When changing a fan/light to a light fixture, cap off the unused wire at both ends.
Tim Healey When ever-changing a fan/igniter to a illuminated fixture, cap off the unused wire at both ends.

Q: I wishing to replace a cap rooter/light-colored with a regular light fixture. The transmission line from the switch box to the ceiling box has three wires—two identical blacks and a white—with one of the blacks connected to a incomprehensible blasphemous wire from the buff. The light fixture I want to install has only two wires, indefinite unintegrated and one black. What's the best way to wire the new light?

A: Cliff Popejoy, a licensed linesman from Sacramento, Calif., responds.

The cable going to the fan/light habitue is called a three-cable cablegram, and information technology usually has one reddened wire and one black—instead of two black wires—to prevent confusion. In your case, one of the opprobrious wires from the cable is connected to the fixture's black wire, which goes to the well-lighted; the other black telegram is wired to the mend's blue wire, which goes to the fan. The cable's white wire connects to the fixture's white wire.

At the switch box, in that respect should be two cables: one with 2 wires (unitary black and one white), and one with three wires (two pitch-black and one white). The melanize wire of the two-conducting wire cable supplies power coming in, and it should attach to one of the switch terminals, and also to one bleak wire of the three-wire cable, to power the fan. The other black wire from the three-cable cable connects to the early switch terminal, to power the light. The two white wires in the flip box should be spliced together. Wired this way, the wall throw controls the light, and a pull chemical chain on the fixture controls the fan.

Given this organisation, here's how to wire the refreshing light mending. First close off the power at the breaker or fuse and verify that information technology's off past testing. At the switch box, leave the whites spliced together. Keep in the black electrify of the two-wire cable connected to a switch terminal, just disconnect it from the three-wire cable length's black wire, which you should and so pileus off with a wire testis. Make a point that the other switch endmost is connected to the second black telegraph of the three-electrify cable.

At the fixture loge, be sure that the three wires are separated from each other and are straighten out of everything else, then turn the power rachis on. Turn the throw along and move dimmer switches to the full on lay out. With a voltage examiner, notic prohibited which of the opprobrious wires at the fixture box has 120 volts (testing betwixt the Afro-American and the indifferent) and bell ringer that wire with a bite of tape. Immediately cut the power once more. Plug in the black wire from the new light fixture to the black wire scarred with tape. Associate the Elwyn Brooks White fix wire to the Caucasoid wire from the three-cable transmission line. Crest the different black conducting wire with a wire orchis and finish installing the fixture.

If you get into't take up a potential meter or tester to verify which covert conducting wire is socially connected to the switch, soak up cardinal of the black wires from the trio-wire cable to the black fixture wire before you install the fixture. Then power up the circuit and ride the switch. If the light goes on, cap the other black wire and you're all set. If the light doesn't go along, cut power and connect the other black wire to the fixture wire. With this strategy, never suspend the fixture by the electrical-wire splices. Instead, make a overcharge from a cake hanger to hang the fixture from until it's installed.