so I installed a light switch connected to two separate light sockets.
One way the switch lights one light, the other way, the other light.

I have two cables coming into the switch box. One from a socket from
whence it derives power, the other going out to a socket, newly
installed, which is the "end of the line".

In the normal "on" position, the original socket works as it should.

In the off position, it will turn on the new socket that I just ran my
12/2 with. Of course the other light bulb is now off.

What gives?

On Wed, 07 Mar 2012 14:26:13 -0500, ng_reader
wrote:

so I installed a light switch connected to two separate light sockets.
One way the switch lights one light, the other way, the other light.

I have two cables coming into the switch box. One from a socket from
whence it derives power, the other going out to a socket, newly
installed, which is the "end of the line".

In the normal "on" position, the original socket works as it should.

In the off position, it will turn on the new socket that I just ran my
12/2 with. Of course the other light bulb is now off.

What gives?

You need to change the switch to a 3-way

On 3/7/2012 2:26 PM, ng_reader wrote:
so I installed a light switch connected to two separate light sockets.
One way the switch lights one light, the other way, the other light.

I have two cables coming into the switch box. One from a socket from
whence it derives power, the other going out to a socket, newly
installed, which is the "end of the line".

In the normal "on" position, the original socket works as it should.

In the off position, it will turn on the new socket that I just ran my
12/2 with. Of course the other light bulb is now off.

What gives?

To wire the second light, you should have run the cable from the first
light, not the switch. You have only two wires coming into the switch
from the existing light. This is a switch leg and a return. You don't
have a feed, which consists of a hot leg and a neutral. What you've done
is wired the second light in series with the first.

What gives?

You need to change the switch to a 3-way

OK, Considering that...

I have my blacks twisted under one nut, whites twisted under another.
Any advice...?

On Mar 7, 3:05*pm, RBM wrote:
On 3/7/2012 2:26 PM, ng_reader wrote:

so I installed a light switch connected to two separate light sockets.
One way the switch lights one light, the other way, the other light.

I have two cables coming into the switch box. One from a socket from
whence it derives power, the other going out to a socket, newly
installed, which is the "end of the line".

In the normal "on" position, the original socket works as it should.

In the off position, it will turn on the new socket that I just ran my
12/2 with. Of course the other light bulb is now off.

What gives?

To wire the second light, you should have run the cable from the first
light, not the switch. You have only two wires coming into the switch
from the existing light. This is a switch leg and a return. You don't
have a feed, which consists of a hot leg and a neutral. What you've done
is wired the second light in series with the first.

I'm glad you could figure that out. I've read it several
times and have no idea WTF he's talking about or
what the problem is.

On 3/7/2012 3:10 PM, wrote:
On Mar 7, 3:05 pm, wrote:
On 3/7/2012 2:26 PM, ng_reader wrote:

so I installed a light switch connected to two separate light sockets.
One way the switch lights one light, the other way, the other light.

I have two cables coming into the switch box. One from a socket from
whence it derives power, the other going out to a socket, newly
installed, which is the "end of the line".

In the normal "on" position, the original socket works as it should.

In the off position, it will turn on the new socket that I just ran my
12/2 with. Of course the other light bulb is now off.

What gives?

To wire the second light, you should have run the cable from the first
light, not the switch. You have only two wires coming into the switch
from the existing light. This is a switch leg and a return. You don't
have a feed, which consists of a hot leg and a neutral. What you've done
is wired the second light in series with the first.

I'm glad you could figure that out. I've read it several
times and have no idea WTF he's talking about or
what the problem is.

I was laughing myself, trying to figure out WTF he could have done. Then
the word Nube came into my mind. It was all clear from there

On Wed, 07 Mar 2012 14:26:13 -0500, ng_reader
wrote:

so I installed a light switch connected to two separate light sockets.
One way the switch lights one light, the other way, the other light.

I have two cables coming into the switch box. One from a socket from
whence it derives power, the other going out to a socket, newly
installed, which is the "end of the line".

In the normal "on" position, the original socket works as it should.

In the off position, it will turn on the new socket that I just ran my
12/2 with. Of course the other light bulb is now off.

What gives?

http://imgur.com/yvmsf

On 3/7/12 3:05 PM, RBM wrote:
On 3/7/2012 2:26 PM, ng_reader wrote:
so I installed a light switch connected to two separate light sockets.
One way the switch lights one light, the other way, the other light.

I have two cables coming into the switch box. One from a socket from
whence it derives power, the other going out to a socket, newly
installed, which is the "end of the line".

In the normal "on" position, the original socket works as it should.

In the off position, it will turn on the new socket that I just ran my
12/2 with. Of course the other light bulb is now off.

What gives?

To wire the second light, you should have run the cable from the first
light, not the switch. You have only two wires coming into the switch
from the existing light. This is a switch leg and a return. You don't
have a feed, which consists of a hot leg and a neutral. What you've
done is wired the second light in series with the first.

Years ago my neighbor did a similar "mis-wiring". He was installing a
yard light that had a photocell for on/off, and an outlet on the post.
Then he was trying to drill holes for a street number sign, plugging
the drill into the outlet, but the drill would not run. From across
the street I could see that every time he pulled the trigger, a light
in his basement would go on. After I stopped laughing, we looked at
what he had done, and sure enough the switch box he used, being the
nearest thing to where the yard light wire came into house, was a
"switch leg". BTW, the white wire was *not* tagged with black tape,
not that he would have known what that meant anyway.

In the off position, it will turn on the new socket that I just ran my
12/2 with. Of course the other light bulb is now off.

What gives?

http://imgur.com/yvmsf


Thanks for your effort, but, I'm not sure it "works". But I should have
a 3-way around, to see if that will work out.

And, I'll just keep screwing and unscrewing copper till it does.

Also, I'll answer this here as well, but, the box with existing light
fixture was "full up". I could either put a junction box right next to
it, but, instead chose to make the run back to the light switch.

What gives?

To wire the second light, you should have run the cable from the first
light, not the switch. You have only two wires coming into the switch
from the existing light. This is a switch leg and a return. You don't
have a feed, which consists of a hot leg and a neutral. What you've done
is wired the second light in series with the first.

My first thought was to run off the first light, but I had no more
knock-outs to knock out. It had all the cables it could manage! I could
have added a junction box right next to it, but, opted instead to remove
and replace the light switch with a larger box able to accommodate the
additional cables. I think I will try the 3-way switch as that sounds
logically like it might work.

On 3/7/2012 4:12 PM, ng_reader wrote:

What gives?

To wire the second light, you should have run the cable from the first
light, not the switch. You have only two wires coming into the switch
from the existing light. This is a switch leg and a return. You don't
have a feed, which consists of a hot leg and a neutral. What you've done
is wired the second light in series with the first.

My first thought was to run off the first light, but I had no more
knock-outs to knock out. It had all the cables it could manage! I could
have added a junction box right next to it, but, opted instead to remove
and replace the light switch with a larger box able to accommodate the
additional cables. I think I will try the 3-way switch as that sounds
logically like it might work.

It's not going to work. You don't have the necessary wires to do what
you want

On Mar 7, 2:51*pm, Metspitzer wrote:
On Wed, 07 Mar 2012 14:26:13 -0500, ng_reader
wrote:

so I installed a light switch connected to two separate light sockets.
One way the switch lights one light, the other way, the other light.

I have two cables coming into the switch box. One from a socket from
whence it derives power, the other going out to a socket, newly
installed, which is the "end of the line".

In the normal "on" position, the original socket works as it should.

In the off position, it will turn on the new socket that I just ran my
12/2 with. Of course the other light bulb is now off.

What gives?

You need to change the switch to a 3-way

Care to explain how you came up with that suggestion?

What in the OP indicates the need for a 3-way switch?

On Mar 7, 4:09*pm, ng_reader wrote:
In the off position, it will turn on the new socket that I just ran my
12/2 with. Of course the other light bulb is now off.

What gives?

http://imgur.com/yvmsf

Thanks for your effort, but, I'm not sure it "works". But I should have
a 3-way around, to see if that will work out.

....

And, I'll just keep screwing and unscrewing copper till it does.

....

That would be fun to watch.

....

Also, I'll answer this here as well, but, the box with existing light
fixture was "full up". I could either put a junction box right next to
it, but, instead chose to make the run back to the light switch.

On 3/7/2012 4:16 PM, RBM wrote:
On 3/7/2012 4:12 PM, ng_reader wrote:

What gives?

To wire the second light, you should have run the cable from the first
light, not the switch. You have only two wires coming into the switch
from the existing light. This is a switch leg and a return. You don't
have a feed, which consists of a hot leg and a neutral. What you've done
is wired the second light in series with the first.

My first thought was to run off the first light, but I had no more
knock-outs to knock out. It had all the cables it could manage! I could
have added a junction box right next to it, but, opted instead to remove
and replace the light switch with a larger box able to accommodate the
additional cables. I think I will try the 3-way switch as that sounds
logically like it might work.

It's not going to work. You don't have the necessary wires to do what
you want


Yes, now that makes sense. Dammit.

"ng_reader" wrote in message ...
so I installed a light switch connected to two separate light sockets.
One way the switch lights one light, the other way, the other light.

I have two cables coming into the switch box. One from a socket from
whence it derives power, the other going out to a socket, newly
installed, which is the "end of the line".

In the normal "on" position, the original socket works as it should.

In the off position, it will turn on the new socket that I just ran my
12/2 with. Of course the other light bulb is now off.

What gives?

White wire!

http://hot-text.ath.cx/~bd~/d/light-SW.gif



--
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Metspitzer wrote in news:40hfl71iqfqmpjhbq27irqq15q5t6mipla@
4ax.com:

On Wed, 07 Mar 2012 14:26:13 -0500, ng_reader
wrote:

so I installed a light switch connected to two separate light sockets.
One way the switch lights one light, the other way, the other light.

I have two cables coming into the switch box. One from a socket from
whence it derives power, the other going out to a socket, newly
installed, which is the "end of the line".

In the normal "on" position, the original socket works as it should.

In the off position, it will turn on the new socket that I just ran my
12/2 with. Of course the other light bulb is now off.

What gives?

http://imgur.com/yvmsf

That diagram clearly will not produce the behavior the OP describes.

The OP clearly doesn't understand how residential wiring works, and you're making things
worse with your suggestions that obviously don't address the problem. When it comes to
120V wiring, *one* person who doesn't understand what he's doing is already one person
too many. Don't be the second one.

The OP has already received the correct answer from RBM: it is impossible to make the
system behave the way he wants it to behave, given the wiring that he has.

On Wednesday, March 7, 2012 4:26:39 PM UTC-6, Doug Miller wrote:
Metspitzer wrote in news:40hfl71iqfqmpjhbq27irqq15q5t6mipla@
4ax.com:

On Wed, 07 Mar 2012 14:26:13 -0500, ng_reader
wrote:

so I installed a light switch connected to two separate light sockets.
One way the switch lights one light, the other way, the other light.

I have two cables coming into the switch box. One from a socket from
whence it derives power, the other going out to a socket, newly
installed, which is the "end of the line".

In the normal "on" position, the original socket works as it should.

In the off position, it will turn on the new socket that I just ran my
12/2 with. Of course the other light bulb is now off.

What gives?

http://imgur.com/yvmsf

That diagram clearly will not produce the behavior the OP describes.

The OP clearly doesn't understand how residential wiring works, and you're making things
worse with your suggestions that obviously don't address the problem. When it comes to
120V wiring, *one* person who doesn't understand what he's doing is already one person
too many. Don't be the second one.

The OP has already received the correct answer from RBM: it is impossible to make the
system behave the way he wants it to behave, given the wiring that he has.

Good point. OP: Trial and error is not a good way to do wiring. You, or some future person who does work on your house, may suffer for it. -- H

On Mar 7, 3:09*pm, ng_reader wrote:
In the off position, it will turn on the new socket that I just ran my
12/2 with. Of course the other light bulb is now off.

What gives?

http://imgur.com/yvmsf

Thanks for your effort, but, I'm not sure it "works". But I should have
a 3-way around, to see if that will work out.

And, I'll just keep screwing and unscrewing copper till it does.

Also, I'll answer this here as well, but, the box with existing light
fixture was "full up". I could either put a junction box right next to
it, but, instead chose to make the run back to the light switch.

do you want both lights to come on at the same time???????

...

That would be fun to watch.

...

Oh, you should have been there when I kept going back and forth to the
breaker with my circuit tester and disambiguation of wire ends.

What in the OP indicates the need for a 3-way switch?

elsewhere - ponyPop

fixture was "full up". I could either put a junction box right next to
it, but, instead chose to make the run back to the light switch.

do you want both lights to come on at the same time???????

Hi Bob. Why yes, I do want both lights to come on at the same time!
However, as it has been described, those would be empty wishes.

I pulled another cable into the area and might just use that point as a
starter to get some light fixtures on a switch. But, it's a pretty tight
area and for now I am going to let things sit.

I'm glad you could figure that out. I've read it several
times and have no idea WTF he's talking about or
what the problem is.

I was laughing myself, trying to figure out WTF he could have done. Then
the word Nube came into my mind. It was all clear from there

RBM you were quite helpful, however we could probably live without the
condescension. I mean, really, what kinds of questions do you think are
supposed to be posted here?

I remember hiring an electrician to help with a 3-way circuit and
watching him scratch his head at the top of his ladder. So, even experts
I reckon can get a little confused when dealing with electricity.

On 3/7/2012 6:19 PM, ng_reader wrote:

I'm glad you could figure that out. I've read it several
times and have no idea WTF he's talking about or
what the problem is.

I was laughing myself, trying to figure out WTF he could have done. Then
the word Nube came into my mind. It was all clear from there

RBM you were quite helpful, however we could probably live without the
condescension. I mean, really, what kinds of questions do you think are
supposed to be posted here?

I remember hiring an electrician to help with a 3-way circuit and
watching him scratch his head at the top of his ladder. So, even experts
I reckon can get a little confused when dealing with electricity.

It's not condescension, it was a revelation. My thoughts, like Trader's,
was that the whole scenario made no sense. Then I thought of the
pitfalls of nubes, and it made perfect sense. What you did is routinely
done by inexperienced folks. But, once you get it, you got it.

"ng_reader" wrote in message
...

I remember hiring an electrician to help with a 3-way circuit and watching
him scratch his head at the top of his ladder. So, even experts I reckon
can get a little confused when dealing with electricity.

Then they are not experts.

I fellow where I work has his electrical license and I would not let him
change batteries in my flashlight. You should hear some of the stories he
tells on himslef about jobs he does outside the plant.

I have been working in a large factory with everything from low voltage
instruments to 480 3 phase stuff, and a bit of higher voltage.

I am glad RBM got this one. I was thinking he had used a 3 way switch witht
he hot wires from each light going to the two switched screws and one light
would go on and then the other one would go on as the switch was flipped.
That is either one or the other was on and the other one was off.

On Mar 7, 7:30*pm, "Ralph Mowery" wrote:
"ng_reader" wrote in message

...



I remember hiring an electrician to help with a 3-way circuit and watching
him scratch his head at the top of his ladder. So, even experts I reckon
can get a little confused when dealing with electricity.

Then they are not experts.

I fellow where I work has his electrical license and I would not let him
change batteries in my flashlight. *You should hear some of the stories he
tells on himslef about jobs he does outside the plant.

I have been working in a large factory with everything from low voltage
instruments to 480 3 phase stuff, and a bit of higher voltage.

I am glad RBM got this one. *I was thinking he had used a 3 way switch witht
he hot wires from each light going to the two switched screws and one light
would go on and then the other one would go on as the switch was flipped.
That is either one or the other was on and the other one was off.

And my remarks about not being able to understand WTF the OP
was talking about, which he seems to have taken offense to, were not
directed
toward any lack of electrical expertise. They were directed at not
being able to explain what he was talking about or asking.

On Mar 7, 6:56*pm, "
wrote:
On Mar 7, 7:30*pm, "Ralph Mowery" wrote:





"ng_reader" wrote in message

...

I remember hiring an electrician to help with a 3-way circuit and watching
him scratch his head at the top of his ladder. So, even experts I reckon
can get a little confused when dealing with electricity.

Then they are not experts.

I fellow where I work has his electrical license and I would not let him
change batteries in my flashlight. *You should hear some of the stories he
tells on himslef about jobs he does outside the plant.

I have been working in a large factory with everything from low voltage
instruments to 480 3 phase stuff, and a bit of higher voltage.

I am glad RBM got this one. *I was thinking he had used a 3 way switch witht
he hot wires from each light going to the two switched screws and one light
would go on and then the other one would go on as the switch was flipped.
That is either one or the other was on and the other one was off.

And my remarks about not being able to understand WTF the OP
was talking about, which he seems to have taken offense to, were not
directed
toward any lack of electrical expertise. *They were directed at not
being able to explain what he was talking about or asking.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Well, now he/OP has said he wants both lights to come on at the same
time.