[1941Bungalow]

My wife and I disconnected the base of the dining room light fixture so that we could paint the ceiling without painting the fixture. When I unscrewed the base the fixture slipped from my grip and the weight of it was completely on the wires for a brief period of time. The lights still worked at this point, so I thought we were okay. After we finished painting we tried to turn on the light and got nothing. We checked the wiring with a volt/amp and there was no power coming to the fixture.

I'm not really sure what to do next...the wiring is really old, so our fear is that we screwed it up when the fixture slipped.

 

[jamiedolan]

My wife and I disconnected the base of the dining room light fixture so that we could paint the ceiling without painting the fixture. When I unscrewed the base the fixture slipped from my grip and the weight of it was completely on the wires for a brief period of time. The lights still worked at this point, so I thought we were okay. After we finished painting we tried to turn on the light and got nothing. We checked the wiring with a volt/amp and there was no power coming to the fixture.

I'm not really sure what to do next...the wiring is really old, so our fear is that we screwed it up when the fixture slipped.

Turn off the breaker for the dining room, if your not sure what breaker it is, turn off the main breaker, and use flashlights.

Now check the connections between the fixtures wires and the wires in the box, you will likely find the problem there being a loose connection. If not, it is possiable that a wire was damaged further up in the ceiling, but I doubt it.
Jamie

 

[1941Bungalow]

We actually just checked the wires between the box and the fixture and they are connected.

With the breaker back on, shouldn't the wires coming out of the box register on the volt/amp gauge? Because we're not getting anything.

 

[jamiedolan]

We actually just checked the wires between the box and the fixture and they are connected.

With the breaker back on, shouldn't the wires coming out of the box register on the volt/amp gauge? Because we're not getting anything.

Are you testing the wires in the junction box for the light with the light switch on and the breaker on? If so, then yes, testing the hot to the neutral or to ground should show a hot reading.

Did you take the wire nuts off to test or how are you testing exactly?

Jamie

 

[1941Bungalow]

Yeah we tested it with the breaker on and the light switch on.

We're using a cheap little voltage sensor that doesn't need to touch the wires. I was a little skeptical but it works with other light fixtures and outlets.