62
votes
Accepted
If a light bulb is dead, does it still consume electricity if the switch is in ON?
It depends on the type of bulb.
Regular incandescents won't consume any electricity if the bulb is dead, since there's no continuous path for the current to take. It's just like an open switch.
...
- 8,714
38
votes
Old ceiling light fixture with 9 wires (5 black/4 white)-how to install a new fixture?
From the looks of those pictures you won't be able to properly wire this without some major rewiring. Those wires have insulation that is cracking/ crumbling all the way up up the connectors that hold ...
- 69k
26
votes
Is light flickering only on camera bad?
LED lights actually flicker very quickly. It only shows up in video, your eyes don't care.
It's fine.
- 1,168
19
votes
Accepted
Why would the light be on when the switch is off?
A "short" as you call it seems unlikely since that should cause the breaker to trip.
As a next step, you should SHUT OFF THE BREAKER, and then check the switch since you already seem to ...
- 22.7k
19
votes
Old ceiling light fixture with 9 wires (5 black/4 white)-how to install a new fixture?
Professional Electrician here, I hate to say it, but those are fabric coated wires, they stopped being installed in new homes back in the 60's and very early 70's. Any surviving cloth wiring is way ...
- 191
17
votes
I want light controlled by one switch, not two
This is what happens when you randomly tear stuff off the wall without taking pix first. I'm guessing you assume the wire colors are meaningful in some way; colors mean less than than you think, and ...
17
votes
Accepted
Can 12 gauge wire be inserted into 14 gauge switch connector sockets?
That is a side clamp switch, and it's your friend. Unfortunately, whoever wired it didn't do a friendly thing.
This image is a snippet from yours:
Where that red arrow points is called a "...
- 37.2k
14
votes
Accepted
Is the lifespan of a led affected drastically by the type of sensor?
LEDs are the best choice for motion sensors
Someone told me that the motion sensor (I guess the IR in this case) will drastically reduce the lifespan of it because it the lifespan depends on the ...
13
votes
Accepted
Why is a white electrical wire connected to 2 black wires?
The cable with the white wire that's connected to the two black wires is a switch loop:
Normally wires with white insulation are used only for neutrals, but code makes an exception to allow for use ...
- 24.5k
13
votes
Is light flickering only on camera bad?
The majority of artificial light sources flicker, but they do so with different amplitudes and frequencies.
If you have lights powered by direct current (DC) from a battery:
An incandescent bulb will ...
- 235
12
votes
Can 12 gauge wire be inserted into 14 gauge switch connector sockets?
In addition to what FreeMan have said, the tip of the wires seem to be wrapped in electrical tape and have exposed wiring.
You'll need to re-do these and make sure they are wrapped up after ...
- 800
12
votes
Accepted
How should I install rope lights across a stair?
Fix it to the underside of the step nose so that it illuminates the riser and the deck below the step.
You could possibly drill through the nose and install light pipes (pieces of PMMA, or other clear,...
- 17.5k
12
votes
Accepted
Lightswitch Feels Loose
Obviously, the switch is failing. The only real danger is that it could produce a poor connection when on and and cause heating within the switch; this is a low probability and I really wouldn't worry ...
- 11.1k
11
votes
I want light controlled by one switch, not two
Here's a quick diagram. Switch 1 in the first box has 3 wires, and so does switch 2. In this diagram sw1 is "up" and sw2 is "down" so no current flows left to right.
Just join ...
- 452
11
votes
Why would the light be on when the switch is off?
The contacts in switches can definitely "weld" or stick in the closed position or the switch can just wear out so it doesn't separate the contacts. Turn off the power and examine the switch, ...
- 69k
11
votes
Bizarre behavior after replacing a three-way switch
All three way switches have two travelers and one common. But the positions vary. Usually the traveler screws will be one color (eg brass) and the common another (eg silver). Figuring out which wires ...
11
votes
How should I install rope lights across a stair?
An example of under-the-nose lighting. This was installed shortly after a friend broke her foot in someone else's garage when she missed a single step between bays.
Garage steps:
Bottom view:
Bottom ...
- 1,327
10
votes
Can 2 light bulbs of 120V in series be used on 230V AC?
It is possible, as long as they use the same power (or resistance).
However, it comes at a risk. If one of the bulbs uses less power (for whatever reason, maybe damaged/end of light ... see Ferrybig'...
- 235
10
votes
Accepted
Odd wiring setup in light switch
Someone ran out of white wire
It appears the previous installers ran out of white wire to use for running neutrals, so they grabbed the spool of green wire off the back of the truck to keep the job ...
- 78k
10
votes
Strange fan/light switch wiring - what in the world am I looking at
They did a naughty thing, from the look of it.
They were too cheap to buy /3 cable, so they converted white to neutral and they are bootlegging ground to be the neutral.
They didn't even bother to ...
9
votes
Accepted
Dimmer switches have no ground wire
Add some ground pigtails
Take the existing bundle of bare (ground) wires, and add a couple pigtails of bare or green wire to the bundle, making sure the bundle is joined properly using a wirenut or ...
- 78k
9
votes
How can I add lights and a switch downstream of a pull-chain fixture?
So your existing fixture (assuming standard US wiring, you'll have to verify) has a hot (black), neutral (white), and ground (bare) and has constant power. The additional lights will need 4 wires - ...
- 27.1k
9
votes
Accepted
Can I change which switch controls which light?
Why are light switches so often wired in the wrong order. For example,
on a single board, the switch closest to the hallway is for the lounge
while the switch closest to the lounge turns on the ...
- 5,631
9
votes
Running neutral wire between two circuits
The reason this trips the breaker isn't really relevant, since you're not allowed to do this thing.
You can't steal neutrals from other boxes
NEC 300.3 all related wires must be together in the same ...
8
votes
lighting fire safety
No, that is not safe. The 23W CFL limit means that you should not use a bulb that uses more than 23W of power. A 30/50/150W 3-way will use more than that on its lowest setting.
If you don't want to ...
- 22.7k
8
votes
My lights does not work unless you turn the stove on
Call the power company and report an outage
You lost one of your phases of power. This is almost always a problem at the power company's end of the wire.
When you turn your oven on, it has the ...
8
votes
Electrician connected LED dimmer to halogen bulbs, worried about safety
From the link you posted:
The dimmer is rated for up to 210W of halogens with or without transformer. So if you have 6x 20W 12V halogen bulbs, total 120W, it's okay. You should check the power on the ...
- 8,294
8
votes
How to wire 3 lights, each with separate power coming into them to a single switch?
Smart switches. And the wiring looks like nothing at all.
The fast answer is to use smart bulbs designed to talk to smart switches. You leave the smart bulbs powered 24x7 and software-tie them to a ...
8
votes
Is the lifespan of a led affected drastically by the type of sensor?
LED lifetime is strictly hours (and current/temperature) based.
LED drivers are usually what fails first, particularly in cheaper units.
LED driver electronics are not particularly sensitive to being ...
- 166k
8
votes
What precautions are needed when doing electrical work on cables containing asbestos?
Turn off the breaker. Since older wiring often has faults or simply unmarked MWBCs (which cannot be detected by voltage testers), I suggest turning off the main breaker.
For the other risk, look into ...
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