Installing a Chandelier, NEED HELP!

9 years ago

I took down a ceiling fan in my dinning room to install a chandelier. When I opened the box I found three separate wires in the box (its an older house), each containing a positive and negative wires, all three negative wires were wrapped together and taped with electrical tape. The other three positive wires were left. One goes to the electrical box in the ceiling, the other goes to the light switch on the wall and the last one goes to a outlet on the other side of the room. The problem I am having is the chandelier one has one wire, a negative and positive. How do I hook this up with all three wires working and the breaker not trip? Thanks! I have included a picture of the box coming out of the ceiling

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Comments (6)

yankee4210
9 years ago
I'm a little confused by your description of the wires in the ceiling box. You say "one goes to the electrical box in the ceiling ...". Isn't it already IN the box? Is this your hot? Also, you say the "negatives" were all taped together, but in the photo I see all the blacks together. Could you clarify a little more?

Based on what I think you're trying to relate, here's what I'd do ... If the "wire that goes to the box" is your hot (power arrives at the ceiling box first), then connect the black wire of this cable to the black of the cable going to the outlet, and the white of the cable going to your switch. Re-identify this white wire as black with black tape, black marker, whichever (also Re-identify the white wire in the switch box, you should open this box and see the black and white connected to the switch). Connect the black wire leading to the switch to the black of your chandelier. Connect the remaining whites together (white from hot cable, white from cable leading to plug, and white from your chandelier).

Keep in mind that I'm ASSUMING that your power is in your ceiling box, and you have a feed out to the plug, and what's known as a "switch loop" between the ceiling box and switch. Please verify where your power is coming from.
kudzu9
9 years ago
...and replace any taped connections with wire nuts.
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greg_2015
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
And a description of how the fan was hooked up would be helpful too.

Was it a fan with a light? If so, are there two switches that it was hooked up to (one for the fan and one for the light)?
Vith
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Always pay attention to how it was wired before you remove. This knowledge would help us figure out what is going on. What we see in the picture is of little use as you said the 3 neutrals were all connected and now are not. Unless you are thinking the blacks are neutrals, then you should hire out. What we see in that picture looks quite odd as far as a wiring scenario.
greg_2015
9 years ago
The two 'white' wires that are close together kind of look like they might have been re-marked as black (or they might just be dirty). So those might be two switch loops. And maybe the other white that we can't really see is the only real neutral.
mtvhike
9 years ago
Be very careful when fiddling with old wires. The insulation can become very brittle and break off, and if that happens, you're in trouble.