Lighting, Light Fixtures, Ceiling and Exhaust Fans - how to connect 2 wire ceiling light fixture

Hi,

My ceiling wire has two wires: black and white. My ceiling light fixture also has two wires but both are the same color: transparent yellow. One of the sockets (there are 3) is not working so I took the light down and replaced with a new socket.

When I put it back on the ceiling and test, it flashes and my circuit jumped. I think I crossed the wire, but unfortunately I did not mark which yellow wire connected to the black and which connected to the white.

I put the ceiling light up a number of years ago. I must got lucky and got it right the first time. Now I don't know which is which.

Is there way for me to find out?
Thanks

There is only two wires from each socket. One from each socket to black and one from each to white.
If you inspect the wire one of them should have a small ridge on it. That is the one that is supposed to be connected to the white. Even if you reverse them it won't trip the breaker. If your breaker is tripping one of the wires is shorting to ground or to the other wire.

joed,

Thanks for the reply. I just want to make sure that if I have a two wire coming from the ceiling: one black, and one white. See my photo from the link:

http://s307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/fh2000/?action=view&current=115-1530_IMG.jpg

and my ceiling light fixture, also has two wires except both are the same color:

http://s307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/fh2000/?action=view&current=115-1531_IMG.jpg

I could connect either one to black or white from ceiling?

The whole light fixture photo is below:

http://s307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/fh2000/?action=view&current=115-1532_IMG.jpg


Thanks

No you cannot just pick which connection to make to the ceiling wires. The wire that connects to the center tab of the socket will connect to the black ceiling wire. The screw shell connects to the white wire. Like Joed said, look for ridges on one side of the fixture wire. This is the fixture white wire.

If you still cannot find which is which, you could use a continuity checker between the bare wire end and the screw shell.

If you can't find the ridge then the wire that is attached to shell of the socket connects to the white wire. The wire that connects to the button in the bottom of the socket connects to the black wire.

Joed, and PCboss.

Unfortunately, I could not find any ridges on either of the yellow wire from the light. The yellow light is attached to each other going thru the tube. On the other end, they split; one yellow is connected to the 3 white wires from the 3 sockets, and one yellow is connected to the 3 black wires from the 3 sockets.

So, I should pull the yellow wires out to see. The one that connects to black wires from the sockets should connect to the ceiling black, and the one collects to white wires from the sockets should connect to the ceiling white?

Thanks so much for your time.

You need to determine which yellow is connected to the blacks. You could use an ohm meter for that or pull the wire out and trace it by hand.

Joed,

OK. I hope I am correct on this one now. Even though I could not find any ridges on the two yellow wires, one of them has small label printing throughout the wire, and the other one is clear without printing. The one with the printing is connected to the 3 socket black wires.

I think that would be my black wire to my ceiling black.

You are correct.