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Question for the electricians
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iowallis View Drop Down
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Joined: 04 Jun 2017
Location: North Iowa
Points: 375 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote iowallis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Question for the electricians
    Posted: 11 hours 60 minutes ago at 6:11pm
Helping a relative do some handy-man stuff in a house they recently bought. House was gutted and rewired in the mid-1990s from what they were told. 

Replacing 2 light fixtures in the basement rec room. Currently 2 4' florescent 2 bulb fixtures controlled by 2 (3 way?) switches. The plastic bulb covers have turned yellow and one is cracked. 

The problem is when I took off the covers and was getting ready to remove the fixture I thought I would check for live wires to the fixture with my non-contact voltage tester. With the switches off, the lights are off, but my tester still lights up, slightly dimmer than normal, when I hold it close to the wires coming down from the ceiling to the fixture. Flip the breaker off for the room off and the tester light does not light up.

So I understand why I would have power to the fixture and the lights light up with the light switches "on" (duh!) but why would I have power to the fixture with the switches off and the lights do not turn on? 

If it makes any difference they are switching to round LED light fixtures.
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plummerscarin View Drop Down
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Joined: 22 Jun 2015
Location: ia
Points: 3959 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote plummerscarin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 hours 48 minutes ago at 6:23pm
Traveler wire passing from one switch box to the other through the light fixture box?
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Lars(wi) View Drop Down
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Joined: 14 Sep 2009
Location: Permian Basin
Points: 8124 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Lars(wi) Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 hours 20 minutes ago at 6:51pm
Sounds like a bit of stray voltage, probably thru the neutral. I have the same issue in my old house, a couple of those round LED fixtures have a very slight illumination when the switch is ‘off’, can’t see it during the daytime, but at night, the fixtures have a ever so slight illumination. Open the cover, disconnect the wires, and the fixture goes totally dark.
I tried to follow the science, but it was not there. I then followed the money, and that’s where I found the science.
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iowallis View Drop Down
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Joined: 04 Jun 2017
Location: North Iowa
Points: 375 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote iowallis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 hours 18 minutes ago at 6:53pm
I don’t know. I took the metal covers that cover the wires/ballast off and tested where the Romex is connected to the fixture wiring.
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steve(ill) View Drop Down
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Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Location: illinois
Points: 88293 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote steve(ill) Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 8 hours 13 minutes ago at 9:58pm
normally the power goes thru the switches, then to the light... It is possible to run the power to the LIGHT and then the white wire thru the switches, and back to the box as the ground... see if i can draw a picture.. Not saying this is what you have, but sounds like it..

the BLACK wire from the breaker box goes to the light.. the white wire passes thru the light box, not connected to anything... The light feeds the power side of the first switch.... the two switch terminals on each switch are connected as normal ( the blue wires-- these could be any color in reality).... then the WHITE wire comes off the second switch HOT SIDE and runs back to the breaker box to complete the NEUTRAL side of the circuit..

EDIT... the drawing should say NEUTRAL for the white wire.. not GROUND..






Edited by steve(ill) - 7 hours 56 minutes ago at 10:15pm
Like them all, but love the "B"s.
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steve(ill) View Drop Down
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Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Location: illinois
Points: 88293 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote steve(ill) Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 7 hours 51 minutes ago at 10:20pm
normally the light box would have ONE Romex wire inside... Black inlet and white neutral.. one on each terminal..( see below)... If you have TWO ROMEX wires, and the whites are connected together, and NOT on the light terminals..and you have a BLACK WIRE on both light terminals... then you might have the above drawing.




Edited by steve(ill) - 7 hours 39 minutes ago at 10:32pm
Like them all, but love the "B"s.
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