Help installing new vanity light.


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Old 12-02-16, 01:19 PM
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Question Help installing new vanity light.

Hello - I am replacing a fluorescent light fixture in a warehouse restroom. I removed the old light and only found 2 bare copper wires and 1 red wire coming out of the junction box. The 2 bare wires were tied into the neutral wire of the old light fixture and the red was tied to the hot wire (first picture). I do not see a neutral wire coming out of the box. Is it safe to connect the new light the same way I found this one and tie the 2 copper wires back to the neutral? It seems like that wouldn't be a good idea, but the old light was working (replacing only for cosmetics).

Note - The copper wires are dirty and appear to be black in one of the pictures.

Thanks in advance.
 
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Old 12-02-16, 01:40 PM
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No not safe to use bare wires as a neutral. If you are sure there are no white (or gray) wires you will need to run new wires. Is this conduit?
 
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Old 12-02-16, 01:55 PM
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What's the wire behind the red one? It looks yellow.
 
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Old 12-02-16, 02:15 PM
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The yellow may be neutral. Is anything connected to it ?

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Old 12-05-16, 06:49 AM
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Yellow wire

The yellow wire runs in and out of the box, it was not used for this light but I'm not sure where it is running.
 
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Old 12-05-16, 10:14 AM
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You're going to have to trace the circuit. Find where the wires come from and go to.
A bare wire for neutral in a conduit is absolutely wrong.

You need to locate the neutral so that it can be run to that box.
I shudder to think how the rest of the place is wired.
 
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Old 12-06-16, 04:04 PM
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The bare being used as a neutral is creating a serious shock hazard.
 
 

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