How to Troubleshoot and Repair Lighting Problems
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- Опубликовано: 9 ноя 2020
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Thank you for showing how to check the outlet switch. So simple but I'm a "careful" novice. I like to understand everything before I begin. I have power when the switch is in the on position and the live wire is okay too. I'll look at the light fixture next. Didn't want to pull apart the light unless I knew I had to.
Sounds good.
A year later and this is the video I needed. Thank you for the step by step troubleshooting.
Glad it helped!
Thanks man! Took the time to comment because I couldn’t get my new light fixture to light up, seen your video and noticed I had 3 wires as well, you said they wire nuts were too small, so I used bigger ones and the fixture lit up!! Thank you
Yes, that's a common problem. Good job!
Excellent step by step tutorial! Thanks so much
Thank you! This was the most useful information of all the videos I watched.Thank you! Thank you!
You're very welcome. Thanks David!
This was so helpful! Thank you!
Sparky the world’s greatest teacher on Electrical installations. Those light fittings in particular are not the greatest quality either. Really nice breakdown of the problem troubleshooting.
Wagos are always the way to go and I have been replacing wire nuts with them as they offer a better quality connections. I would however with stranded cable actually ferrule them before I put them into the wagos and better still use an insulated ferrule to do that. Ferrules add to the solidity of connections in my view reducing the risk of shorting due to cable movement and conductor loosening over time. I think you have done a ferrule video and tools before? Wiha, knipex and ideal do some great tools in this line. I prefer the boot ferrules for a solid even connections.
On lights more generally this is an area I think manufacturers are very poor on. They tend to produce non-listed items often produced for the cheapest cost with poor quality components with limited manufacturer testing rather than robust UL testing.
I try to choose UL listed lighting products and fittings for a better safer product but it does limit design choices. As most are non-listed.
With non-listed light fittings I run quite a few device tests - touch voltage, leakage, earth continuity, insulation resistance. I have an expensive tool to do that and it has been a godsend. With thermal cameras I can also check after installation the current draw and heat dissipation in the box is well within normal safe levels. That also applies to modern LED lights and light strips.
The power quality issue is also another aspect but I won’t go through that here.
Good to see your channel building up again I have been praying for your success for one of the nicest guys on RUclips.
Yes, I'm all for higher quality. Even though it costs more up front, the cost will be less over time. And yes, testing before wiring will reveal some dangerous problems from time to time. Thanks!
@@SparkyChannel Proper grounding is the most important safety aspect. After that I do test both the wiring, switches and the device itself. The device testing as I said requires more specialist equipment even beyond a multifunction tester. In US it’s done specifically more often for medical devices. Take the example of a wall sconce light that would be easily within reach. I prefer to make sure it doesn’t present unsafe touch leakages of currents.
Ferrules are not necessary for these connectors. Only if you use terminals with a screw. Wago recommends not to use ferrules on this type of connectors, depending on how you crimp them you won‘t be able to insert a larger wire. For example the 221 are rated for 4 or 6sqmm conductors. If you use stranded wires with ferrules you‘ll only get 2.5sqmm in there. The 4sqmm with ferrules won‘t fit through the opening of the connectors.
@@Marcel_Germann you are correct they are better with screw fittings.
I would only use ferrules for smaller wires. Even though the 221 has a good AWG range I have noticed that with some finer stranded wire - ferrules did provide a more solid clamp connection than with the wire itself even though the size of the wire in terms of AWG was in the 221 range.
It wasn’t the batch of 221 I had either I have used several batches. This is especially true for wires for light fittings. For light fittings the wire sizes connections can vary quite a bit even though a wire gauge measurement tool would suggest the 221 would work.
Good job man, quite a lesson to learn.
Indeed!
Bill you do a fine job on everything keep the videos coming...👍
Thanks Mike, will do!
I greatly Appreciate your wisdom good sir.
Thank you Sparky good to know why light do not work great steps to understand the problem
Glad to help, thanks!
I grew up in Coronado. Thanks Sparky.
Beautiful place!
I wish the company I worked for used those wagos😔 great video sparky
Thanks!
Wow I so appreciate your knowledgeable video thank you ❤
@Sparky Channel. Thanks Bill for another educational video. Great editing, graphics, and explanations. You're really sure of yourself at @04:00. I would've thought you'd test to make sure the light actually worked before putting the glass cover back on. That's confidence on display.
Hope you and your family stay safe and well.
LOL! I knew I had 118+ VAC and that the switch worked. It has to work, doesn't it? You guys stay safe as well!
@@SparkyChannel Oh. I see Murphy of Murphy's Law hasn't visited you.
Hope you and your family stay safe and well.
Very helpful video. Thank you sir!
Glad it was helpful!
Question, what if thr wires that were connected to the switch didn't read 118 VAC... would that mean there's a problem within the house wiring?
I want to be an electrician so cool to know these things.
Thank you very much!! Fix my problem
Great explanation, thank you!
Thanks Michael!
So what happened with the ungrounded lamp Bill?Did you run a new ground wire to it or put it on a GFCI curcuit?
Hi, Bill, great video as usual. I have another interesting story from last week. A customer wanted an updated LED light and had already taken down the old light, so when we checked the wires at the ceiling fixture box, there was one 14-2 NM cable and by doing some testing with the volt meter we found that the black wire was the neutral, and the white wire was the 120V line and hot all the time. At the switch, there was only one 14-2 NM cable and the black and white were switching the neutral rather than the line. Someone did something weird but we found the connections to be corrected which were in an outlet receptacle box a few feet away. Crazy stuff. Lol
I tried to fix a light at my buddies house just like this. Black switched normally like in this video, but white always had 120. I gave up lol
Wow! Good job on getting that all corrected! It's great that you did the testing before the wiring. Most guys would just plunge ahead and wire it just like the previous guy did. Thanks Kris!
@@SparkyChannel There are several things that can be dangerous to assume. One of them is that if the switch is off, then there is no danger of working on it. In this case, the white wire was hot and coming into contact with it and the ground would have been a shock hazard for myself or my boss. Another point to make is I think it's always good to use several forms of testing. The Fluke voltage detector was my first clue that there was a suspicious wiring issue. It did not detect anything on the black, and it did with the white, regardless of switch position. Then I went into more specifics with the volt meter.
@@SparkyChannel No problem and thanks. Can't wait for the next video.
@@illestofdemall13 I've been meaning to ask you: what brand of lighting products do you use or do you shop around?
How do I go about finding a break in a wire or wires? We had rain and from what i can tell the light fixture in carport got wet. So now I don't have power in 4 room lights. Outlets work so we can put lamps for now. I was told to do a continuity test, but how do I do this? Can you help please. Thanks
Very helpful. I suspect my light has an issue like this. As the switch is working fine and the other lights on the circuit work fine
thanks for uploading this video my friend. Very helpful.
My pleasure, thanks!
Im going to subscribe. You have great informative content.
Thanks!
Good job Sparky.
Thanks Gary!
Hi Bill you by any chance make any videos regarding the NEC?
Here you go: 2020 NEC Video Playlist: ruclips.net/p/PLSD43kAzjUIR7i0wgM7halOWAxzzZqIje
I love that you reviewed all your steps at the end
Good 1 wild Bill ... Very well explained ...
Thanks Eddy!
What if I can't get 120V at the switch? I have two 3-way switches to a single fixture but when I pull the switches and look for the hot line wire, I get only low voltage like 40V or so at most.
I've been about to cry. I rewired two light switches. There's power to the light but the bulbs won't come on. Im gonna try this. Thank you!!
It worked!!! I replaced the twist things and got the clip ones on my garbage disposal AND light.. They both work now! I haven't had a garbage disposal for 5 yrs!!
I have a 3 bulb light fixture in my kitchen and only the middle bulb will turn on and back off once every month or twice a month or once every 2 months, or 6 months etc. It's never consistent. There's no apparent reason or explanation. It's been doing this for the past 5 years since it was first installed. The other 2 bulbs in the fixture turn on and off together like they should when the switch on the wall is turned on and off. The middle bulb only does this when the switch is on and the other two bulbs are on. There's never been any flickering or diming from any of the bulbs and the fixture is mounted sturdy on the ceiling.
Is there any explanation for this? I'm starting to now think it's just a "ghost" bulb!
Man, I have a CRAZY circuit! I have two closet switches with lights, lights over the sink, a garage door opener, and 2 GFCI outlets on the circuit. There may be some overhead lights in the garage on it, too. For a while you had to hold the button in to close the door. That has fixed itself recently and now one push will bring down the door. Now a light in the closet wouldn't work but it would flicker if you jiggled the switch. So I replaced the switch and then the closet light worked. But now the closet switch doesn't turn the closet light on, it turns on the lights over the sinks! What is going on???
Is any part of that circuit top or bottom switched anywhere? I had something somewhat similar happen once when there was a combination of a loose connection at a receptacle on the non-switched leg and a receptacle that was replaced by the homeowner and they hadn't removed the receptacle tabs for bottom switching. The circuit was shared with the garage and this led to the garage door opener only functioning when the lights in the adjacent room were on. This was because the non-switched leg that should have been feeding the garage was dead. With the tabs not having been removed from that one receptacle, this led to the switched leg feeding power to the garage, but only when the switch was on, of course.
The right light bulbs make a difference .👍🏽
True.
SALUDOS SPARKY ANOTHER GREAT VIDEO.
¡Saludos Josian!
Thank You for showing us this, I don’t really know what the problem is all of a sudden all the lights in my bathroom stopped working, there are 2 switches on the wall, they both control different lights and a ceiling fan in the bathroom, can’t be the light bulbs, there is like 5 of those, it might be the switch on the wall, but I don’t have a device to detect that. I live in an apartment complex, I will have to see if they can come out and see what it is. I already flipped the switch on the breaker box, thinking that might have been it, but it didn’t work. It might be up in the light like you showed us. I don’t know but I need my lights back on, hope they can fix it.
I'm sure they can fix it. Good luck!
Was it a tripped GFCI outlet?
I'm sure that Ideal Industries will be happy to hear that Wagos are Ideal. ;-)
LOL! Good one!
I had all six recessed can lights on kitchen ceiling fail at the same time and voltage current from switch is working. Thoughts? How would I find the source of the electrical problem and fix it?
It’s in series. So it’s probably the first light.. something is wrong there.start there.
I needed this
Excellent! :)
what those red wires in the back for?
Awesome video
Thanks David!
Thanks
Nice video thank you
Welcome 😊
Great work
Thanks Charlie!
This has been helpful, but I have additional question(s). All of this has been checked. A tester was used to check flow of electricity from connection in the ceiling all the way to the end of the hanging fixture. All is good, except the light bulb does not come on. Changed out several different light bulbs and none work. What else could we try?
try a different light fixture.
@@AidanSkoyles yes. We did that also. Same result, however a curious thing happened. New fixture was removed and old fixture was reattached. It did not work. Five days later, the light came on. So, the new light fixture was reinstalled. Still not working. There is power all the way down to the bulb but bulb does not light. Anything else we could try. And yes, several different bulbs have been tried.
@@AidanSkoyles I also want you to know that the wall switch that controls this fixture is the same light switch that controls two additional fixtures all at once. Once switch is flipped all lights come on. That’s why it is curious that this light will not work when the other two still do.
I've got the same exact light fixture, with the same exact problem. My issue turned out to be a faulty switch that would intermittently work every now and then. I wound up replacing both switches as there were two switches that control that light, and that fixed the issue for me.
why did the light work and what made it stop??
Help!!! I have 6 LED’s on a 3 way switch, when I turn on from either switch, 5 of the 6 lights start to dim on and immediately dim off. The 6 light stays on as intended. Old work, new problem. Light switches wired tight. Any suggestions?
They also made dimmable bulbs for lamps maybe you bought them instead of a regular light bulb good luck
VERY GOOD
Thanks Becky!
I have the same problem I check the switch and it works so I check the light socket and it had power when I turn on the switch but my light bulb won't turn on I've tried different light bulbs any input ?
It could be the tab on the bottom of the light socket that the bulb makes contact with. With the power off take a small screwdriver and gently lift the tab slightly. Restore power. Install bulb and test
I have the same problem.I call this person that I know for help! But the person that was suppose to help me act like they didn't know was going on.I CALL THIS PLUMMER CO.CAUSE THEY HAVE ELECTRICIAN THIS PERSON NEVER CALL ME.So then I call someone else for help and made an appt.and that person never show up! So I call them and told them to forget about coming cause they gave me a time frame and never show up! Nor even call me.So then I call someone else and made an appt.with them and I pray they will show up! And fix the problem that I am having.GOD BLESS! PS.NOW THAT I FOUND THIS VIDEO I WILL KEEP IT FOR THE NEXT TIME I WILL NEED IT.
Some lights also have the pull cord switch. Endure the you'll cord switch is good. Good luck.
I've got the same exact light fixture, with the same exact problem. My issue turned out to be a faulty switch that would intermittently work every now and then. I wound up replacing both switches as there were two switches that control that light, and that fixed the issue for me.
I had a quick question. Can you do a video on how to solve a non grounded outlet in detail. Also, how to choose the correct outlet.
Hi Helen! This one should help: 2 Prong Receptacle Circuit Replaced by GFCI and Grounded Receptacles per 2020 NEC: ruclips.net/video/16KObgI44UE/видео.html
Excellent, thanks.
@@SparkyChannel thank you
@@rubenpinorodriguez5064 Thanks Ruben!
I have a issue… lol.
One day My light randomly stops working… (2 light fixtures to one switch! And other one works fine) …. So I disassemble the bulb fixture that isn’t working and test the wires….WIRES are getting power… but bulb isn’t working…SO…I go ahead and buy a new connection where the bulb screws in….
I Install new bulb connection and install new bulb … STILL NO light on….
So I check the power and IT has power and correct volt…. But the bulb still isn’t coming on?! Lol.
-------------
-So the electric to the fixture is good
-The bulb connection is hot and good
- Electricity in the wires are good
- connections are tight….
Idk what to do ….
Could it be the switch?!
Since two fixtures are tied to 1 switch…. Maybe one of the wires to 1 of the fixtures came lose over time?…….
Any help would be appreciated. Trying to help my dad here and I’m stuck haha
What if i don't have any voltage at the fixture?
It could be a bad switch or a bad braker or lose wire connection.
Do you sometimes get an electric shock Bill?Theres a saying that someone is not a real electrician if he never got zapped.
Those wire nuts used are the ones that always come with the fixture.
Thanks!
please i got problem i installed new ceiling light and it turns on but it wont turn off! what do i do?
replace the light switch
i had the same problem it was the wires on fixture hook wrong. i had a white and a red hook those up and it work, did you find out what was your problem?
yeah same an electrician came and fixed it in a few minutes . said connected wrong@@jeremiah1797
I need new probs for my aging Fluke meter
Yes, that does happen.
how did it ever work if the wires are wrong?.
They were not wrong, they were just jammed into a too small of wire connector. I think
It maybe worked for a while then stopped because it was a shit connect.. kapeshhhh
I wish you lived close because it requires a ladder to get to my light fixture and I am old and can’t climb that ladder. Lol
Bless you!
You need a 4 step ladder with handrails like i have. Its like steps, not a ladder. I feel very safe on it.
@@SparkyChannel what do you think is wrong with light??…my outlet sparked so now my ceiling fan , light and outlet doesn’t work help plz
I have the opposite problem. The light stays on and the switch does not do anything. Both white and black wires have current on the switch. 🤔
Replace the faulty switch.
i have a mind boggling 4 sets of wires going to a garage ceiling box i want to install a simple single bulb light there , why on earth would there be 4 sets ? i know one set is the light switch but when i turn the breaker on the light works but if i hit the switch poof breaker pops ,,,i do not have the money for an electrician , im barely keeping the lights on as it is
The box is serving as a junction, it’s providing power to another box or two elsewhere and or a light most likely. Could be outlets on that circuit, could have been a convenient location to bring the wires to for the person who wired the garage. If the breaker is popping you have a short in the circuit, a hot wire is likely touching ground
@@jacobmeier8761 thanks your probably right, when I shove the Lil tiny ceramic 1 bulb holding old school style light socket I'm having a hell of a time shoving all that crap back up in the box,,, I'll have to yank it all down and try again,, it's been such a headache I've been putting it off since I left my original comment ☹️
No ground wire to connect too
Use wago 221's instead of wire nuts
Mf wire nuts work just fine
Frfr lol. Don’t need to change somn that works good for years and years
I have electricity coming through but it’s not working 😢😢
I have none of this equipment, so I can't even test anything, we had two lights go out in our bedroom and have tried everything to fix them, really don't want to call an electrician out to figure it out bc it's probably something simple
Go buy it and figure it out or call an electrician. Real easy to mess up and 💀.
🍻🍺👍
Cheers with beers! 🍻🍺👍
Only seeing 55 volts to the light from switch
Bad connection somewhere? I'd check all terminations.
So I pretty much need to call an electrician. Got it.........
We're happy to help!
Why is that homeowner still using CFL bulbs? Aren't LED's more efficient? And is it pronounced "Wahgo" or "Waygo" lever nuts? I'm confused.
And lastly, I can understand not using deck screws, but why for heaven's sake do companies still make them flathead instead of phillips? My screwdriver ALWAYS slips out of them. :(
"Wahgo" is correct. Flathead is old school. :)
@@SparkyChannel I see. But the flathead is beyond old school. They should be outlawed for any further production BECAUSE they always make screwdrivers slip. Oh, we should be allowed if we want to use what ones we have left, just not make anymore of them. :P
And why is the homeowner using CFLs instead of LEDs? Aren't they more efficient?
Flathead slip and phillips strip
@@mikevillareal4202 I've never had that problem. At least not yet anyway.
Great video - absolutely atrocious description. I'm not sure why you included all of the other crap in your description (I imagine for tagging purposes) but it isn't smart to do that. Trust me. Only include the links that are relevant to your video.