Replacing a light fixture...Help!!!

QTCarla

Hi Guys....

I am trying to replace a light fuxture in our utility room. I know about white and white and black and black BUT there is a RED wire that I dont understand, is it a Ground????? Please help....

KUIPORNG

color some times not tell... use a voltage tester to test which wire is the hot wire...

J187

More info please.

Is there a red wire, a black and a white?

Does the light in the room turn on from more than one switch?

This could be that the power source is at the light and rather than use a "marked hot" white wire to run to the switch, the person used 3 wire instead, tying the neutrals together at the light and using the red wire to carry power to the switch.

It could also be a three-way circuit, power at the light, where the red becomes the traveller and the two switches only had wire run to the light box. Red to Red,

QTCarla

SO guys the red was for the black wire coming off the light fixture and the white went to white, I did the black to black and white to white and left the red uncapped and the switch didnt work.... so I tried the back to the red and didnt use the other black ones and (they were not connect to the old one either) it all worked....sooooooooooo this house was built in 1955, if anyone else needs to know what the red lines might be ....its Black....Woot thanks sooooooo much...I just kept running back and forth to the breaker and trying different things....hehehehhehe I am woman!!!!! giggling

J187

Be careful there, red wires are not always substitute black wires, its not that simple. They are used for different things, to carry power back to a switch that will return switched power to where the source is, as a traveller in a 3 way circuit, etc. If there is a red wire AND a black, and you left the black wire hanging there are a few things here

1. Did you test the black wire for power?
2. Are you certain it is not attached to anything?
3. Is EVERYTHING else in the room working - other switches, outlets, etc?

CHances are, it was there for somthing. IF you took an old fixture out, was the wire connected then?

You really want to be careful of unused (potentially) hot wires in a box - the result could be a charred pile of lumber where your house used to be. Yours and or your family's safety is at stake, be sure about what you are doing with electrical - it is absolutely NOT a trial and error type of thing. We will be more than glad to help you figure out exactly what you've got for a circuit there.

louigi2374

same problem here just 3 wires red black and white

danpik

Don't overthink this...Hook the light up the same way the old one was.

joed

The junction box has been prewired so it can also be used with a fan. Connect the new fixture to the same tow wires as the old one. Either the black or the red will not be used and should be capped off.

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