New vanity light installation .. not working
#1
07-19-14, 05:42 PM
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New vanity light installation .. not working
I have a small 1/2 bath, the light switch turns on bathroom fan and a separate light over the vanity. This is the first time a light has been hung , wires were just sticking out of wall. I hung light and it didn't work, put light bulb in and still didn't work, 
ended up putting it in another bathroom .. works fine there so it wasn't the light. GFCI was not testing properly and replaced that thinking it may have an effect somehow... still no go.
The light switch is not end of line, one wire coming in and one going out and there were a bunch of wires in GFCI box so I am assuming power from GFCI to light switch to fan then to light?? I did take out the fan and tried to peek behind the box installed but just seen where the wire goes into the area behind plug in .... would there be some wire nuts behind there that would carry the wire to the light?? a possible loose connection there??
What else can I check? Should I take the fan totally out of there?
ended up putting it in another bathroom .. works fine there so it wasn't the light. GFCI was not testing properly and replaced that thinking it may have an effect somehow... still no go. The light switch is not end of line, one wire coming in and one going out and there were a bunch of wires in GFCI box so I am assuming power from GFCI to light switch to fan then to light?? I did take out the fan and tried to peek behind the box installed but just seen where the wire goes into the area behind plug in .... would there be some wire nuts behind there that would carry the wire to the light?? a possible loose connection there??
What else can I check? Should I take the fan totally out of there?
#2
07-19-14, 06:26 PM
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To be clear, the fan and light are controlled by the same switch, or are they two separate switches?
What wires do you have in the switch box, light box, and GFCI box? (not counting grounds) Pictures might also be of help.
What wires do you have in the switch box, light box, and GFCI box? (not counting grounds) Pictures might also be of help.
#4
07-20-14, 08:01 AM
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There are two cables coming into the switch box, the blacks going to the switch and the whites connected. There is one cable coming out of wall for the vanity light. I got a picture of the GFCI, 4 wires in each nut ... I think I should have not backstabbed the gfci, it was previously done this way so for ease I just slipped gfci on. the light switch is also backstabbed.
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07-20-14, 05:58 PM
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#6
07-21-14, 09:37 AM
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I figured out where the hot was and did a continuity test, see attached results. Have not tampered with the bathroom fan at all though. Any feedback would be appreciated.
#8
07-21-14, 11:18 AM
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Facing the GFCI the brass screw is on the right, not sure if this is standard but are you saying put the white on the brass? If this is not what you are saying and you want me to go white-silver, black- brass then .. your diagram is how it is presently set up.
Just to confirm, the fan is a separate unit from the light.
This has me confused ...If all my wires are separated and sticking out of the box .. I test the white between the light and GFCI and get continuity ... how am I getting continuity when I then test the same white wire with the switch? I know it eventually gets to GFCI but I have all those wires separeted.
Waiting for you ..
Just to confirm, the fan is a separate unit from the light.
This has me confused ...If all my wires are separated and sticking out of the box .. I test the white between the light and GFCI and get continuity ... how am I getting continuity when I then test the same white wire with the switch? I know it eventually gets to GFCI but I have all those wires separeted.
Waiting for you ..
#9
07-21-14, 12:26 PM
Facing the GFCI the brass screw is on the right, not sure if this is standard but are you saying put the white on the brass?
Just to confirm, the fan is a separate unit from the light.
I test the white between the light and GFCI and get continuity ... how am I getting continuity when I then test the same white wire with the switch?
If there are separate cables for fan and light is that the cable I have marked load out?
You did disconnect the hot cable and measure with a multimeter didn't you?
#10
07-21-14, 12:45 PM
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I was telling you where the placement of screws were based on your drawing and placement of GFCI in your diagram..
Light and fan are on same switch, same cable ?? I am trying to sort this out .. as the light is not working...
I can see there being a continuous loop with wire nuts on but all wires have been separated so I could figure out what lines were going where ... .
---------------------------
Hot was confirmed.
The load in your diagram shows no continuity with anything ... the light shows continuity with the wire above the hot ... in GFCI
this same white wire at light shows continuity with white at bottom of switch ... how can this be, where is the connection as everything is separated.
Light and fan are on same switch, same cable ?? I am trying to sort this out .. as the light is not working...
I can see there being a continuous loop with wire nuts on but all wires have been separated so I could figure out what lines were going where ... .
---------------------------
Hot was confirmed.
The load in your diagram shows no continuity with anything ... the light shows continuity with the wire above the hot ... in GFCI
this same white wire at light shows continuity with white at bottom of switch ... how can this be, where is the connection as everything is separated.
Last edited by Mizzfixit2; 07-21-14 at 01:01 PM.
#11
07-21-14, 03:37 PM
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I was making the assumption that with the continuity I was testing the same physical wire .. but.. could my white from the light actually go to the fan where it branches back to the GFCI and it also carries on to the light switch .. then I would get continuity between white on light & GFCI and white on light and switch box ?? but there is no continuity with black so it could be a loose connection by fan?? or damaged cable?? thus no light?
#12
07-21-14, 05:01 PM
Was the fan working on the switch?[QUOTE I was making the assumption that with the continuity I was testing the same physical wire .. but.. could my white from the light actually go to the fan where it branches back to the GFCI and it also carries on to the light switch
[/QUOTE]It should branch from where power comes in.
Does the light box have just one cable? If so:
I know you said it doesn't but we need to know where it goes. We need to know where the cable for the light comes from if there is only one cable.
[/QUOTE]It should branch from where power comes in.
Does the light box have just one cable? If so:
I know you said it doesn't but we need to know where it goes. We need to know where the cable for the light comes from if there is only one cable.
#13
07-21-14, 05:40 PM
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The fan was working okay.
Light box has only one cable. The white from this box showed continuity with the white wire that goes in the top of the GFCI .. so I was assuming that was where the light cable was coming from ... but then the white also shows continuity with the wire coming in the bottom of the light switch.
The cable you circled in red shows no continuity with switch or light .... maybe fan?? I don't know for sure but I was thinking it may feed the switch and light in the entry which is other side of the wall from the GFCI as they are all on the same breaker.
Light box has only one cable. The white from this box showed continuity with the white wire that goes in the top of the GFCI .. so I was assuming that was where the light cable was coming from ... but then the white also shows continuity with the wire coming in the bottom of the light switch.
The cable you circled in red shows no continuity with switch or light .... maybe fan?? I don't know for sure but I was thinking it may feed the switch and light in the entry which is other side of the wall from the GFCI as they are all on the same breaker.
#14
07-21-14, 06:53 PM
Is there anyway you can open the fan and tell us the connections and number of cables there? That mystery cable has to go somewhere and fan is my last guess.
Was it ever connected. Does the entry light still work?
The cable you circled in red shows no continuity with switch or light .... maybe fan?? I don't know for sure but I was thinking it may feed the switch and light in the entry
#15
07-21-14, 07:07 PM
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Yes the entry light works fine, switch and plug in in that area also work fine ... the only thing that doesn't seem to be working in that vicinity is the vanity light..
I may as well learn how to take a bathroom fan apart while I am at it .. will let you know what I find.
I may as well learn how to take a bathroom fan apart while I am at it .. will let you know what I find.
#16
07-22-14, 12:15 PM
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There is only a black and white going into the bathroom fan. The fan works off the top cable coming into the GFCI ... I hooked up receptacle and left that wire out just to see what would happen ... no juice to the fan.
#17
02-18-16, 07:22 PM
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Update ....I had an electrician check this circuit out. It does not even seem like it is possible but ... the electrician that wired the bathroom had the fan and the light in a separate single gang box about 6 inches from each other. They both fell on the joint between two drywall sheets. The guys that did the taping etc ... covered over the one electrical box completely so that in the end, the only box visible was the one switch which controlled the fan only and the light switch was buried under a wall that had knockdown and paint on it?????????
