On Sun, 7 Jan 2007 10:52:37 -0500, krw wrote:

In article ,
says...
On Sat, 6 Jan 2007 13:08:41 -0500, krw wrote:

In article ,
says...
On Fri, 05 Jan 2007 16:48:19 -0500, Jeff Wisnia
wrote:

wrote:
DAC wrote:

YES!

Disconnect the circuit immediately and do it properly. You have
exposed hot terminals on the back side which bring along fire hazards
as their companion.

Don't let that man in the house again.



On Jan 5, 8:15 am, "BETA-32" wrote:

I just had a handyman-type person wire and install some very basic lights in
the basement of my home. The lights fixtures are just the very basic round
white plastic ones where a light bulb screws in. What he did was screw the
white plastic fixtures directly onto the ceiling joists with no junction
boxes or mounting boxes. The wires run along the joists and under the white
plastic fixture to the contacts.

I assume that's wrong and doesn't meet electrical codes. Am I right about
that?

And, yes, I know I should have a licensed electrician, etc., etc.


If you put it into a box yourself you also need to be sure he didn't
switch the black and white wires. The black wire should be on the
darker screw and the white wire on the lighter screw.



And check the OTHER ends of those wires too.

Jeff

If the black & white wires are reversed at the source, the right way
to connect them becomes the wrong way.

No, the *only* right way to connect them is to connect them the
right way at the source, destination, and everywhere inbetween.


I didn't say anything was right (with the wires connected wrong at the
source), just that what SEEMS to be right (at the light fixture) is
actually wrong.

Well, you did say "the right way to connect", and that's clearly
wrong. ;-)

That's what I said, that it's wrong.

If I found a reversed connection that was "right" I'd
be digging for the other end.

However, I did once see a piece of Romex connected wrong at both ends.

I have no doubt. Stupid and suicidal people are everywhere.

That person claimed that it didn't matter. That it's AC. He also put
the switch in the neutral wire. Actually, I'm not sure anymore if it
was the neutral wire or the white one. Also, that was #14 wire,
because #14 would fit the backstab holes.

I have a little poster up with the message "Never underestimate the
power of stupid people in large groups.". Someone I knew once (not the
one who did the wiring) was stupid enough to assume that the stupid
people in any group would be a small minority.
--
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"Properly read, the Bible is the most potent
force for atheism ever conceived." -- Isaac Asimov