Jeff Wisnia wrote:

willshak wrote:

Cabrzama wrote:

I think a made a big goof!

I was trying to wire a light switch to an existing ceiling light
fixture (pull string) in an unfinished room. All I did was run the
standard 12-2 wiring from the new switch box up to the existing
fixture. Then I drywalled everything up. I went to wire the switch box
line up with the existing wiring that leads to the fixture. When I
turned things on it tripped and won't properly work from the switch.
The pull string works fine (off and on), but when I try using the
switch it trips that circuit.

WHERE I THINK I WENT WRONG:
I now think that I was supposed re-direct the existing power that ran
to the existing fixture in the ceiling down to the new switch
location. Then run a separate line of 12-2 from the new switch
location up to the light existing light fixture. Am I right? If so, is
there a way to rectify this without ripping out the drywall to have
the switch and fixture work properly?


http://www.willshak.com/temp/


Nice presentation willshank.

But, how come you didn't even mention a ground conductor?

Decent toggle switches have grounding screws on them:

http://www.leviton.com/sections/prod...d/npleadin.htm

I think that if this newsgroup is going to advise a newby on something
as simple as this subject, then we ought to give him a more complete
education.

The 12-2 he says he ran should have a ground conductor in it and be
connected the the ground conductors in the box the existing ceiling
fixture, the other end of that grounding conductor should go to the
grounding screw on the switch, and if there isn't one on the switch
itself, then to a metal box if the switch is in one or at least under
one of the switch frame's mounting screws.

What say?

Jeff


I did say....
"Only the black and white wires are shown for clarity. All ground wires
must be connected to each other"
I assumed the OP just made the wrong connections in the fixture.
It was whipped up in a hurry just to show the black wire connections.