Electrical Question
 

Hi,

Here is my situation.

Have a light switch that controls 2 lights -- A & B on opposite sides
of the front of my house. The wire runs from switch to light A and
then a wire runs from A to B. Both lights used to work. I recently
had construction in my house and had new wood siding put up outside
and drywall inside. Now light A works but B does not.

Here is the weird thing. When I put my electrical sensor (I don't
have a volt meter, just the device that beeps if current is present)
to the wires of light B, it beeps as if current is present when the
switch is on. However, the fixture does not work. I have tried new
fixture and new bulb including moving the fixutre from A that I know
works there.

I am guessing that during remodeling they somehow hit the wire with a
nail or screw. But why do I show some current there at all? And if
they hit it with a screw/nail, shouldn't I get a short and keep
blowing a breaker when I turn on the lights?

Can anyone shed some light (sorry for the pun) on this for me? I am
hoping there is a good answer as trying to run a new wire will be
difficult and expensive for me.

Thanks.

Alan

Electrical Question
 

Two continuous wires are needed for the light to work. The hot leg, which
your tester indicates that you have, and the neutral, or grounded leg, which
you apparently don't have. The first thing I would do is be sure that the
splices at light A are tight, beyond that, it would appear that the neutral
has been severed



"Alan" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi,

Here is my situation.

Have a light switch that controls 2 lights -- A & B on opposite sides
of the front of my house. The wire runs from switch to light A and
then a wire runs from A to B. Both lights used to work. I recently
had construction in my house and had new wood siding put up outside
and drywall inside. Now light A works but B does not.

Here is the weird thing. When I put my electrical sensor (I don't
have a volt meter, just the device that beeps if current is present)
to the wires of light B, it beeps as if current is present when the
switch is on. However, the fixture does not work. I have tried new
fixture and new bulb including moving the fixutre from A that I know
works there.

I am guessing that during remodeling they somehow hit the wire with a
nail or screw. But why do I show some current there at all? And if
they hit it with a screw/nail, shouldn't I get a short and keep
blowing a breaker when I turn on the lights?

Can anyone shed some light (sorry for the pun) on this for me? I am
hoping there is a good answer as trying to run a new wire will be
difficult and expensive for me.

Thanks.

Alan

Electrical Question
 

It sound like you have a broken neutral wire. With the switch on and
the light bulb in place, check the neutral wire (white) with your
sensor. If it beeps, then you have a broken neutral wire somewhere
downstream. If it does not beep, then the problem is with the light
fixture itself, which should be easy to fix.

Most problems occur at the fixtures, and rarely on the wires behind
the walls. I would check the neutral wires on both lights to make sure
none of them have come loose.







On Jul 16, 5:55 pm, Alan wrote:
Hi,

Here is my situation.

Have a light switch that controls 2 lights -- A & B on opposite sides
of the front of my house. The wire runs from switch to light A and
then a wire runs from A to B. Both lights used to work. I recently
had construction in my house and had new wood siding put up outside
and drywall inside. Now light A works but B does not.

Here is the weird thing. When I put my electrical sensor (I don't
have a volt meter, just the device that beeps if current is present)
to the wires of light B, it beeps as if current is present when the
switch is on. However, the fixture does not work. I have tried new
fixture and new bulb including moving the fixutre from A that I know
works there.

I am guessing that during remodeling they somehow hit the wire with a
nail or screw. But why do I show some current there at all? And if
they hit it with a screw/nail, shouldn't I get a short and keep
blowing a breaker when I turn on the lights?

Can anyone shed some light (sorry for the pun) on this for me? I am
hoping there is a good answer as trying to run a new wire will be
difficult and expensive for me.

Thanks.

Alan

Electrical Question
 

On Mon, 16 Jul 2007 14:55:03 -0700, Alan
wrote:


Here is the weird thing. When I put my electrical sensor (I don't
have a volt meter, just the device that beeps if current is present)
to the wires of light B, it beeps as if current is present when the

I don't have one of these things that beeps, so I really don't know,
but does it beep when current is present, or when voltage is? If
current were flowing in the area between A and B, it's either going
through the lightbulb or a short circuit or something.

You know that there can be voltage without current, right?

switch is on. However, the fixture does not work. I have tried new
fixture and new bulb including moving the fixutre from A that I know
works there.

I am guessing that during remodeling they somehow hit the wire with a
nail or screw. But why do I show some current there at all? And if
they hit it with a screw/nail, shouldn't I get a short and keep
blowing a breaker when I turn on the lights?

Can anyone shed some light (sorry for the pun) on this for me? I am
hoping there is a good answer as trying to run a new wire will be
difficult and expensive for me.

You need to by a VOM, a volt-ohmmeter. They measure current too but
not AC current and not the amounts used by household appliances.

Turn off the breaker, screw a good lightbulb in... doorbell, got to
go.

Thanks.

Alan

Electrical Question
 

On Jul 16, 7:52 pm, mm wrote:
On Mon, 16 Jul 2007 14:55:03 -0700, Alan
wrote:



Here is the weird thing. When I put my electrical sensor (I don't
have a volt meter, just the device that beeps if current is present)
to the wires of light B, it beeps as if current is present when the

I don't have one of these things that beeps, so I really don't know,
but does it beep when current is present, or when voltage is? If
current were flowing in the area between A and B, it's either going
through the lightbulb or a short circuit or something.

You know that there can be voltage without current, right?


They come in both types, as a current sensor or as a voltage sensor,
or some of them have dual mode. It is a handy device because it is a
noncontact measurement.
I think the original poster was saying current when he actually meant
voltage.

Electrical Question
 

On Mon, 16 Jul 2007 17:09:39 -0700, Andrew Sarangan
wrote:

On Jul 16, 7:52 pm, mm wrote:
On Mon, 16 Jul 2007 14:55:03 -0700, Alan
wrote:



Here is the weird thing. When I put my electrical sensor (I don't
have a volt meter, just the device that beeps if current is present)
to the wires of light B, it beeps as if current is present when the

I don't have one of these things that beeps, so I really don't know,
but does it beep when current is present, or when voltage is? If
current were flowing in the area between A and B, it's either going
through the lightbulb or a short circuit or something.

You know that there can be voltage without current, right?


They come in both types, as a current sensor or as a voltage sensor,
or some of them have dual mode. It is a handy device because it is a
noncontact measurement.

Thanks. I gotta get me one. I don't really have a use for it now,
but I gotta get me one.

I think the original poster was saying current when he actually meant
voltage.

Electrical Question
 

"Alan" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi,

Here is my situation.

Have a light switch that controls 2 lights -- A & B on opposite sides
of the front of my house. The wire runs from switch to light A and
then a wire runs from A to B. Both lights used to work. I recently
had construction in my house and had new wood siding put up outside
and drywall inside. Now light A works but B does not.

Here is the weird thing. When I put my electrical sensor (I don't
have a volt meter, just the device that beeps if current is present)
to the wires of light B, it beeps as if current is present when the
switch is on. However, the fixture does not work. I have tried new
fixture and new bulb including moving the fixutre from A that I know
works there.

I am guessing that during remodeling they somehow hit the wire with a
nail or screw. But why do I show some current there at all? And if
they hit it with a screw/nail, shouldn't I get a short and keep
blowing a breaker when I turn on the lights?

Can anyone shed some light (sorry for the pun) on this for me? I am
hoping there is a good answer as trying to run a new wire will be
difficult and expensive for me.

Thanks.

Alan


If they hit the neutral, you will still have a hot lead that your detector
is sensing. However, you don't have a complete circuit that the lighting
fixture needs.

Electrical Question
 

"aa" wrote in message
ups.com...

It sound like you have a broken neutral wire. With the switch on and
the light bulb in place, check the neutral wire (white) with your
sensor. If it beeps, then you have a broken neutral wire somewhere
downstream. If it does not beep, then the problem is with the light
fixture itself, which should be easy to fix.


Didn't read where he changed the fixture out?


Most problems occur at the fixtures, and rarely on the wires behind
the walls. I would check the neutral wires on both lights to make sure
none of them have come loose.


Until people remodel their homes and the wiring becomes a source of
problems!

Electrical Question
 

"Alan" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi,

Here is my situation.

Have a light switch that controls 2 lights -- A & B on opposite sides
of the front of my house. The wire runs from switch to light A and
then a wire runs from A to B. Both lights used to work. I recently
had construction in my house and had new wood siding put up outside
and drywall inside. Now light A works but B does not.

Here is the weird thing. When I put my electrical sensor (I don't
have a volt meter, just the device that beeps if current is present)
to the wires of light B, it beeps as if current is present when the
switch is on. However, the fixture does not work. I have tried new
fixture and new bulb including moving the fixutre from A that I know
works there.

I am guessing that during remodeling they somehow hit the wire with a
nail or screw. But why do I show some current there at all? And if
they hit it with a screw/nail, shouldn't I get a short and keep
blowing a breaker when I turn on the lights?

Can anyone shed some light (sorry for the pun) on this for me? I am
hoping there is a good answer as trying to run a new wire will be
difficult and expensive for me.

Thanks.

Alan


When you have a run like you describe it is fairly common to join the wires
in box A and feed the fixture with a pigtail. If you have a wirenut
connection in that box, check to make sure the connections are tight.and
both hot and neutral are being delivered to box B.

Sorry to say, it sounds like a nail or screw may have cut the wire
somewhere. If it was the neutral that was cut, it would not trip a breaker.

Colbyt