I'm trying to install an IKEA light fixture (Erbium) and have come across some extra wires I've never seen before in my admittedly limited experience with DIY light fixture work. The fixture has three little candelabra bulbs, and so has three black wires and three white wires wrapped together, and capped with a wire nut out of the box. BUT THEN, the confusing part for me, there is another black wire running out of both wire nuts (black and white wire bundles) with bare wire just hanging out there. I don't know what to do with this "extra" wire? I thought maybe it was a ground, so I connected it to what I thought was the ground wire (bare copper) coming out of my supply and got some pyrotechnics when I flipped the breaker. I'm guessing that's not right. Suggestions?
interesting..what do the instructions state ? . .if you hook all three black
to the switch leg . .and the three whites to neutral . .delete the extra wire . .it should work correctly . .you dont state whats in the wall box?
sometimes the manufactorer will attach an bare wire to the "FIXTURE" itself . .but this would attach only to ground
got a picture?pics of the fixture wiring . .and pics of the house wiring? . .that wopuld be great help
Kingsmurf . .ps . .since probably your home with wired with Romex . .and I do not know where the switch is located either upstream or downstream of the FIXTURE . .it is possible that a white wire could be used as an switch leg for the light
Yes, pics of the wiring in the light fixture AND in the box in the wall would help.
Kingsmurf, suggesting to delete the ground wire is NOT a good idea. IF it was a problem because of the ground wire it would most likely indicate a ground fault somewhere, so not hooking up the ground is VERY BAD!
I am encountering this same issue, but I have some pictures. I am certainly no expert, but I have installed maybe ten or so new fixtures in the house I am currently in, and have never seen a wiring configuration like this. I am beginning to think that it may be a factory assembly error.
As you can see in this picture, left to right, there are the white neutral wires capped into a bundle with one half of a black wire, the set of black hot wires capped into a bundle with the other half of the two-part black wire, the exposed ends of the black two-part wire (with the other ends each wrapped into either the black or white set of wires) and the fourth green ground wire.
Here is the black two part wire, which is the wire that I am unsure of what to do with.
And here, you can see how the black wire splits and is wrapped with the white bundle and the black bundle.
The black wire with the stripped ends, one of them will have ribs along the insulation: this is connected to the white wire coming from the ceiling. The other one, with a smooth surface will connect to the black from the ceiling. The green/yellow will connect to the bare or green wire from the ceiling.
So essentially, you'd leave each of the bundles capped and use the black split wire as the connection between the fixture and the ceiling box (rather than uncapping the bundles and connecting directly)? I guess that would make sense!
Thanks!
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