About a year ago I had two recessed lights installed in the hallway. They were previously regular lights, so I was told it was just cutting a hole out and hooking the wiring back up. He also changed the switches to the newer flat switches. They worked for 2 months until one day it just stopped working. I'm not too keen working with electricity.

Just a few weeks ago I called the actual makers of the recessed lighting and they said that it "sounds" like a problem with both of the actual units internal components. Seemed a little weird to me, i thought it had something to do with the wiring. But I got the new units, thinking that will an easy fix on my side. Since all the wiring is set up I could just match the connections with the new identical unit.

Switched off the power to the hallway, tested making sure I turned off the right breaker. Then installed white to white / black to black / ground to ground on one of the units, leaving the other one alone. Put a light in, and as soon as I switched on the breaker, I heard a pop near the actual light. And the breaker popped to the middle position. Looked up online which said it's in the neutral position after being popped.

I checked the other light and it is black to black / white to white / ground to ground. I didn't think it could be a problem with the wiring since it for sure worked for a couple months.

On 01/30/2014 12:43 PM, wrote:
About a year ago I had two recessed lights installed in the hallway. They were previously regular lights, so I was told it was just cutting a hole out and hooking the wiring back up. He also changed the switches to the newer flat switches. They worked for 2 months until one day it just stopped working. I'm not too keen working with electricity.

Just a few weeks ago I called the actual makers of the recessed lighting and they said that it "sounds" like a problem with both of the actual units internal components. Seemed a little weird to me, i thought it had something to do with the wiring. But I got the new units, thinking that will an easy fix on my side. Since all the wiring is set up I could just match the connections with the new identical unit.

Switched off the power to the hallway, tested making sure I turned off the right breaker. Then installed white to white / black to black / ground to ground on one of the units, leaving the other one alone. Put a light in, and as soon as I switched on the breaker, I heard a pop near the actual light. And the breaker popped to the middle position. Looked up online which said it's in the neutral position after being popped.

I checked the other light and it is black to black / white to white / ground to ground. I didn't think it could be a problem with the wiring since it for sure worked for a couple months.




Then check the wiring in the light fixture.
It must be shorted.

On 01/30/2014 12:43 PM, wrote:
About a year ago I had two recessed lights installed in the hallway. . .
. They worked for 2 months until one day it just stopped working. I'm not
too keen working with electricity.

"philo " wrote in message
...

Then check the wiring in the light fixture.
It must be shorted.

This seems bad advice for someone "not too keen working with electricity."
In the modern world, peace of mind costs hard cash, but employing a skilled
tradesman (if you can find one) is usually worth the price.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

On 01/30/2014 03:57 PM, Don Phillipson wrote:
On 01/30/2014 12:43 PM, wrote:
About a year ago I had two recessed lights installed in the hallway. . .
. They worked for 2 months until one day it just stopped working. I'm not
too keen working with electricity.

"philo " wrote in message
...

Then check the wiring in the light fixture.
It must be shorted.

This seems bad advice for someone "not too keen working with electricity."
In the modern world, peace of mind costs hard cash, but employing a skilled
tradesman (if you can find one) is usually worth the price.




I told the guy elsewhere that the price of an electrician will be less
than that of a funeral.


This newsgroup is really for people who basically know how to do things
but are looking for tips on how to /best/ do things.

On Thursday, January 30, 2014 2:52:41 PM UTC-8, philo* wrote:
On 01/30/2014 03:57 PM, Don Phillipson wrote:

On 01/30/2014 12:43 PM, wrote:

About a year ago I had two recessed lights installed in the hallway. .. .

. They worked for 2 months until one day it just stopped working. I'm not

too keen working with electricity.



"philo " wrote in message

...



Then check the wiring in the light fixture.

It must be shorted.



This seems bad advice for someone "not too keen working with electricity."

In the modern world, peace of mind costs hard cash, but employing a skilled

tradesman (if you can find one) is usually worth the price.









I told the guy elsewhere that the price of an electrician will be less

than that of a funeral.





This newsgroup is really for people who basically know how to do things

but are looking for tips on how to /best/ do things.

thanks again guys. unfortunately the original installer is not available anymore. he moved away. So I'll have to find a new electrician. Hopefully this doesn't set me back too much since all of the stuff is cut out and the wires are set up.

On 01/30/2014 05:06 PM, wrote:
X


This newsgroup is really for people who basically know how to do things

but are looking for tips on how to /best/ do things.

thanks again guys. unfortunately the original installer is not available anymore. he moved away. So I'll have to find a new electrician. Hopefully this doesn't set me back too much since all of the stuff is cut out and the wires are set up.



Well...unless you are totally sure of what you are doing, calling an
electrician will be money well spent.

On 1/30/2014 12:43 PM, wrote:
About a year ago I had two recessed lights installed in the hallway. They were previously regular lights, so I was told it was just cutting a hole out and hooking the wiring back up. He also changed the switches to the newer flat switches. They worked for 2 months until one day it just stopped working. I'm not too keen working with electricity.

Just a few weeks ago I called the actual makers of the recessed lighting and they said that it "sounds" like a problem with both of the actual units internal components. Seemed a little weird to me, i thought it had something to do with the wiring. But I got the new units, thinking that will an easy fix on my side. Since all the wiring is set up I could just match the connections with the new identical unit.

Switched off the power to the hallway, tested making sure I turned off the right breaker. Then installed white to white / black to black / ground to ground on one of the units, leaving the other one alone. Put a light in, and as soon as I switched on the breaker, I heard a pop near the actual light. And the breaker popped to the middle position. Looked up online which said it's in the neutral position after being popped.

I checked the other light and it is black to black / white to white / ground to ground. I didn't think it could be a problem with the wiring since it for sure worked for a couple months.


Is this with the light switch on, or off?

On Thursday, January 30, 2014 1:43:21 PM UTC-5, wrote:
About a year ago I had two recessed lights installed in the hallway. They were previously regular lights, so I was told it was just cutting a hole out and hooking the wiring back up. He also changed the switches to the newer flat switches. They worked for 2 months until one day it just stopped working. I'm not too keen working with electricity.



Just a few weeks ago I called the actual makers of the recessed lighting and they said that it "sounds" like a problem with both of the actual units internal components. Seemed a little weird to me, i thought it had something to do with the wiring. But I got the new units, thinking that will an easy fix on my side. Since all the wiring is set up I could just match the connections with the new identical unit.



Switched off the power to the hallway, tested making sure I turned off the right breaker. Then installed white to white / black to black / ground to ground on one of the units, leaving the other one alone. Put a light in, and as soon as I switched on the breaker, I heard a pop near the actual light. And the breaker popped to the middle position. Looked up online which said it's in the neutral position after being popped.



I checked the other light and it is black to black / white to white / ground to ground. I didn't think it could be a problem with the wiring since it for sure worked for a couple months.

you might need to look at the wiring at all boxes. May be that some of the white wires are actually hots and weren't marked with a tape ring like they should be.

nate

On Thursday, January 30, 2014 11:59:03 AM UTC-8, N8N wrote:
On Thursday, January 30, 2014 1:43:21 PM UTC-5, wrote:

About a year ago I had two recessed lights installed in the hallway. They were previously regular lights, so I was told it was just cutting a hole out and hooking the wiring back up. He also changed the switches to the newer flat switches. They worked for 2 months until one day it just stopped working. I'm not too keen working with electricity.







Just a few weeks ago I called the actual makers of the recessed lighting and they said that it "sounds" like a problem with both of the actual units internal components. Seemed a little weird to me, i thought it had something to do with the wiring. But I got the new units, thinking that will an easy fix on my side. Since all the wiring is set up I could just match the connections with the new identical unit.







Switched off the power to the hallway, tested making sure I turned off the right breaker. Then installed white to white / black to black / ground to ground on one of the units, leaving the other one alone. Put a light in, and as soon as I switched on the breaker, I heard a pop near the actual light. And the breaker popped to the middle position. Looked up online which said it's in the neutral position after being popped.







I checked the other light and it is black to black / white to white / ground to ground. I didn't think it could be a problem with the wiring since it for sure worked for a couple months.



you might need to look at the wiring at all boxes. May be that some of the white wires are actually hots and weren't marked with a tape ring like they should be.



nate

I checked the other light and it was correctly connected.

It "popped" when I switched it to on. (Or actually toggled it, I couldn't actually tell you if it was on or off, but I'm pretty sure it was when I switched it to ON)


"by boxes" you mean light fixtures? I was thinking I should check the switches... Is it possible for it to work for some time and then stop working after sometime if the wiring was switched?

Maybe a stupid question. But I'm not a 100% sure. When people say shorted.. Does this mean red on white or not wired correctly?

Thanks guys for the help !

On Thu, 30 Jan 2014 12:51:13 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

Is it possible for it to work for some time and then stop working after sometime if the wiring was switched?

Like you I'm limited with electricity.

Are the wires "backstabbed" on the switch? Best to place the wires on
the screws when mounting them and avoid the push in connection --
backstabbed.

On Thursday, January 30, 2014 1:01:50 PM UTC-8, Oren wrote:
On Thu, 30 Jan 2014 12:51:13 -0800 (PST),

wrote:



Is it possible for it to work for some time and then stop working after sometime if the wiring was switched?



Like you I'm limited with electricity.



Are the wires "backstabbed" on the switch? Best to place the wires on

the screws when mounting them and avoid the push in connection --

backstabbed.

I'll have to check when I get home.. backstabbed is not a preferred method?

On Thu, 30 Jan 2014 13:04:15 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

On Thursday, January 30, 2014 1:01:50 PM UTC-8, Oren wrote:
On Thu, 30 Jan 2014 12:51:13 -0800 (PST),

wrote:



Is it possible for it to work for some time and then stop working after sometime if the wiring was switched?



Like you I'm limited with electricity.



Are the wires "backstabbed" on the switch? Best to place the wires on

the screws when mounting them and avoid the push in connection --

backstabbed.

I'll have to check when I get home.. backstabbed is not a preferred method?

No. If so, put the wires on the screws.

On 1/30/2014 4:04 PM, wrote:

Are the wires "backstabbed" on the switch? Best to place the wires on

the screws when mounting them and avoid the push in connection --

backstabbed.

I'll have to check when I get home.. backstabbed is not a preferred method?

Backstabbed is inferior. Wire under the screw
head is much better.

--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On Thu, 30 Jan 2014 12:51:13 -0800 (PST), wrote:


Maybe a stupid question. But I'm not a 100% sure. When people say shorted..=

Many people misuse the words short and shorted. They use them for
almost any electrical problem, but especially they use them for
'opens"** I haven't noticed people here doing that, but it's very
common.

Does this mean red on white or not wired correctly?

It's more specific than that. It might be red connected to white,
but only if that meets my definition which follows. And certainly if
two wires are connected so as to make a short, they weren't wired
correctly, but lots of mistakes are not shorts.

A short circuit is one where the current can flow from the hot to the
neutral or to the ground without passing through all of the load. Or
you can have a short which bypasses any of the other parts of a circuit.
See below****

The load is the lightbulb or the motor, or the heating elements in a
toaster, etc. The load is the reason you are using the electricity in
the first place. For light, motion, heat, etc.

Lets use an example where the load is a string of Xmas tree lights, the
old kind iiuc where if one light burned out, they all went out. You
could have a short circuit (a short) right at the plug, if the
insulation dried out and one of the wires was touching the other. Then
nothing would go to the lights, the circuit would be shorter than it
should be, (Get it? That's why it's called a short circuit.) The
current would go a quarter inch out from the plug to where the
insulation has fallen off, to the other wire, and right back into the
plug and the house wiring. It would normally blow a fuse or tirp a
breaker.

Or one lightbulb socked could be shorted. Maybe someone stuffed tinfoil
in where the bulb went. Because he didnt have any more good bulbs and
so none of them would light. That is a short. If only one bulb out
of say 40 is bypassed, the voltage will go up a little for all the other
bulbs, they will burn out a little faster, but until then they will be a
little brighter. If otoh there were only 10 bulbs, and now there are 9,
the voltage on each bulb will be 10/9ths what it's supposed to be.
Insteal of about 11 volts (110/10) it will be a little over 12 volts.
That might work too, but the bulbs will be brigher and burn out faster.
This is also a short.

Let's say somehow, you ended up bypassing 20 of the 40 bulb string.
That will double the voltage across each bulb, double the current
through the wire, make the wire get much hotter, and if the bulbs
somehow don't burn out, you'll have a heat hazard from the hot wire.
That's still a short, even though it's not bypassing the entire load. it
doesn't have to bypass the entire load, just any part of it, and it's a
short. Some shorts are very dangerous, others are not, but very very
few are desirable. The only one I can think of is the first example of
shorting out only one lightbulb socket in a string of 40.


****You can also have a short that bypasses, for example, the switch.
If a switch breaks and it is closed (the On), it's as if the switch is
shorted. Or if someone connects both of the wires to the switch to the
same screw on the switch, he's shorted out the switch. Not as big a
problem as shorting the load, but the switch won't work anymore to turn
the thing off. If the switch is broken but it's not On, it's Off,
that's called an Open. If someone takes a short wire with alligator
clips on each end and clips one to each screw on the switch, he's
shorted out the switch. People do this to bypass the switch to see if
the light etc. will turn on. If it turns on when the switch is shorted
but not when the switch is On, the switch is broken. (Not that that
applies to you. I don't think so.)

You could have a short that bypasses an antenna. If you're using
stranded flat line wire and a stray strand touches the other conductor
where it's not insultated, the two strands will be connected and almost
the entire signal from the antenna will go through the short and not to
the radio or tv. "The antenna is shorted". If one of the wires to the
antenna is broken, the antenna circuit is open.

YOu could short out the output of an amplifier. That's why there is a
plastic ridge (didn't used to be) between the two screws where one
attaches the speakers, so the strands of one side of the speaker wire
won't touch the other side. If you short out the amplifer output,
you'll blow the fuse if it has an output fuse, and if not, you'll burn
out the output transistor, and maybe the transistor before that, if
there is direct coupling. You may burn them out before the fuse blows,
even if there is a fuse.

Thanks guys for the help !

**What is an open? It is two things that should be connected but are
not, or two parts on the inside of something that should be connected
but are not. For example, in a simple light bulb, when the filament
burns out, breaks, the circuit is open, or has an open, and the bulb is
open. If you cut through a wire with a saw, you make an open.


Don't confuse open and shorted and everything else.

About a year ago I had two recessed lights installed in the hallway. They
were previously regular lights, so I was told it was just cutting a hole out
and hooking the wiring back up. He also changed the switches to the newer
flat switches. They worked for 2 months until one day it just stopped
working. I'm not too keen working with electricity.

Just a few weeks ago I called the actual makers of the recessed lighting and
they said that it "sounds" like a problem with both of the actual units
internal components. Seemed a little weird to me, i thought it had something
to do with the wiring. But I got the new units, thinking that will an easy
fix on my side. Since all the wiring is set up I could just match the
connections with the new identical unit.

Switched off the power to the hallway, tested making sure I turned off the
right breaker. Then installed white to white / black to black / ground to
ground on one of the units, leaving the other one alone. Put a light in, and
as soon as I switched on the breaker, I heard a pop near the actual light.
And the breaker popped to the middle position. Looked up online which said
it's in the neutral position after being popped.

I checked the other light and it is black to black / white to white / ground
to ground. I didn't think it could be a problem with the wiring since it for
sure worked for a couple months.


*Occasionally I get a recessed light that has a defective thermal protector
in it. Usually it shorts out immediately. Once I had one start blinking a
few weeks after I left the job. I had to go back and replace the recessed
light.

To have two recessed lights stop working at the same time is not likely an
internal component problem. I would look for a bad splice somewhere in the
circuit. Do you have juice at the switch?

You could wire up a pigtail socket to the wires that feed the recessed
lights to make sure that you have electricity going to the lights.

On Thursday, January 30, 2014 12:48:51 PM UTC-8, John G wrote:
About a year ago I had two recessed lights installed in the hallway. They

were previously regular lights, so I was told it was just cutting a hole out

and hooking the wiring back up. He also changed the switches to the newer

flat switches. They worked for 2 months until one day it just stopped

working. I'm not too keen working with electricity.



Just a few weeks ago I called the actual makers of the recessed lighting and

they said that it "sounds" like a problem with both of the actual units

internal components. Seemed a little weird to me, i thought it had something

to do with the wiring. But I got the new units, thinking that will an easy

fix on my side. Since all the wiring is set up I could just match the

connections with the new identical unit.



Switched off the power to the hallway, tested making sure I turned off the

right breaker. Then installed white to white / black to black / ground to

ground on one of the units, leaving the other one alone. Put a light in, and

as soon as I switched on the breaker, I heard a pop near the actual light.

And the breaker popped to the middle position. Looked up online which said

it's in the neutral position after being popped.



I checked the other light and it is black to black / white to white / ground

to ground. I didn't think it could be a problem with the wiring since it for

sure worked for a couple months.





*Occasionally I get a recessed light that has a defective thermal protector

in it. Usually it shorts out immediately. Once I had one start blinking a

few weeks after I left the job. I had to go back and replace the recessed

light.



To have two recessed lights stop working at the same time is not likely an

internal component problem. I would look for a bad splice somewhere in the

circuit. Do you have juice at the switch?



You could wire up a pigtail socket to the wires that feed the recessed

lights to make sure that you have electricity going to the lights.

A pigtail socket? Is that a tester? Maybe I should get an electrician involved? I'm in the los angeles area, what is the average price for fix up work.

I did see I had power going to the sockets using a tester. and at the switch. I don't want to reset the breaker if there's some improper connections going on. Seems a tad dangerous.

On 01/30/2014 02:55 PM, wrote:

X
To have two recessed lights stop working at the same time is not likely an

internal component problem. I would look for a bad splice somewhere in the

circuit. Do you have juice at the switch?



You could wire up a pigtail socket to the wires that feed the recessed

lights to make sure that you have electricity going to the lights.

A pigtail socket? Is that a tester? Maybe I should get an electrician involved? I'm in the los angeles area, what is the average price for fix up work.

I did see I had power going to the sockets using a tester. and at the switch. I don't want to reset the breaker if there's some improper connections going on. Seems a tad dangerous.




If you do not know **exactly** what you are doing, calling an
electrician will be a lot cheaper than the funeral.

On 1/30/2014 3:55 PM, wrote:

Maybe I should get an electrician involved? I'm in the los angeles area, what is the average price for fix up work.

I did see I had power going to the sockets using a tester. and at the switch. I don't want to reset the breaker if there's some improper connections going on. Seems a tad dangerous.


I'd ask around, see if any of your friends are
experienced with home wiring. Not everyone has
every skill. I call for help when I get into
some projects I can't handle. Wisdom isn't
always manly, but it can be safer.

--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On Thu, 30 Jan 2014 10:43:21 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

About a year ago I had two recessed lights installed in the hallway. They were previously regular lights, so I was told it was just cutting a hole out and hooking the wiring back up. He also changed the switches to the newer flat switches. They worked for 2 months until one day it just stopped working. I'm not too keen working with electricity.

Just a few weeks ago I called the actual makers of the recessed lighting and they said that it "sounds" like a problem with both of the actual units internal components. Seemed a little weird to me, i thought it had something to do with the wiring. But I got the new units, thinking that will an easy fix on my side. Since all the wiring is set up I could just match the connections with the new identical unit.

Switched off the power to the hallway, tested making sure I turned off the right breaker. Then installed white to white / black to black / ground to ground on one of the units, leaving the other one alone. Put a light in, and as soon as I switched on the breaker, I heard a pop near the actual light. And the breaker popped to the middle position. Looked up online which said it's in the neutral position after being popped.

I checked the other light and it is black to black / white to white / ground to ground. I didn't think it could be a problem with the wiring since it for sure worked for a couple months.

I am interested in knowing how you talked the rep into sending you new
fixtures and how they both ended up going bad the same day.

What I would do is just disconnect both fixtures and cap the wires and
see if the clears the problem.

On Thursday, January 30, 2014 3:17:52 PM UTC-8, Metspitzer wrote:
On Thu, 30 Jan 2014 10:43:21 -0800 (PST),

wrote:



About a year ago I had two recessed lights installed in the hallway. They were previously regular lights, so I was told it was just cutting a hole out and hooking the wiring back up. He also changed the switches to the newer flat switches. They worked for 2 months until one day it just stopped working. I'm not too keen working with electricity.



Just a few weeks ago I called the actual makers of the recessed lighting and they said that it "sounds" like a problem with both of the actual units internal components. Seemed a little weird to me, i thought it had something to do with the wiring. But I got the new units, thinking that will an easy fix on my side. Since all the wiring is set up I could just match the connections with the new identical unit.



Switched off the power to the hallway, tested making sure I turned off the right breaker. Then installed white to white / black to black / ground to ground on one of the units, leaving the other one alone. Put a light in, and as soon as I switched on the breaker, I heard a pop near the actual light. And the breaker popped to the middle position. Looked up online which said it's in the neutral position after being popped.



I checked the other light and it is black to black / white to white / ground to ground. I didn't think it could be a problem with the wiring since it for sure worked for a couple months.



I am interested in knowing how you talked the rep into sending you new

fixtures and how they both ended up going bad the same day.



What I would do is just disconnect both fixtures and cap the wires and

see if the clears the problem.

the guy was willing to send me new ones with no hassle at all. I just called the "tech" support. and he easily sent me new ones. No Receipt, I told him my model number.. He even sent me the wrong two. Took it to my local hardware shop and exchanged them for the correct ones, earning myself 60 bucks on a gift card.. lol. I didn't want to send them back and get new ones so forth. But there might not be any pproblem with the units and I might be able to return both new ones and get a positive. This money I can spend on an electrician. ha

just cap them off and have them connected to nothing but the caps?

On Thu, 30 Jan 2014 15:23:04 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

On Thursday, January 30, 2014 3:17:52 PM UTC-8, Metspitzer wrote:
On Thu, 30 Jan 2014 10:43:21 -0800 (PST),

wrote:



About a year ago I had two recessed lights installed in the hallway. They were previously regular lights, so I was told it was just cutting a hole out and hooking the wiring back up. He also changed the switches to the newer flat switches. They worked for 2 months until one day it just stopped working. I'm not too keen working with electricity.



Just a few weeks ago I called the actual makers of the recessed lighting and they said that it "sounds" like a problem with both of the actual units internal components. Seemed a little weird to me, i thought it had something to do with the wiring. But I got the new units, thinking that will an easy fix on my side. Since all the wiring is set up I could just match the connections with the new identical unit.



Switched off the power to the hallway, tested making sure I turned off the right breaker. Then installed white to white / black to black / ground to ground on one of the units, leaving the other one alone. Put a light in, and as soon as I switched on the breaker, I heard a pop near the actual light. And the breaker popped to the middle position. Looked up online which said it's in the neutral position after being popped.



I checked the other light and it is black to black / white to white / ground to ground. I didn't think it could be a problem with the wiring since it for sure worked for a couple months.



I am interested in knowing how you talked the rep into sending you new

fixtures and how they both ended up going bad the same day.



What I would do is just disconnect both fixtures and cap the wires and

see if the clears the problem.

the guy was willing to send me new ones with no hassle at all. I just called the "tech" support. and he easily sent me new ones. No Receipt, I told him my model number.. He even sent me the wrong two. Took it to my local hardware shop and exchanged them for the correct ones, earning myself 60 bucks on a gift card.. lol. I didn't want to send them back and get new ones so forth. But there might not be any pproblem with the units and I might be able to return both new ones and get a positive. This money I can spend on an electrician. ha

just cap them off and have them connected to nothing but the caps?

Black to black. White to white and green/bare to bare is almost a
slam dunk correct hookup.

What I would do is test one of the "bad" fixtures by hooking it up to
120v. I am not sure I would tell you to do that though.

If you only messed with one light, what I would do is just disconnect
it temporary and cap the (house wiring to the fixture) black white
with wire nuts.

Then I would reset the breaker and just see if it holds.

On 1/30/2014 1:43 PM, wrote:
About a year ago I had two recessed lights installed in the hallway. They were previously regular lights, so I was told it was just cutting a hole out and hooking the wiring back up. He also changed the switches to the newer flat switches. They worked for 2 months until one day it just stopped working. I'm not too keen working with electricity.

Just a few weeks ago I called the actual makers of the recessed lighting and they said that it "sounds" like a problem with both of the actual units internal components. Seemed a little weird to me, i thought it had something to do with the wiring. But I got the new units, thinking that will an easy fix on my side. Since all the wiring is set up I could just match the connections with the new identical unit.

Switched off the power to the hallway, tested making sure I turned off the right breaker. Then installed white to white / black to black / ground to ground on one of the units, leaving the other one alone. Put a light in, and as soon as I switched on the breaker, I heard a pop near the actual light. And the breaker popped to the middle position. Looked up online which said it's in the neutral position after being popped.

I checked the other light and it is black to black / white to white / ground to ground. I didn't think it could be a problem with the wiring since it for sure worked for a couple months.

Sure sounds like a problem with the socket,
or the bulb. I had a case at church, where
a light kept popping the breaker. Turned out
to be a defective bulb. Did you try this with
no bulb in the socket? Worth a try.

--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On Thursday, January 30, 2014 1:43:21 PM UTC-5, wrote:
About a year ago I had two recessed lights installed in the hallway. They were previously regular lights, so I was told it was just cutting a hole out and hooking the wiring back up. He also changed the switches to the newer flat switches. They worked for 2 months until one day it just stopped working. I'm not too keen working with electricity.



Just a few weeks ago I called the actual makers of the recessed lighting and they said that it "sounds" like a problem with both of the actual units internal components. Seemed a little weird to me, i thought it had something to do with the wiring. But I got the new units, thinking that will an easy fix on my side. Since all the wiring is set up I could just match the connections with the new identical unit.



I don't see on what basis any competent support person at a light
manufacturer would tell you that the likely source of the intitial
problem was that two of their light fixtures simultaneously failed after
just a year. If two new fixtures on the same switch both stopped
working, it's highly likely that there is some wiring problem.




Switched off the power to the hallway, tested making sure I turned off the right breaker. Then installed white to white / black to black / ground to ground on one of the units, leaving the other one alone. Put a light in, and as soon as I switched on the breaker, I heard a pop near the actual light. And the breaker popped to the middle position. Looked up online which said it's in the neutral position after being popped.


are you sure the breaker wasnt' already tripped *before* you started?
Sometimes it's hard to tell, because they don't move all the way to
off. If that's the case, the breaker may have been the cause of bot
lights going off due to a short before you even started. Anything else
on that same breaker that you know was working when the lights were out?






I checked the other light and it is black to black / white to white / ground to ground. I didn't think it could be a problem with the wiring since it for sure worked for a couple months.

If something isn't done right, it certainly can work for some
period of time, then fail. Wires not properly secured, comes loose,
etc. Was this done by a licensed electrician? Given your inexperience
with electricity, the only safe thing to do is call an electrician.
It's probably not the fixtures and if you can return them, that may
pay for the electrician. Unless it turns out the previous guy wasn't
an electrician and did some half-assed install that needs to be done
over.

wrote in message

About a year ago I had two recessed lights installed in
the hallway. They were previously regular lights, so I
was told it was just cutting a hole out and hooking the
wiring back up. He also changed the switches to the newer
flat switches. They worked for 2 months until one day it
just stopped working. I'm not too keen working with
electricity.

Just a few weeks ago I called the actual makers of the
recessed lighting and they said that it "sounds" like a
problem with both of the actual units internal
components. Seemed a little weird to me, i thought it had
something to do with the wiring. But I got the new units,
thinking that will an easy fix on my side. Since all the
wiring is set up I could just match the connections with
the new identical unit.

Switched off the power to the hallway, tested making sure
I turned off the right breaker. Then installed white to
white / black to black / ground to ground on one of the
units, leaving the other one alone. Put a light in, and
as soon as I switched on the breaker, I heard a pop near
the actual light. And the breaker popped to the middle
position. Looked up online which said it's in the neutral
position after being popped.

Call an electrician. Wiring a 3 way is not as simple as what you did, there
is another wire involved. Additionally the power can come from various
locations (switch, light).

http://www.homeimprovementweb.com/in...way-switch.htm

And leave the breaker off until the electrician fixes it.

--

dadiOH
____________________________

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Taxes out of hand? Maybe just ready for a change?
Check it out... http://www.floridaloghouse.net

On Friday, January 31, 2014 8:55:42 AM UTC-5, dadiOH wrote:
wrote in message



About a year ago I had two recessed lights installed in

the hallway. They were previously regular lights, so I

was told it was just cutting a hole out and hooking the

wiring back up. He also changed the switches to the newer

flat switches. They worked for 2 months until one day it

just stopped working. I'm not too keen working with

electricity.



Just a few weeks ago I called the actual makers of the

recessed lighting and they said that it "sounds" like a

problem with both of the actual units internal

components. Seemed a little weird to me, i thought it had

something to do with the wiring. But I got the new units,

thinking that will an easy fix on my side. Since all the

wiring is set up I could just match the connections with

the new identical unit.



Switched off the power to the hallway, tested making sure

I turned off the right breaker. Then installed white to

white / black to black / ground to ground on one of the

units, leaving the other one alone. Put a light in, and

as soon as I switched on the breaker, I heard a pop near

the actual light. And the breaker popped to the middle

position. Looked up online which said it's in the neutral

position after being popped.



Call an electrician. Wiring a 3 way is not as simple as what you did, there

is another wire involved. Additionally the power can come from various

locations (switch, light).



He didn't wire the 3-way circuit, he just replaced a recessed light
in a 3-way. And from his description of what he did, ie
old light connected to black, wht, gnd and duplicating that with
the new light, that is the correct procedure.

I agree about calling the electrician because something is wrong,
two recessed lights don't just stop working at the same time
because of some simultaneous failure in year old fixtures, and
he doesn't have the skills to safely find and fix it. I wouldn't
be surprised if this year old installation was some hack job.

On Thu, 30 Jan 2014 10:43:21 -0800 (PST), wrote:

About a year ago I had two recessed lights installed in the hallway. They were previously regular lights, so I was told it was just cutting a hole out and hooking the wiring back up. He also changed the switches to the newer flat switches. They worked for 2 months until one day it just stopped working.

Did they trip the breaker that time they stopped working? Did you turn
the lights to the off position, even though they weren't on, then reset
the breaker and just not turn those lights on again?

If not, what did happen then?

I'm not too keen working with electricity.

Just a few weeks ago I called the actual makers of the recessed lighting and they said that it "sounds" like a problem with both of the actual units internal components. Seemed a little weird to me, i thought it had something to do with the wiring. But I got the new units, thinking that will an easy fix on my side. Since all the wiring is set up I could just match the connections with the new identical unit.

Was the maker of the fixture saying there had been a problem with the
lights for a while? (Maybe this doesn't matter much since they said
there was a problem with yours.)

Switched off the power to the hallway, tested making sure I turned off the right breaker. Then installed white to white / black to black / ground to ground on one of the units, leaving the other one alone. Put a light in, and as soon as I switched on the breaker, I heard a pop near the actual light. And the breaker popped to the middle position. Looked up online which said it's in the neutral position after being popped.

The two lights are meant to go on at the same time, right?

So if there were a short in the light you did NOT change, that would
account for the breaker tripping this last time.

If I were in your shoes, I'd disconnect the black wire going to the
black wire of that second light. I'd put a wire nut on each
disconnected wire, in case they end up being left unconnected.

Then I'd reset the breaker and see if the one you replaced works.

If it does, I'd replace the second one like you did the first.

If it doesn't, I guess I'd recommend an electrician.

I checked the other light and it is black to black / white to white / ground to ground. I didn't think it could be a problem with the wiring since it for sure worked for a couple months.

Exactly.

But a short could have developed in one or both lights. Most likely
only one, and not the one you replaced, if the one you didn't replace
still has a short.

If replacing the second one fixes things, there's a good chance the
first one you removed was okay, This might matter if you still have
it.

Top posting because no particular line below is relevant.

I didn't pay any attention to your two 3-way switches.

First 3-way switches are really two-way, as you problably know. They
are called 3-way because they have three screws and require 3 wires to
get full benefit from them. Just a factoid.

It's possible to put a 3-way switch half-way between up and down, and in
that case, no position of the other switch will turn things on.

I relally doubt if that coulld still be the case after all your fiddlin'
and it woudn't account for the pop. But I thought I should mention
it.




On Sun, 02 Feb 2014 05:45:36 -0500, micky
wrote:

On Thu, 30 Jan 2014 10:43:21 -0800 (PST), wrote:

About a year ago I had two recessed lights installed in the hallway. They were previously regular lights, so I was told it was just cutting a hole out and hooking the wiring back up. He also changed the switches to the newer flat switches. They worked for 2 months until one day it just stopped working.

Did they trip the breaker that time they stopped working? Did you turn
the lights to the off position, even though they weren't on, then reset
the breaker and just not turn those lights on again?

If not, what did happen then?

I'm not too keen working with electricity.

Just a few weeks ago I called the actual makers of the recessed lighting and they said that it "sounds" like a problem with both of the actual units internal components. Seemed a little weird to me, i thought it had something to do with the wiring. But I got the new units, thinking that will an easy fix on my side. Since all the wiring is set up I could just match the connections with the new identical unit.

Was the maker of the fixture saying there had been a problem with the
lights for a while? (Maybe this doesn't matter much since they said
there was a problem with yours.)

Switched off the power to the hallway, tested making sure I turned off the right breaker. Then installed white to white / black to black / ground to ground on one of the units, leaving the other one alone. Put a light in, and as soon as I switched on the breaker, I heard a pop near the actual light. And the breaker popped to the middle position. Looked up online which said it's in the neutral position after being popped.

The two lights are meant to go on at the same time, right?

So if there were a short in the light you did NOT change, that would
account for the breaker tripping this last time.

If I were in your shoes, I'd disconnect the black wire going to the
black wire of that second light. I'd put a wire nut on each
disconnected wire, in case they end up being left unconnected.

Then I'd reset the breaker and see if the one you replaced works.

If it does, I'd replace the second one like you did the first.

If it doesn't, I guess I'd recommend an electrician.

I checked the other light and it is black to black / white to white / ground to ground. I didn't think it could be a problem with the wiring since it for sure worked for a couple months.

Exactly.

But a short could have developed in one or both lights. Most likely
only one, and not the one you replaced, if the one you didn't replace
still has a short.

If replacing the second one fixes things, there's a good chance the
first one you removed was okay, This might matter if you still have
it.