My kitchen light fixture quit working a few weeks ago. I changed the bulbs, still didn’t work. A few days later it randomly came on and worked properly.
Until yesterday, when it quit again. Because the fixture is a bear to put back up once down (lining up the screws with the screw holes), and it’s only a few years old, I thought it might be one of the switches (it’s on a 3-way switch circuit). So I changed both switches, still nothing.
Now I had to remove the fixture. I did so, tested the bare wires, and saw that juice was flowing. Bad fixture, I thought.
Bought and installed a new fixture just now. It holds two bulbs, but just one socket is working. Switched bulbs, same socket does not work.
I suppose it could be a bad fixture but that seems unlikely. I feel like it might be something else, but I’m at a loss as to how to proceed.
Don’t assume that you couldn’t have purchased two faulty fixtures (a common assumption we all make). Did you get the second one from the same store? It may be a poor design. I would try another fixture from another manufacturer and see if that solves your problem.
Make sure all the connections (in all the boxes) are tight. A loose connection could possible cause this. Two wires that are just barely touching, such that someone walking through the room a bit to fast or the sun moving over the house and causing the structure to expand and contract could make or break the connection.
That’s the next thing I’d do. Check every connection. Check all the switches and all the wire nuts. I’d start at the light fixture since it’s your work, but I’ve personally seen electricians make mistakes too.
After that, my next guess would be that one of the three way switches have gone bad. You could buy two new ones and swap them out. If that doesn’t fix the problem, return them.
However, if you have power at the fixture, ISTM that’s where the problem is…unless either A)the load is the problem or B)when you make the connections you’re physically breaking another connection as you pull and push and twist the wires. Check the connections in that junction box. Maybe one of them isn’t twisted so well.
I took the fixture apart again, re-did the connections, and was about to put it back in place to test it when I saw the tip of a wire poking through the insulation.
Each socket has its own pair of wires; I initially connected just the one pair. The other pair were buried under the insulation of the fixture, unseen by me.
All is good now. Thanks for replying and sorry for wasting your time.
mmm
