Question for the electricians
Printed From: Unofficial Allis
Category: Other Topics
Forum Name: Shops, Barns, Varmints, and Trucks
Forum Description: anything you want to talk about except politics
URL: https://www.allischalmers.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=208524
Printed Date: 16 Oct 2025 at 6:37pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.10 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Question for the electricians
Posted By: iowallis
Subject: Question for the electricians
Date Posted: 14 Oct 2025 at 6:11pm
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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. |
Replies:
Posted By: plummerscarin
Date Posted: 14 Oct 2025 at 6:23pm
| Traveler wire passing from one switch box to the other through the light fixture box? |
Posted By: Lars(wi)
Date Posted: 14 Oct 2025 at 6:51pm
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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. |
Posted By: iowallis
Date Posted: 14 Oct 2025 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. |
Posted By: steve(ill)
Date Posted: 14 Oct 2025 at 9:58pm
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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..  ------------- Like them all, but love the "B"s. |
Posted By: steve(ill)
Date Posted: 14 Oct 2025 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.
 ------------- Like them all, but love the "B"s. |
Posted By: iowallis
Date Posted: 15 Oct 2025 at 7:45am
From what I remember, I won't be back there until next weekend, is one 2' chunk of Romex came out of each junction box for each fixture, 2 wires attached to the fixture wires and one to ground on the fixture. Nothing that I can see that the wires are jumpered to another fixture. If there is some sort of stray voltage would it be better to get traditional light fixtures with bulbs instead of an intergraded LED fixture?
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steve(ill) wrote:Posted By: Lars(wi)
Date Posted: 15 Oct 2025 at 8:19am
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Yes, the traditional bulbs would eliminate that slight illumination, better yet eliminate LED whenever practical. We don’t use any in ‘living areas’ of our home, just laundry room, or closets,etc. LED can be more damaging to eyeball receptors, neurological function, sleep patterns, etc., than even fluorescent bulbs. The ‘healthiest’ light, other than natural sunlight, is incandescent. ------------- I tried to follow the science, but it was not there. I then followed the money, and that’s where I found the science. |
Posted By: steve(ill)
Date Posted: 15 Oct 2025 at 8:46am
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????? I have used nothing but screw in LED bulbs for the past 12 years in every room of the house, garage, shop and barn... Have never had a problem with stray voltage or glow... If your light switch kills the power on the line running to the light fixture, i dont see how your get residual or stray voltage.. Now if your house is wired with the HOT WIRE directly to the bulb and you have stray voltage to the white or ground wire in the box, that might be different... But it is abnormal to wire HOT to the light box. ------------- Like them all, but love the "B"s. |
Posted By: jaybmiller
Date Posted: 15 Oct 2025 at 1:28pm
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there's NO such thing as a 'normal' 3 way, 2 light circuit !!! At least 4 different ways to physically 'wire' them... 5 if YOU can figure out HOW the 2 hallway-stairs are wired at my place !!!! been here 40 years, gave up after 13 ,trying...... ------------- 3 D-14s,A-C forklift, B-112 Kubota BX23S lil' TOOT( The Other Orange Tractor) Never burn your bridges, unless you can walk on water |
Posted By: Lars(wi)
Date Posted: 15 Oct 2025 at 9:14pm
Maybe, you the infamous’ Chicago 3-way’ wiring? ------------- I tried to follow the science, but it was not there. I then followed the money, and that’s where I found the science. |