wired new lights and now the switch turns off and on all my lights

naty0629

i put in 6 recessed lights in my kitchen to substitute a chandelier now when i switch the lights on my bathroom, hall, and 1 bedroom next to it turn on when off and all turn off when i switch that one switch. The chandelier had connected to it the switch which had 1 red, 1 black, 1 white, and ground, it also had another cable connection from the celing which was 1 black, 1 white, and 1 ground. i forgot how they were connected to the chandelier. when i connected the recessed light i connected the switch to the first pot light red to black from the light and another black from the next light, i also connected the 3 whites, and the three grounds and i left the black from the switch seperate. then i connected all the recessed lights to each other in a chain all blacks together, whites together, and grounds together. like i said before when i switch the light on they turn on but all the other lights on that circuit turn on too, same when i turn it off. what did i do wrong somebody help me please, SOOO confused???

kevinp22

Naty,

if i understand you correctly, the follwing are true:
1. you didnt change any wiring at the switch box
2. the original chandelier box had two cables coming in: a white/red/black/ground (call this cable 1) from the switch and another cable with just back/white/ground (call this cable 2)
3. you now are not using the black from cable 1 and you have the red from cable 1 connected to the black from cable 2, the black from at least one of the recessed lights?

if 1-3 are correct then connecting the black from cable 1 to the black from cable 2 should take those other items from the circuit and take them off the switched power and onto an "always hot" power from the switch box.

if that does not work please post pics from all boxes you opened.

also, make sure to turn off power before connecting or disconnecting anything

naty0629

that is almost right i dont know if this is what messed everything up but cable 2 did not reach my first recesed light so i connected it to the second recessed light not the first. at the first i connected the switch exactly as you described but the the other cable was the cable that connected to the next recessed light not cable 2. is what is throwing everything off the fact that cable 2 is not connected to the recessed light that has the switch..HELP.?

kevinp22

so you did not change the wiring at the switch at all, correct?

naty0629

no i did not change the wiring inthe switch. this is an older home so it might be that there is three way lighting going to other lights i think.. the big thing i changed was that cable 2 that was origionally with the switch and the other light is no longer connected to the switch and the first recessed light. it is now connected to another light...is this the problem

k_buz

Yes, you need to run a 3wire (or a second 2 wire) between light 1 and light 2.

Right now you have the feed for the other rooms tied into the switch leg for the kitchen lighting.

(or at least that is what I am getting from your posts)

kevinp22

probably. since that is the only wiring you changed it does make troubleshooting easier.

That cable 2 is probably the feeder for the rest of the circuit which is now switched.

best bet is to pigtail the black from cable 1 to the black from cable 2. if cabkle 1 and cable 2 no longer can reach the same box, run a new length of 2-wire cable from one box to the other if needed (make sure you dont overfill either box). connect black to black. connect the white to the white bundles in each box and the ground to the ground bunles in each box

naty0629

there is a wire between both lights but i dont know if it is wired correctly i just wired the second light all blacks all whites and all neutrals... how do i wire the second light and the first light with the extra red wire so that it works properly on different switch legs. when i turn on or off the kitchen it turns the 4 rooms on and off but when i go to the other switches if the kitchen is on i can turn the others on and off.. but if the kitchen is off none of the other switches work?

k_buz

The wire that you have between light 1 & 2 carries the switch leg for the kitchen cans (black) and the neutral (white). You need to be able to carry constant power to the 2nd light. The feed for the other rooms comes into the 2nd light and is tied to the switch leg for the kitchen lighting.

k_buz

Option 1...

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naty0629

I am sorry i guess i just dont really know how to make that connection i just put all black all whites and all neutrals together in the second light.. how do i connect the second light so that the switch leg of all the lights is not controlled by the kitchen is there a certain type of wire i need? thanks in advance

k_buz

Option 2...

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naty0629

ok great i see the diagram now thanks soo much i am going to try it out...

k_buz

This is how I see what your current setup looks like....

You need to extend the "constant hot" to feed the wire to the other rooms.

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naty0629

this worked perfectly thank u soo much