• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

Ceiling light fixture died

Turn the circuit breaker off. Remove the switch, extract the box, disconnect the wire. Remove the fixture, disconnect the wire. Mate new wire to the old. Pull the wire through from the switch. Throw out old wire, Replace switch with new one. Reinstall fixture.
 
Turn the circuit breaker off. Remove the switch, extract the box, disconnect the wire. Remove the fixture, disconnect the wire. Mate new wire to the old. Pull the wire through from the switch. Throw out old wire, Replace switch with new one. Reinstall fixture.
LOL, I think the OP is so frustrated at this point, he will just burn candles.

I hate those cheap Chinese fixtures, especially those MR16 type plug in bulbs which often are defective right out of the box. Have had them short on installation plenty of times. The problem could simply be as you seem to suggest, that there was some trouble brewing already up inside fixture box in the wall. When installing a fixture like that I always inspect the wires for tears in the wire insulation, and if it looks old, I remove and then pigtail in some new wire. Then it is always a good idea when using wire nuts to wrap enough electrical tape around everything just be sure.

Chinese stuff is full of crappy components. Chinese love to cut corners to squeeze every penny. I HATE all of the LED lights that come from China, especially anything unbranded right out of the box.
 
I have a ceiling light fixture in my studio, and it went *pop* and died after I removed a bulb from one of the sockets. This was done while the light was on. I know that wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but in my defense I’ve done this not-smart thing countless times in the past and never had this problem. I’ve gone through the house with a fine tooth comb and reset every breaker I could find, and nothing works. Every other outlet in the room is working -- not a single other thing anywhere isn't working. A voltage tester shows electricity going to the light switch, though the tester was unclear concerning the light fixture itself. The fixture works with six led gu10 mr16 bulbs. I swapped out the bulb with a new one, but that didn't do the trick.

I don't have anything against removing the fixture itself if I have to poke around in there to look for frayed or loose wires, but it's sort of a pain in the ass and I was wondering if there was something I could do first before going to that step.

This is the bulb:

The fixture is a NOMA led track light, but I can't link to it because it's no longer being produced. I've been using it on a daily basis for over two years, but it really didn't like me removing that bulb while it was on.


iu


And this is the voltage tester I'm using: https://www.kleintools.com/catalog/electrical-testers/non-contact-voltage-tester-70-1000v-ac

Is there anything I can do before I have to drop a hundred bucks or so on an electrician?
Check the track. make sure the contacts at the base the individual sockets aren't damaged.
 
LOL, I think the OP is so frustrated at this point, he will just burn candles.

I hate those cheap Chinese fixtures, especially those MR16 type plug in bulbs which often are defective right out of the box. Have had them short on installation plenty of times. The problem could simply be as you seem to suggest, that there was some trouble brewing already up inside fixture box in the wall. When installing a fixture like that I always inspect the wires for tears in the wire insulation, and if it looks old, I remove and then pigtail in some new wire. Then it is always a good idea when using wire nuts to wrap enough electrical tape around everything just be sure.

Chinese stuff is full of crappy components. Chinese love to cut corners to squeeze every penny. I HATE all of the LED lights that come from China, especially anything unbranded right out of the box.

To be honest I'm actually looking at this like it's a gift in disguise. I didn't really like these lights anyway. I can't find any gu10 led bulbs that are 5500k, and these were 5000k. If the fixture is dead as some here have suggested, then this is an opportunity to find a better fixture using bulbs that are better for me.
 
To be honest I'm actually looking at this like it's a gift in disguise. I didn't really like these lights anyway. I can't find any gu10 led bulbs that are 5500k, and these were 5000k. If the fixture is dead as some here have suggested, then this is an opportunity to find a better fixture using bulbs that are better for me.
You are so brave trying to work this out.
 
You are so brave trying to work this out.

Nah, I don't think I was anywhere close to the Danger Zone. That what would have been if I had done what Loulit01 suggested.

That said, I'm sure my wife would like it if I took a few courses at the community college for stuff like this.
 
To be honest I'm actually looking at this like it's a gift in disguise. I didn't really like these lights anyway. I can't find any gu10 led bulbs that are 5500k, and these were 5000k. If the fixture is dead as some here have suggested, then this is an opportunity to find a better fixture using bulbs that are better for me.
Good thinking. And be sure to look up into that fixture box and inspect the insulation on those wires. Lots of youtube videos on the subject, and be sure to turn the circuit breaker off.
 
I have a ceiling light fixture in my studio, and it went *pop* and died after I removed a bulb from one of the sockets. This was done while the light was on. I know that wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but in my defense I’ve done this not-smart thing countless times in the past and never had this problem. I’ve gone through the house with a fine tooth comb and reset every breaker I could find, and nothing works. Every other outlet in the room is working -- not a single other thing anywhere isn't working. A voltage tester shows electricity going to the light switch, though the tester was unclear concerning the light fixture itself. The fixture works with six led gu10 mr16 bulbs. I swapped out the bulb with a new one, but that didn't do the trick.

I don't have anything against removing the fixture itself if I have to poke around in there to look for frayed or loose wires, but it's sort of a pain in the ass and I was wondering if there was something I could do first before going to that step.

This is the bulb:

The fixture is a NOMA led track light, but I can't link to it because it's no longer being produced. I've been using it on a daily basis for over two years, but it really didn't like me removing that bulb while it was on.


iu


And this is the voltage tester I'm using: https://www.kleintools.com/catalog/electrical-testers/non-contact-voltage-tester-70-1000v-ac

Is there anything I can do before I have to drop a hundred bucks or so on an electrician?
The electrician or maintenance man has a family to feed or a crack habit to support. Spread the wealth. ;)
 
Alright, so after what was roughly a decade of procrastination, I'm finally bringing this in for a landing. I found the right kind of bulb that I need, the right kind of fixture (one that has hoods and supports E26 bulbs), so I'm ready to go, but not all is straightforward.

I'm going to explain this as clearly as I can, because I've been communicating poorly on this topic and keep confusing people.

PART 1: "Who's the bad guy?"

So here's what we have when the power is ON at the electrical panel:

A contactless voltage tester shows these wires to be live. Plus, everything else is on in the rest of the room as well.
1.jpg

The wires are not live at the electrical box (assuming I'm using the right word here). This is when the power is ON at the electrical panel.
2.jpg

So what's going on here?

Note: I ALSO used this to determine that power is definitely not going to the ceiling electrical box.
IMG_2923.jpg
 
Last edited:
Part 2: "Whattup with that extra grounding attachment?"

There appear to be two places to plant the grounding wire: one is the green screw you see on the ceiling, and another is in the fixture itself. Is the copper cord coming out of the ceiling supposed to go to one or both? The fixture is metal.

3.jpg
4.jpg
 
When the power is off at the electrical panel, the contactless voltage tester always shows no power going to the room's light switch.
 
Part 2: "Whattup with that extra grounding attachment?"

There appear to be two places to plant the grounding wire: one is the green screw you see on the ceiling, and another is in the fixture itself. Is the copper cord coming out of the ceiling supposed to go to one or both? The fixture is metal.

View attachment 67450511
View attachment 67450512
Because you do not have the fixture up, you might try to put just a plan on off switch in the wall and see if it can provide power to the box.
if that works, then your switch with the dimmer could be the problem.

P.S. The extra ground is just in case a hot wire rubs through the insulation, the fixture does not become hot.
The fixture wire would ground it out and cause a short tripping the breaker.
 
Because you do not have the fixture up, you might try to put just a plan on off switch in the wall and see if it can provide power to the box.
if that works, then your switch with the dimmer could be the problem.

P.S. The extra ground is just in case a hot wire rubs through the insulation, the fixture does not become hot.
The fixture wire would ground it out and cause a short tripping the breaker.

So is that one copper wire going to the fixture adequate?

Yes, I figured that the switch was the most likely problem, but seeing as I'm Sally Homemaker when it comes to electricity, I'm not just going to ass-ume that to be the case. Because if you remember from the jointer thread, I also thought that I could replace a 220v plug with a 120v plug. So...yeah.
 
So is that one copper wire going to the fixture adequate?

Yes, I figured that the switch was the most likely problem, but seeing as I'm Sally Homemaker when it comes to electricity, I'm not just going to ass-ume that to be the case. Because if you remember from the jointer thread, I also thought that I could replace a 220v plug with a 120v plug. So...yeah.
I think the one wire going to the fixture is fine, it is a backup just in case wire anyway.
 
I think the one wire going to the fixture is fine, it is a backup just in case wire anyway.
Okay, then I'm going to attach the light fixture to the ceiling just to get it out of the way and tackle the switch issue next.
 
Wait, what is that black wire for? The one with the cap? Is that what I’m supposed to be connecting to the black wire on the light fixture?

32EB6E7A-150E-4A4F-A0D1-5AF95C28B3E0.jpeg
 
Back
Top Bottom