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I'm replacing a light fixture in an old apartment where the ceiling wiring has two brown/red wires and one black wire. When I removed the old fixture it was wired with black to black, the white wire was extended with another white wire with a wire nut and then connected to the two brown/red wires. The old fixture did not have a grounding wire. One of the brown/red wires seemed to be coming down directly from a small hole in the ceiling and the other brown/red wire was coming out from the side of the ceiling along with the black wire.

So, I took my new fixture and connected the black to black, the white to the brown/red that was next to the black and seemed to coming out of the side of the ceiling/junction box (terminology?) and then I connected my green grounding wire to the other brown/red wire that was coming down directly out of the small hole in the ceiling.

I would like to know did I wire this new fixture correctly? It seems to be working just fine and I even tested it with a voltage meter after I turned the power back on in case I didn't ground it correctly.

Tester101
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C.R
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    What makes you think that the wire you connected to was a ground? Did you perform any tests? It's very difficult to distinguish a ground from a neutral, and you shouldn't mix the two until you get to the main breaker panel. – BMitch Sep 04 '13 at 12:12

2 Answers2

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It sounds wrong to me, but I couldn't be sure without actually being there. You should connect the new fixture, in exactly the same way the original fixture was connected.

If there wasn't a grounding conductor in the original circuit, replacing the fixture did not make one magically appear. If a grounding conductor is required, you'll have to install one in accordance with local codes.

Tester101
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  • If I connect the new fixture exactly as the old fixture was connected what do I do with the green wire on the new fixture. – C.R Sep 05 '13 at 00:17
  • @C.R Leave it disconnected. If you follow NEC you'll have to either install a proper grounding conductor, or protect the outlet with a GFCI device. – Tester101 Sep 05 '13 at 11:56
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The wires in my house are exactly the same. Everything is run with old cotton braided wires inside a metal BX shielding. The reddish-brownish wire is neutral; the black wire is hot.

So no, you did not hook this up correctly. You should keep it hooked up the way it was before, with the white lamp-wire spliced to the two red/brown wall-wires, and the black lamp-wire spliced to the black wall-wire.

The grounding was provided by the metal BX jacket (which is electrically-connected to the lamp via the metal box). This is not allowed by the NEC anymore, and for good reason: BX cable has high impedance, meaning it does not provide a good electrical connection to ground.

Running a ground wire through the BX cable is extremely difficult (I've tried it). Thus, I'd recommend you install a GFCI at the start of the circuit and connect everything else (including the lamp) to the 'load' side. This is required for 3-prong outlets, and though I don't have the NEC to verify, I would assume the same is true for other fixtures.

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BlueRaja - Danny Pflughoeft
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  • If I connect the new fixture exactly as the old fixture was connected what do I do with the green wire on the new fixture? – C.R Sep 05 '13 at 00:18
  • @C.R The green wire is [ground](http://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/31179/31182#31182), so the light will work fine if you leave it connected to nothing. Since the BX jacket *(the flexible metal tubing that protects the wires in the wall)* is grounded and electrically connected to the metal electrical box the light sits in, I've been tying the green wire to the box, but as I mentioned this is not strictly to code. To be to code, you will either need to run a separate ground wire to the fixture somehow, or attach a GFCI to the beginning of the circuit. – BlueRaja - Danny Pflughoeft Sep 05 '13 at 09:36
  • @BlueRaja-DannyPflughoeft The GFCI device can be anywhere in the circuit, as long as it protects the new fixture. However, you're correct that installing a combination GFCI breaker is probably the easiest option, as it provides protection to the entire circuit. – Tester101 Sep 05 '13 at 11:59
  • I'd note that for a ceiling lamp, ground is less of an issue, as it will be rare for anyone (but you) to be touching it while showering/bathing/etc. Replacing the fixture in general does not trigger new code requirements. – Bryce Jan 23 '14 at 04:51