Fixture wiring colors?

[Boomyal]

I have a bathroom combo ceiling fixture. It has an exhuast fan on one switch and then two bulb sockets and a little downdraft fan on the other.

The wiring that goes to the latter combination consists of a red, a black, and a white. This is all exposed wiring inside the fixture. I have yet to look at the fixture junction box on the attic side where the romex ties into it.

I don't comprehend the colors? I would have thought that there would have been a black (power), a white (common) then a green for ground.

What do you suppose gives here?

The reason that I am asking is that I need to tie in a 23w CFL fixture that I installed directly above the shower. It will come on when the heat/flood bulbs and heat downdraft fan are turned on.

That new recessed fixture has the black, white and green wires.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Fixture wiring colors?

What do you suppose gives here?

Ayuh,.... My guess is,...
The light uses the black for power, 'n white is common....
Red is probably power for the fan,...
Common will still be common...

How are the existing tied to the house side,..??

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: Fixture wiring colors?

Do you have a separate bare wire? As you know, black is ALWAYS hot, unless someone wired it wrong from the box, green or bare is always ground, red is normally only used in a romex 3+1 set up.. where is normally the red and black are hot, the white is neutral and the green or bare is ground.

What was the red hooked up to when you took things apart? I would look at the junction box in the attic to confirm where the red wire is running also look at your breaker or fuse box then you should be able to track it down.

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: Fixture wiring colors?

Ayuh,.... My guess is,...
The light uses the black for power, 'n white is common....
Red is probably power for the fan,...
Common will still be common...

How are the existing tied to the house side,..??

White is always neutral as you said, black is always hot as you said, green or bare is always ground, now this system may be using metal conduit, which would mean the ground is running from the beaker box to the switch box and that would be a ground through the metal contacts with the breaker box, conduit and metal switch box.

Normally red is a secondary power wire..

By the way, do you have a multi-meter so you can actually test the wiring?

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Fixture wiring colors?

Ok, it's cleared up a little. Turns out that the fixture junction box access is from a panel inside the combo fixture, not from the outside (in the attic) like some of the recessed light fixtures.

The fixture has one romex cable connecting to it with 4 wires. They are the black, red, white and bare copper. I still have not taken the time to isolate where the red goes but I have isolated the wirenut connections that I need to tie into. It is a jumble of reds tying to blacks, etc, etc.

The seperately switched exhaust fan wiring is also plain to see, so I will get the right connection for my shaving light.

....and yeah bondo, I could finish at the sink but I have this nifty shower mirror and all I needed was to be able to see it. Low light and no glasses is a perscription for blindness.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Fixture wiring colors?

....and yeah bondo, I could finish at the sink but I have this nifty shower mirror and all I needed was to be able to see it. Low light and no glasses is a perscription for blindness.

Ayuh,.. Back in a younger day, when I could still see,... I rigged up a mirror in the shower...
It was always fogged up, 'n I couldn't really see anyways...

That's when I figured, I know where my face is,.. I know where my hand is,.. I know where the razor is,..
No Problem.....
I've only pulled the harikari a few times,..
Usually with a brand new razor, 'n Always on the adams apple,...
Don't take much blood in the shower, to Swear yer bleedin' to death...

Have ya tried the new Led lighting that's been coming out,..??

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Fixture wiring colors?

.....Have ya tried the new Led lighting that's been coming out,..??

I thought about it but the local plumbing/electric shop was a bit short on new fangled lighting stuff. I opted to go for the old school cheapo recessed light canister and a gasketed lens assembly.

Then a low wattage CFL so it wouldn't tax the circuit that was already encumbered with two 250 watt flood and heatlamps and an exhaust fan to boot.

 

[joed]

Re: Fixture wiring colors?

The red goes to the switches with the black. You said it has two switches to control it. One controls the black wire and the other controls the red wire. The white is the common neutral.

 

[dolluper]

Re: Fixture wiring colors?

It's pretty common to see four wire when hooking up 2 switchs to control one devise...like 2 wall switches to control a light fixture one upstairs and one at the bottom of the stairs...so do you have one to control lights outside and one inside or one that seperates the fan by a switch on the same line ...not seperate lines

 

[dvandsm64]

Re: Fixture wiring colors?

the red usually is a traveler. used for three way switching. in other words 2 switches to control the load.

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

Re: Fixture wiring colors?

Black, Red, Blue Will be your hot leads.
White, Gray Will be your Neutrals.
Green will be your Ground.
Pink, Yellow, Orange, Purple Will be your Switched legs and Travelers.
14 Gauge wire is good for 15 amps.
12 Gauge wire is good for 20 amps.
10 Gauge wire is good for 30 amps.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Fixture wiring colors?

Not a really big deal except for access from above and trying to figure things out while practically standing on your head.

The new light is toward the back wall and the assembly in the foreground was what I tied it into. Nothing hi tech but it looks like it was put there by the pros.

Thanks for all your inputs.

 

[Eric 3.7LX Alpha 1]

Re: Fixture wiring colors?

the red usually is a traveler. used for three way switching. in other words 2 switches to control the load.

True, but don't usually see a 3-way in the bathroom.

a multi meter that reads AC will let you know for sure.