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Electrical Wiring

Replacing original fixed lights with recessed lights

Andrea Harrison

16 years ago

We are having a wiring problem with existing lights in our basement. We are trying to replace the two fixed lights with recessed lights. They are currently controlled by (I believe) a two way switch. The switch is located at the top of the stairs and by the back door of the basement. There is a red wire that runs between the two existing lights but we don't see where the red wire is coming into either lights. What is the correct way to get rid of the existing lights and replace with additional recessed lights. When we wire in the first new light, one of two things will happen, it will either work but won't turn off by either switches on the wall or if you add the red wire in, as soon as you flip one of the switches, it trips the breaker. What are we doing wrong? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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Comments (3)

joed
16 years ago
Need more info.
Tell us all the wires in the fixture boxes. Tell us exactaly how the old fixtures were connected. Tell us exactly how you are connecting the new fixtures.
Are you installing the new fixtures in the same place, on the same cables as the old ones or did you pull new cables for the new fixtures?
Andrea Harrison
Original Author
16 years ago
In both fixtures there is a black, white, and green and then there is a red wire that runs between the 2 original light fixtures themselves. The light fixtures are the old fixtures that will hold just one bulb and they have screws attached to the back that you attach the wires to. We were going to replace the 2 fixtures with the new ones and then run additional lights from there. We were going to use the same cables and just run new cables to the additional lights. Someone told me that we can leave the 2 original fixtures there and just add new wire to one of the lights and wire in the new light doing a "daisy chain" but my husband has now detached all the wires and has no idea how to even attach the two lights back to the way they were originally. Does the red wire normally attach with the black or the white wire?
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hendricus
16 years ago
The red wire does NOT attach to either the white or black.

You have 2 switches controlling 2 lights, correct?

One black and one red wire will run from one switch to the other with no other connections. They may run through the lights and be connected by wire nuts to the next length. The power could come in on either end or through the lights. At some point a white wire will be used as a hot wire and should be marked on the end with black tape.

You need to get a good wiring book and some experienced help for this.

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