# Flipped light and now light and outlets don't work



## Edrick (Jun 6, 2010)

You're in the second year of your apprenticeship? Boy everyday I say to my self more and more I should just join the electrical side.


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## K2500 (Mar 21, 2009)

jchabot2012 said:


> Any idea what to do? I might just have her call an electrician..


Talk with your JW about it, or for a few bucks an out of work JW might come by and show you a few things.


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## jefft110 (Jul 7, 2010)

jchabot2012 said:


> I might just have her call an electrician..


:thumbsup:


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

jchabot2012 said:


> I'm an IBEW 2nd year apprentice...in my girlfriends house, which was built in the 1940's, she turned on the hallway light and the light blew. Changed the bulb, didn't work, and her bedroom light and outlets adjacent to the hallway light did not work. There are 2 bedrooms in the upstairs and no attic. The outlets and lights in the other bedroom all work. I checked the breakers and there is power coming from all the wires, I used a tick tracer to check them. There is also power to the non working receptacle and the (2) 3 way switches which control the hall way light. I replaced the two outlets and the switch she turned on. There is power on both neutral and black wire going to light fixture. No matter how I turned the light switch on and off, tried different combinations there was always power to the incandescent light fixture. When I took out an outlet in her room I noticed the black was going to the silver screw and the neural was on brass. The outlet worked this way so I wired it the same way. Should I rewire it silver to neutral and black to brass, cause the other outlet was wired that way? I didn't think and outlet would work if it was rev polarity. There are no GFCI's in the house...Any idea what to do? I might just have her call an electrician..






> I might just have her call an electrician..


Thats a good idea.:thumbsup:


Take the tic tester and throw it away,,,,and get your self a real voltage meter.

Welcome to the forum..:thumbup:


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## jchabot2012 (Apr 20, 2011)

I did talk to my JW about it and he said I probably lost a neutral somewhere. I'll just call someone to look at it.


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## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

HARRY304E said:


> Take the tic tester and throw it away,,,,and get your self a real voltage meter.


Don't listen to Harry. Keep the tic tracer. Get a regular _non-solenoidal_ voltage tester like the Fluke T+ Pro.


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

Peter D said:


> Don't listen to Harry. Keep the tic tracer. Get a regular _non-solenoidal_ voltage tester like the Fluke T+ Pro.



Don't listen to peter D...:laughing:


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## crazymurph (Aug 19, 2009)

Don't listen to me either!


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

crazymurph said:


> Don't listen to me either!


:laughing:


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## electrictim510 (Sep 9, 2008)

I would have to agree with your JW, sounds like a neutral, maybe a shared neutral circuit that has sent 240v into the bulb, but very well could just be a common open neutral too.


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## thegoldenboy (Aug 15, 2010)

electrictim510 said:


> I would have to agree with your JW, sounds like a neutral, maybe a shared neutral circuit that has sent 240v into the bulb, but very well could just be a common open neutral too.


Replace it with a bulb rated for 240v, problem solved. Next!


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## nitro71 (Sep 17, 2009)

Old wiring is a boat load of fun. First off, don't be copying things you see such as the black to the silver screw without knowing why you're doing it. In general you should be landing that black on the copper screw. We can't trouble shoot your problem with a rambling text about lights on, off, color of screws. Yada yada. I think you need to pick up the basics first and do some methodical trouble shooting. Good trouble shooters will break things down into components. I like to start in the service panel and check connections myself. Then work down stream, checking polarity and connections. You'll find the problem.


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

Those darn arc fault breakers.......


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## electrictim510 (Sep 9, 2008)

thegoldenboy said:


> Replace it with a bulb rated for 240v, problem solved. Next!


:thumbup: :thumbup1: :laughing:


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## crazymurph (Aug 19, 2009)

This may sound a bit silly ,but perhaps the little tab inside your incandescent fixture is pushed down and the new lamp does not make contact.


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

crazymurph said:


> This may sound a bit silly ,but perhaps the little tab inside your incandescent fixture is pushed down and the new lamp does not make contact.


Good point...:thumbup:


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## crazymurph (Aug 19, 2009)

HARRY304E said:


> Good point...:thumbup:


 I wish I knew all that those old timers did, back in my apprenticeship 30 years ago.


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

crazymurph said:


> I wish I knew all that those old timers did, back in my apprenticeship 30 years ago.



Same here...:thumbup::laughing:


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## gizmo21187 (Aug 11, 2010)

Have u checked all outlets/fixtures on that Curcit. May be ur missing one u have not checked. I know that had happened to me.

We

Silly rabit, crack is for kids.

Sent from my M80 using a lighter.


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## Wireless (Jan 22, 2007)

electrictim510 said:


> I would have to agree with your JW, sounds like a neutral, maybe a shared neutral circuit that has sent 240v into the bulb, but very well could just be a common open neutral too.


 
It is probably a tripped breaker! Tic tracers will read positive alot of times in live panels due to the live wire right next to the tripped one.


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## jchabot2012 (Apr 20, 2011)

I turned on and off all the breakers in the panel. The light fixture was not new, it was an old one.


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## Tiger (Jan 3, 2008)

Non-contact voltage detectors are not reliable diagnostic tools. Although I don't usually tell clients this, it costs more if they try to fix it. Diagnosing professional wiring is usually very straight forward. Diagnosing homeowner work can be very time consuming.


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## electrictim510 (Sep 9, 2008)

Wireless said:


> It is probably a tripped breaker! Tic tracers will read positive alot of times in live panels due to the live wire right next to the tripped one.


True, or even a bad breaker.


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## The_Modifier (Oct 24, 2009)

jchabot2012 said:


> I turned on and off all the breakers in the panel. The light fixture was not new, it was an old one.


Going from your original post, you said it was built in the 40's. Back then they sometimes fused the neutral on k & t wiring- I agree dangerous, but it was known to be done.:thumbsup:


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## Ellismate (Apr 8, 2011)

crazymurph said:


> This may sound a bit silly ,but perhaps the little tab inside your incandescent fixture is pushed down and the new lamp does not make contact.


 That's a great tip, happened to me quite a few times, what a pain in the butt....


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## 220/221 (Sep 25, 2007)

In the olden days, apprentices started out wiring houses so resi troubleshooting was *very* easy to pick up.


I don't know what these crazy kids are learning today :laughing:


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## Shockdoc (Mar 4, 2010)

Bad connections are common in homes fromthat era that still incorporated solder and tape splicing methods. in some caseswhere the old timers cheated and just taped the sdplice w/o solder.


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## Speedy Petey (Jan 10, 2007)

jchabot2012 said:


> ..Any idea what to do? I might just have her call an electrician..


:thumbsup:


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