What could be causing there to be no power at my ceiling fixture?

Question

I installed a replacement chandelier, heard a pop which tripped breaker, and reset the breaker, but the chandelier would not work. That breaker is shared by can lighting (which has its own dimmer switch) and the chandelier (which has its own dimmer switch also). The can lighting works but the chandelier does not work.

When I installed the new chandelier and was screwing it up in the wall, I must have crimped the main wiring coming down from the ceiling. I saw a small black mark on the protective sheath on the wiring. I pulled the wiring down from the ceiling and cut the wiring to where the black mark and corresponding crimp was. I reinstalled the chandelier but nothing worked. I tested the voltage with a voltage meter and did not read any voltage when the breaker was on and the dimmer switch was on. I reinstalled the old chandelier which works fine and also another light fixture but none of them would work when connected (breaker was on and dimmer switch was on).

Is the problem that the chandelier wire to the breaker is loose or the main wire coming down from the ceiling is faulty (even after I cut the wire above the crimp)? The dimmer switch tested ok after an ohms test.

Answer 1

The dimmer is blown, trying turning off the breaker and connecting the line and load for the chandelier(bypass the dimmer), and see what happens when you turn on the breaker. Most dimmer manufacturers recommend using a toggle switch to test new light fixtures, that way if there's a short you don't kill a good dimmer.

Answer 2

Grab a cheap $2 single pole toggle switch from a local hardware store just to make sure it's not your dimmer. If not check all your wiring using the utmost common sense and precaution, wear leather gloves if needed, turn off the power from the breaker, test the line again with a fluke tester (very cheap $5-$8, I suggest you buy one if you're going to do anything electrical around the house, you can also use it to identify the hot wire)