If you've tied the three black wires together and the three white wires
together, and only one lamp lights, you either have a bad bulb or a bad
socket


wrote in message
oups.com...
I'm trying to replace an old ceiling fixture. Reason: one of the bulbs
couldn't be removed and the socket was shot (but the bulb still worked
until this morning).

The old fixture had (2) 60W bulbs -- each with a black and white wire
"hard"-wired to their sockets (it was old). In the ceiling, there are
(2) wires -- 1 black and 1 white (the wiring is old cloth-covered;
originally the house had knob & tube/fuses).

The new fixture I purchased also had (2) 60W bulbs -- each with a black
and white wire (so 4 wires total coming off the new fixture).

Trouble is, when I connect the fixture I can only get (1) bulb to light
-- the black lead bulb. I've tried all black-to-black & all
white-to-white wiring; one white/one black to black (and one white/one
black to white) -- and I get the same result. Then I tried each black
and white on the fixture together and then to the black and white in
the ceiling -- this resulted in nothing (no light) -- and not even a
circuit trip.

Any idea what could be going on?

Thanks for any help/insight you can offer!