I have two ceiling lights in my garage labeled as Light A and Light B, each with basic light bulb sockets that feature four screw-down connections for wiring. I've decided to switch them out for two LED strip light fixtures, but I'm facing some issues getting both to work. Each of the new fixtures has a white, black, and ground wire. The wiring configurations in the two light outlet boxes are different: Light A has white, black, and red wires, while Light B has white, black, and ground. I managed to connect the LED fixture to Light B without a problem since it matches up perfectly. However, the only way Light B works is if I keep the old light fixture connected to Light A, which utilizes the red wire. When I try to connect a fixture to Light A and power it, I can't get Light B to work; if I cap off the red wire on Light A, Light B doesn't turn on. Capping the black wire on Light A makes both lights go out. I appreciate you taking the time to read this—it's probably a bit convoluted!
2 Answers
To avoid getting too tangled up in the wires, keep in mind that electricity flows in a circuit. Since another user mentioned you have a lot of wires in Light A, someone might have spliced things in odd ways. Make sure that if you’re cutting any wires, you know what they’re doing—mislabeled wires can cause all sorts of headaches. Maybe consult with a professional if the configurations continue to confuse you!
It sounds like Light A is set up as a switch loop, which might explain the weird behavior. The red wire is typically used to run power to switched fixtures. Since you're dealing with more wires in Light A, it could be that one of those other wires is supposed to connect somewhere to work properly. You might want to double-check what each wire is doing—like if the red wire connects back to a switch or something. And yes, definitely post some photos if you can! They’d help visualize things a lot better.