's in Indiana, so it's the US.

Perhaps you should take a look at How to Wire a Switch. If that data is not sufficient, I STRONGLY suggest you find an electrician to do this task.


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## Elvandil (Aug 1, 2003)

You must have it crossed somewhere. I've found some older homes where the white wire was hot. *Never* make any assumptions. Use meters or some other reliable method to find out which conductor is hot. And this is from a guy who turned off the breaker and still got thrown off the top of a pool table trying to wire a light that had a hot, white lead.

Remember that when you wire something, you are wiring it for the next poor sap that works on it, too. You don't want to set a booby-trap.


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## buck52 (Mar 9, 2001)

Elvandil said:


> You must have it crossed somewhere. *I've found some older homes where the white wire was hot.* *Never* make any assumptions. Use meters or some other reliable method to find out which conductor is hot. And this is from a guy who turned off the breaker and still got thrown off the top of a pool table trying to wire a light that had a hot, white lead.
> 
> Remember that when you wire something, you are wiring it for the next poor sap that works on it, too. You don't want to set a booby-trap.


that's why I pointed out to look for a black mark of some sort... It is very common practice and legal to have the white wire hot as long as it's marked black especially at a switch...


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## iltos (Jun 13, 2004)

fyurslf2 said:


> i have black,white and ground going to plug they were coming off plug


sounds like black is hot



> with one wire to give power to switch


are you saying that there is only ONE wire coming from the plug into the switch box?
what color is this wire?
OR.... 
are you saying that there are more, but only ONE wire from the plug is connected to the switch?
what color is this wire?



> the light has black wire .white and ground


the light fixture has three leads (usually black, white, and naked....the ground).....is the black wire coming into the fixture box tied to the black lead, and the white wire coming into the fixture box tied to the white lead?



> the only wires hook into switch are white and ground black wasn't used


are there any black wires in the switch box at all? (even if they are not connected to the switch)



> do i need a diferent switch or can this be done with a normal switch i guess i'm lost at this point


sounds like a normal switch is a-ok, so long as the light fixture cannot be turned on and off from another location...but you'd have another wire in the switch box if that was the case.

it's possible, tho unlikely, that the switch is bad....but you would have said something about sparks or sounds when you turn the light on if it was.

you've got a wire crossed somewhere, imo.


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## Knotbored (Jun 5, 2004)

It sounds like the white ground wire is through the switch and the third black hot wire goes directly to the plug. (or the wire colors are misidentified.)
That combination would turn the light off and on but the fixture remains hot if there is a short even when switch is off. It sounds like there is a short in the light fixture (not the switch) since it blows the fuse.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

You should ALWAYS switch the hot wire, so I'd certainly want to fix that if it's wired that way.


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## fyurslf2 (Dec 8, 2007)

i got it finally ...................thx for all your help the black needed to connect to the plug and white to the switch.......i didn't think blk wire was hooked up before but it must've been


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## iltos (Jun 13, 2004)

fyurslf2 said:


> i got it finally ...................thx for all your help the black needed to connect to the plug and white to the switch.......i didn't think blk wire was hooked up before but it must've been


:up:

i'm glad you figured it out....i'm still lost


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

I'm glad I don't write the fire insurance on that house.


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## Knotbored (Jun 5, 2004)

fyurslf2 said:


> i got it finally ...................thx for all your help the black needed to connect to the plug and white to the switch.......i didn't think blk wire was hooked up before but it must've been


Dang it FYURSLF2 that statement is exactly 100% WRONG!
Look at that simple sketch Iltos provided and look closely at the white wire-that neurtal wire should NOT go to the switch! The black wire should NOT go directly from the hot box to the fixture! If it is wired that way you could electrocute yourself (or the next person working on the light fixture) or burn down your house!


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## Lou-55 (Dec 4, 2007)

I read throughout the whole post and came to the conclusion that the blind cat is talking to the deaf mouse. When working with electrical circuits the first rule is be SAFE!

Go to the hardware store and get a simple phase test light, some come in an insulated screwdriver, they cost about 1.99$ and use it to determine which wire is the phase and which is the neutral and then go from there.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Lou-55 said:


> I read throughout the whole post and came to the conclusion that the blind cat is talking to the deaf mouse.


I get the feeling that you just wanted to drop in and see if you could insult someone.


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## ARTETUREN (Dec 2, 2007)

JohnWill said:


> I get the feeling that you just wanted to drop in and see if you could insult someone.


Hai there. Parachutist comes at last, or cavlary. But man have right.


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