Electrical Troubleshooting

[jackellis]

We have a string of four floodlights in the ceiling of a covered walkway. they are controlled by two switches - one in the house and another in the garage. All four have stopped working at the same time. I attempted to change one of the bulbs and had no luck until I happened to push in on the bulb with the device I use to change them.

I'm assuming these are wired in series and there's either a bad connection or a bad fixture, because there's no other reason for all of them to fail at the same time. Since they're 11 feet off the ground, it's not like someone can reach up and mess with them, though it's also possible a rodent of some kind got up there and chewed wires.

Any other thoughts on what the problem is? This may end up being a job for a local electrician because a) I hate ladders, and b) I'm not sure I'd be able to track down the parts.

[cabinetman]

Might be as simple as a circuit breaker/fuse?

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[RAFlorida]

Not wired in series, but parallel.

Either no voltage due to bracker or switch. Or more onerous, a loose neutral.

[jackellis]

I don't think it's a breaker because the light flickers on when the bulb is moved the right way. Loose neutral sounds more promising.

[Brian G]

I am not an electrician.

There are several wiring diagrams for fixtures that are operated by two 3-way switches. Not all of them have the power entering the circuit at a switch.

If the power enters your light circuit at the fixture, it is possible that there is a faulty connection at the fixture that is "completed" when you push the bulb in as you described.

Sometimes it's best to call in the experts; their kids need to eat too.

[LCHIEN]

120 lighting can't be wired in series. The four bulbs must be wired in parallel unless you are using virtually unheard of 30-volt bulbs.

[jackellis]

[QUOTE120 lighting can't be wired in series.][/QUOTE]

It's a weekend, what else can I say? Normally I like trying to fix things but in this instance I'm going to call in a professional. I've promised my wife I will only fix things I'm either pretty sure I can fix myself or attempt projects where the cost of failing is pretty minor. This particular project doesn't qualify on either count.

[LCHIEN]

Unfortunately there's a lot of ways to wire this up... The following give a good set of examples.

http://www.homeimprovementweb.com/in...way-switch.htm

Most likely you have a loose traveller that makes intermittent contact when you flex the fixture. Or, if the light you jiggle is at the end then possibly a loose white or black wire feeding the entire string of lights is bad. You sort of need to figure out which configuration you have.
If you're not good with following circuits, best to call an electrician.