Ceiling light

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Putting up a light fixture. When I put the power back on the light worked but the switch on the wall will not shut the light off. In the ceiling there are a red a black and a white wire. I believe there are two switches that control this box. I took one switch apart and it was wired with red and black. The install fixture has only 2 black 2 white and ground. there was no previous fixture but I think it was a lighted ceiling fan as they are in every other room. I tried black to black and black to red both gave light on but no switch control from either switch.

AnswerEdit

Normally in this case, the black fixture wires would connect to the red house wire. Any black wires in the box would connect to each other, but not the fixture. All the white wires together.

At the switch, the black wires should connect on one side of the switch, the red on the other. Whites bypass the switch.

QuestionEdit

The question is: In my bedroom there is no overhead lighting. It looks as if someone covered it up. There is a light switch that operates an outlet which I plug a lamp into. What are the steps I need to get a ceiling light and how would I connect it to the switch that is there already. Any help would be appreciated.

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Judy You say it looks like it was covered up? You may want to get a small tiny drill and drill into the center and see if there is a box up there. If you go up more than 6 inches there is no box. What they probably did was just switched half of the outlet Open that box and see if there is a red wire in it also open the switch box and see if there is one in there also. You may have to fish a wire up the wall into the attic,and bring it to the box.

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I am trying to replace a ceiling fan (with lights) with a regular light fixture. In the junction box there are 3 black wires, 3 white wires, 1 red wire, and the ground. In the switch there are 2 black and 2 white, along with a red, that was joined with the blacks. When I installed the new, basic light I capped the red at both ends, grounded the new fixture and connected white to white and black to black. The light now stays on and doesn't shut off. Any suggestions?

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The new fixture should always be installed exactly as the old fixture was wired up.

You'll need to put the red wire the way it was. Most likely one end went to the switch, and the other end went to the black fixture wire. The white and ground wires would stay as it is.

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Bob, my bathroom lights and fan will not come on, however all electrical outlets are working. The switch from the panel box is on.

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It sounds like a wire is lose somewhere. The outlet may be on a different circuit however. These things can be hard to track down. Somewhere in the circuit, there is a break. It could even be at a device that is working, because it could be the wire leaving the working device that is not working.

Check all outlets, switches, and lights. Check the wire nuts, because the wire could look connected, but not be. Especially check any outlets and switches that have the wires pushed in the back rather than screwed to the sides, because sometimes these fail.