Should the bare copper wire in my outdoor carriage light be connected to:

(1) the ground screw in the carriage light
(2) the bare copper wire in the outlet box
(3) the white wire in the outlet box
(4) the ground screw in the outlet box (along with the bare copper wire in the outlet box)?

On Tue, 26 Jul 2016 23:58:17 +0100, GARYWC wrote:

Should the bare copper wire in my outdoor carriage light be connected to:

(1) the ground screw in the carriage light
(2) the bare copper wire in the outlet box
(3) the white wire in the outlet box
(4) the ground screw in the outlet box (along with the bare copper wire in the outlet box)?

Not sure exactly how yours is wired up, but you just connect all the earths together. Doesn't matter where, whatever reaches.

--
Bumper sticker: "Help! She's farted and I can't get out."

On Tue, 26 Jul 2016 15:58:17 -0700 (PDT), GARYWC wrote:

Should the bare copper wire in my outdoor carriage light be connected to:

(1) the ground screw in the carriage light
(2) the bare copper wire in the outlet box
(3) the white wire in the outlet box
(4) the ground screw in the outlet box (along with the bare copper wire in the outlet box)?


4

On Tuesday, July 26, 2016 at 6:58:21 PM UTC-4, GARYWC wrote:
Should the bare copper wire in my outdoor carriage light be connected to:

(1) the ground screw in the carriage light

That's a bit confusing. What is the ground wire that you asking about
connected to in the carriage light at this time? Is it just a length
of wire, not attached to anything or is it already connected to something?
If it's just a length of wire, then it needs to be connected to the ground
screw of the fixture and then to the ground screw in the outlet box, as in
option (4).

(2) the bare copper wire in the outlet box

See (4)

(3) the white wire in the outlet box

Definitely not!

(4) the ground screw in the outlet box (along with the bare copper wire in the outlet box)?

That's the correct option. (Since you mention the ground screw in the
outlet box I am assuming a metal box. Option 4 grounds everything,
including the box.)

On Tuesday, July 26, 2016 at 7:02:16 PM UTC-4, James Wilkinson wrote:
On Tue, 26 Jul 2016 23:58:17 +0100, GARYWC wrote:

Should the bare copper wire in my outdoor carriage light be connected to:

(1) the ground screw in the carriage light
(2) the bare copper wire in the outlet box
(3) the white wire in the outlet box
(4) the ground screw in the outlet box (along with the bare copper wire in the outlet box)?

Not sure exactly how yours is wired up, but you just connect all the earths together. Doesn't matter where, whatever reaches.


Bzzzztttt. Wrong answer. Put down the wire strippers and back away.

On Tue, 26 Jul 2016 15:58:17 -0700 (PDT), GARYWC
wrote:

Should the bare copper wire in my outdoor carriage light be connected to:

(1) the ground screw in the carriage light
(2) the bare copper wire in the outlet box
(3) the white wire in the outlet box
(4) the ground screw in the outlet box (along with the bare copper wire in the outlet box)?

I want to phone a friend.

The replies are typical for questions posted to this forum:

5 replies have conflicting answers.

What is the correct answer?

What is the CORRECT answer?

On Tue, 26 Jul 2016 22:10:20 -0700 (PDT), GARYWC
wrote:

The replies are typical for questions posted to this forum:

5 replies have conflicting answers.

What is the correct answer?

Typically the ground wire from the cable coming into the box on the
line side gets looped around the box screw and the pigtail from the
light gets spliced to the wire coming from the ground screw in the
box. Alternately the ground wire from the box screw may go to the
ground screw on the light. As long as everything is bonded, you are
good to go and there is no problem with parallel ground paths so more
is better.

On Tue, 26 Jul 2016 22:14:46 -0700 (PDT), GARYWC
wrote:

What is the CORRECT answer?

ALL OF THESE.

(1) the ground screw in the carriage light
(2) the bare copper wire in the outlet box

(4) the ground screw in the outlet box (along with the bare copper wire
in the outlet box)?

#(4) includes #2......


BUT *NOT* THIS ONE

(3) the white wire in the outlet box

On 07/27/2016 12:14 AM, GARYWC wrote:
What is the CORRECT answer?

Connect all grounds to the system/supply ground but do _not_ connect
ground to neutral. The box should be grounded as well (probably will be
by attachment to the light but use the grounding screw and you're sure).

--


---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
https://www.avast.com/antivirus

In article ,
says...

The replies are typical for questions posted to this forum:

5 replies have conflicting answers.

What is the correct answer?

The correct answer is that if someone has to ask a basic wiring question
like that he needs to call an electrician or get some training on basic
wiring.





---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
https://www.avast.com/antivirus

I post my questions in this forum to "get some training on basic wiring".

The carriage light stopped lighting so I put in a new bulb but the light still doesn't light so I put in another bulb but the light still doesn't light. (The two new bulbs light in other fixtures).

I've:

replaced the single-pole switch in the wall
replaced the socket in the carriage light
re-wired the carriage light

but the carriage light still doesn't light.

I just want to know if I've connected the wires at the switch and in the carriage light correctly.

On Wed, 27 Jul 2016 09:43:54 -0700 (PDT), GARYWC wrote:

I post my questions in this forum to "get some training on basic wiring".

You are obviously a novice, as your question proves. Buy a book describing basic home wiring. Do not depend on forums
such as this to get even simple answers that are related to safety. As you have noted there are contradictions in
answers and some may have come from someone with even less knowledge than you.

All you need to think about is do you want a fire starting in a wall cavity while you are sound asleep because you
followed the wrong advice?

I think Dirty Harry put it very well when he said "Do you feel lucky?"

On Wednesday, July 27, 2016 at 1:15:22 PM UTC-4, GARYWC wrote:
The carriage light stopped lighting so I put in a new bulb but the light still doesn't light so I put in another bulb but the light still doesn't light. (The two new bulbs light in other fixtures).

I've:

replaced the single-pole switch in the wall
replaced the socket in the carriage light
re-wired the carriage light

but the carriage light still doesn't light.

I just want to know if I've connected the wires at the switch and in the carriage light correctly.

There is no way anyone here can tell you if you've corrected the wires
correctly because we can't see them. If you post some pics on a site
that hosts pics so we can see them, that would help. I can tell you this,
the lack of a proper ground connection won't prevent the light from
working, it will just leave you with an unsafe fixture. As others
suggested, you should find some online websites or a book that describes
basic electric principles and how to debug circuits. If you know
what you're doing it's very easy to find where you have voltage, where
you don't and what the problem is. If you don't have the basic skills,
it's a crap shoot and dangerous at best. Or find someone you know that
can help or call an electrician.

On Wed, 27 Jul 2016 10:15:18 -0700 (PDT), GARYWC wrote:

The carriage light stopped lighting so I put in a new bulb but the light still doesn't light so I put in another bulb but the light still doesn't light. (The two new bulbs light in other fixtures).

I've:

replaced the single-pole switch in the wall
replaced the socket in the carriage light
re-wired the carriage light

but the carriage light still doesn't light.

I just want to know if I've connected the wires at the switch and in the carriage light correctly.

Obviously not!

On Wed, 27 Jul 2016 09:43:54 -0700 (PDT), GARYWC
wrote:

I post my questions in this forum to "get some training on basic wiring".

I get it now. This is not a "forum" Folks on Usenet have no
obligation to train you.

On Wednesday, July 27, 2016 at 1:31:41 PM UTC-4, Gordon Shumway wrote:
On Wed, 27 Jul 2016 10:15:18 -0700 (PDT), GARYWC wrote:

The carriage light stopped lighting so I put in a new bulb but the light still doesn't light so I put in another bulb but the light still doesn't light. (The two new bulbs light in other fixtures).

I've:

replaced the single-pole switch in the wall
replaced the socket in the carriage light
re-wired the carriage light

but the carriage light still doesn't light.

I just want to know if I've connected the wires at the switch and in the carriage light correctly.

Obviously not!

It's not as obvious as you imply. Have you ever heard of a bad fixture?

Do you know if the fixture in question has any internal electronics that
have gone bad?

I just replaced a fixture that works fine if I bypass the motion sensor
circuitry but never lights with the circuitry in place. Do you know if
GARYWC's fixture is just a basic fixture or something more complicated?

I sure don't, so I'm not going with an "obvious" wiring problem just yet.

In article ,
says...

The carriage light stopped lighting so I put in a new bulb but the light still doesn't light so I put in another bulb but the light still doesn't light. (The two new bulbs light in other fixtures).

I've:

replaced the single-pole switch in the wall
replaced the socket in the carriage light
re-wired the carriage light

but the carriage light still doesn't light.

I just want to know if I've connected the wires at the switch and in the carriage light correctly.


You should have made some voltage checks before just changing out parts.
With the 'free' Harbor Freight or other inexpensive meters around for
under $ 20 there is no excuse for not having one and learning how to
make some basic voltage checks.

It could be something as simple as a breaker tripped or another switch
in the house turned off. As someone mentioned there may be a 'light
sensor' in the thing that has gone bad.

Is that carriage light on a post some distance from the house ?
Did someone dig up the ground and cut the wire while planting something
?


---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
https://www.avast.com/antivirus

The breaker is not tripped
There is no other switch
There is no light sensor
The carriage light is on a wall beside my front door
The distance from the switch to the light is about 4 feet.

Oren posted for all of us...



On Wed, 27 Jul 2016 09:43:54 -0700 (PDT), GARYWC
wrote:

I post my questions in this forum to "get some training on basic wiring".

I get it now. This is not a "forum" Folks on Usenet have no
obligation to train you.

I don't bother to answer because they don't listen anyway..,

"You can't handle the truth" JN

--
Tekkie

GARYWC posted for all of us...



I post my questions in this forum to "get some training on basic wiring".

My training is: DAGS FIRST!

--
Tekkie

GARYWC posted for all of us...



The carriage light stopped lighting so I put in a new bulb but the light still doesn't light so I put in another bulb but the light still doesn't light. (The two new bulbs light in other fixtures).

I've:

replaced the single-pole switch in the wall
replaced the socket in the carriage light
re-wired the carriage light

but the carriage light still doesn't light.

I just want to know if I've connected the wires at the switch and in the carriage light correctly.

NO! because they are connected to your brain which is obviously not
connected. You are a dim bulb.

What does the oscilloscope read?

--
Tekkie

On Wednesday, July 27, 2016 at 2:48:56 PM UTC-4, GARYWC wrote:
The breaker is not tripped
There is no other switch
There is no light sensor
The carriage light is on a wall beside my front door
The distance from the switch to the light is about 4 feet.

Have you bench tested the fixture?

I *am not* suggesting that you try this, just saying that's it's a valid,
albeit completely unsafe, method to test the fixture and eliminate it as
the problem.

http://thearcadeboneyard.com/assorte...binet%2012.JPG

On Wed, 27 Jul 2016 11:07:19 -0700 (PDT), DerbyDad03 wrote:

On Wednesday, July 27, 2016 at 1:31:41 PM UTC-4, Gordon Shumway wrote:
On Wed, 27 Jul 2016 10:15:18 -0700 (PDT), GARYWC wrote:

The carriage light stopped lighting so I put in a new bulb but the light still doesn't light so I put in another bulb but the light still doesn't light. (The two new bulbs light in other fixtures).

I've:

replaced the single-pole switch in the wall
replaced the socket in the carriage light
re-wired the carriage light

but the carriage light still doesn't light.

I just want to know if I've connected the wires at the switch and in the carriage light correctly.

Obviously not!

It's not as obvious as you imply. Have you ever heard of a bad fixture?

He said he replaced the switch, the socket and the wires in the light fixture (that sounds like everything) and wanted
to know if he wired it correctly. Obviously not!

Do you know if the fixture in question has any internal electronics that
have gone bad?

I didn't see any.

I just replaced a fixture that works fine if I bypass the motion sensor
circuitry but never lights with the circuitry in place. Do you know if
GARYWC's fixture is just a basic fixture or something more complicated?

It's definitely way too complicated for him. Besides, "single-pole switch" implies "basic."

I sure don't, so I'm not going with an "obvious" wiring problem just yet.

It should be intuitively obvious to even the most casual observer.

On Wed, 27 Jul 2016 11:48:50 -0700 (PDT), GARYWC wrote:

The breaker is not tripped
There is no other switch
There is no light sensor
The carriage light is on a wall beside my front door
The distance from the switch to the light is about 4 feet.

Ahh, that's your problem. The distance from the switch is too long. Why didn't you tell us about the distance in the
beginning? You need to go to 220 volts instead of 120 volts. Let us know how that works.

120 volts can't travel 4 FEET?

Gordon Shumway expressed precisely :
On Wed, 27 Jul 2016 11:48:50 -0700 (PDT), GARYWC
wrote:

The breaker is not tripped
There is no other switch
There is no light sensor
The carriage light is on a wall beside my front door
The distance from the switch to the light is about 4 feet.

Ahh, that's your problem. The distance from the switch is too long. Why
didn't you tell us about the distance in the beginning? You need to go to 220
volts instead of 120 volts. Let us know how that works.

I was going to say something similar about the distance "There's your
problem right there, it should be metric".

But then try to actually be little helpful by agreeing that a
multimeter being a *really useful* tool for this sort of thing. Even
one of those 'testers' with indicators for combinations of hot,
neutral, and ground would be good, but a multimeter is best IMO.

A qualified electrician is even better, because there is always the
chance that somebody's second ex-great step-uncle in law installed the
thing in the first place and accidentally used neutral switching.

On Wednesday, July 27, 2016 at 3:36:54 PM UTC-4, GARYWC wrote:
120 volts can't travel 4 FEET?

Ignore the idiot. He's "obviously" not here to help.

GARYWC formulated the question :
120 volts can't travel 4 FEET?

Getting a little away from the *other* subterfuge, but there's more
than that amount of voltage between your feet and your head. It's the
charge that has to travel through the wire, not the voltage. Current is
the flow of charge, so some may argue that current also "flows".

FromTheRafters explained on 7/27/2016 :
GARYWC formulated the question :
120 volts can't travel 4 FEET?

Getting a little away from the *other* subterfuge, but there's more than that
amount of voltage between your feet and your head. It's the charge that has
to travel through the wire, not the voltage. Current is the flow of charge,
so some may argue that current also "flows".

Just to be more clear, current is the 'rate of' flow of charge. Saying
that current flows through a wire is like saying MPH rolls down the
highway. Common language doesn't make that distinction though.

On Wed, 27 Jul 2016 12:48:27 -0700 (PDT), DerbyDad03 wrote:

On Wednesday, July 27, 2016 at 3:36:54 PM UTC-4, GARYWC wrote:
120 volts can't travel 4 FEET?

Ignore the idiot. He's "obviously" not here to help.

Actually there are two. The OP and what I recently proved you to be. :P

To FromtheRafters:

It was Gordon Shumway that first said "volts" instead of "charge" (not me).

On Wed, 27 Jul 2016 14:17:35 -0700 (PDT), GARYWC wrote:

To FromtheRafters:

It was Gordon Shumway that first said "volts" instead of "charge" (not me).

ROTFLMAO

On Wednesday, July 27, 2016 at 4:24:37 PM UTC-4, Gordon Shumway wrote:
On Wed, 27 Jul 2016 12:48:27 -0700 (PDT), DerbyDad03 wrote:

On Wednesday, July 27, 2016 at 3:36:54 PM UTC-4, GARYWC wrote:
120 volts can't travel 4 FEET?

Ignore the idiot. He's "obviously" not here to help.

Actually there are two. The OP and what I recently proved you to be. :P

Yep, two.

The one that said "Besides, "single-pole switch" implies "basic.""

As if a light fixture with a motion sensor can't be controlled by a
single-pole switch. Does it take some kind of complex multi-pole switch
to control the power to a fixture with a motion sensor? How does the type
of switch imply *anything* about the complexity of the fixture?

....and the one that said "I didn't see any."

Two idiots rolled into one.

GARYWC pretended :
To FromtheRafters:

It was Gordon Shumway that first said "volts" instead of "charge" (not me).

Gordon Shumway was just joking about the distance between the switch
and the lamp being at all relevant. I was more replying to the idea of
"travel" over some length of wire than I was the use of "volts".
Current (in Amps) is just as bad really as it is "charge" which
actually flows, not current or voltage.

Anyway, this trivia doesn't really help you because theory isn't what
you need to fix your problem. IMO what you need is a multimeter and
someone who knows how to use it. Preferably a licensed electrician.

Gordon Shumway used his keyboard to write :
On Wed, 27 Jul 2016 14:17:35 -0700 (PDT), GARYWC
wrote:

To FromtheRafters:

It was Gordon Shumway that first said "volts" instead of "charge" (not me).

ROTFLMAO

You got a real charge out of that exchange didn't you.

GARYWC
Tue, 26
Jul 2016 22:58:17 GMT in alt.home.repair, wrote:

Should the bare copper wire in my outdoor carriage light be
connected to:

(1) the ground screw in the carriage light
(2) the bare copper wire in the outlet box
(3) the white wire in the outlet box
(4) the ground screw in the outlet box (along with the bare copper
wire in the outlet box)?

1,2,4



--
MID:
Hmmm. I most certainly don't understand how I can access a copy of a
zip file but then not be able to unzip it so I can watch it. That
seems VERY clever!
http://al.howardknight.net/msgid.cgi?ID=145716711400

GARYWC
Wed, 27
Jul 2016 17:15:18 GMT in alt.home.repair, wrote:

The carriage light stopped lighting so I put in a new bulb but the
light still doesn't light so I put in another bulb but the light
still doesn't light. (The two new bulbs light in other fixtures).

I've:

replaced the single-pole switch in the wall
replaced the socket in the carriage light
re-wired the carriage light

but the carriage light still doesn't light.

I just want to know if I've connected the wires at the switch and
in the carriage light correctly.

Umm.. It sounds to me like you don't have a multimeter or any other
means of safe voltage testing? And you don't seem to know what you're
doing with the wiring either...It's not exactly rocket science
though... so

Have you checked to make sure the breaker (or fuse isn't blown if it's
fused, you haven't said.... so) isn't off or tripped?

Do you have access to a multimeter? There's several things which could
cause the issue you're having. It would be helpful especially for you,
if you had a multimeter to do some basic troubleshooting.

That's a lot of parts swapping for the same result. The chances of all
components being bad at the same time and also being bad swap outs at
the same time aren't really that great. So, unless you seriously
screwed up the rewiring process, I'd say you (a) don't have power going
to the light fixture, possibly not even to the switch or (b) you've
lost the neutral someplace along the way.

With a multimeter, it wouldn't take you very long to determine which
one it most likely is. And, of course, it should go without saying, you
do need to know how to use the multimeter.

Standard disclaimer about risk of burns, severe shock, potential
death, etc, applies.




--
MID:
Hmmm. I most certainly don't understand how I can access a copy of a
zip file but then not be able to unzip it so I can watch it. That
seems VERY clever!
http://al.howardknight.net/msgid.cgi?ID=145716711400