"dpb" wrote in message
...
RBM wrote:
"Darro" wrote in message
...
After disconnecting and reconnecting the wires in an electrical
circuit, my low-tech current tester seems to indicate (with low lamp
brightness) that the current in the reconnected wire circuit isn't as
strong as I think it should be. Could there be a problem with my
reconnections?

Facts:
Wires are in a metal ceiling box governed by a wall switch.

One 14/3 wire plus ground enters the box and one 14/2 plus ground
enters the box from the opposite side.

Black wire from 14/3 is connected inside the box to black wire from
14/2 wire. White wire from 14/3 is connected to white wire from 14/2
wire, both of which are connected to one end of a short white 14 gauge
wire. The other end of the short white 14 gauge wire isn't connected
to anything. The red wire from 14/3 isn't connected to anything.

The ground wires from the 14/3 and 14/2 are connected to each other
and rest against the metal box which has no screw to fasten them to
the box.

I'm assuming that I can connect a standard two-wire lamp fixture to
the red wire and the white wire. When I test the circuit by touching
one wire on my tester to the red wire and the other wire on my tester
to the short white wire, the lamp that indicates current flow is much
dimmer than it is if I insert the wires on my tester into the
prong-holes in a wall socket.

Is the relatively dim indicator light on the tester a sign that I've
reconnected the wires incorrectly? If not, why is the indicator light
so much dimmer?

Thanks in advance for your replies,
Dennis

It sounds like the connections are made up correctly. The only reason I
can think of, would be that the switch is a dimmer

That would be one possibility; others could include poor neutral
connection in this circuit or simply not getting good connection to the
meter/test light as compared to a solid connection in an outlet.

The curious part of this is why there's a 14/3 conductor going nowhere.

The feed, is the 2 wire cable. The 3 wire is bringing the feed to some other
outlet via the switch box, and the red is the return from the swith to the
light. Or, the feed is the black and white of the 3 wire, the red is the
return from the switch to the light, and the 2 wire is bringing the feed to
some other outlet via the ceiling box

The bad part of it is the grounds not being firmly connected together and
to the box--that's Code violation and a potential hazard that should be
corrected.

--