# Wiring new fixture - but is it Grounded?



## bjmcgoo22 (Jan 6, 2017)

I'm putting in a light fixture into a junction box located in my living room ceiling. The box had a cover on it when I bought the house and inside are (2) 12-2 cables with the black going to black, white going to white, and ground wires not connected to anything. 

I noticed when disconnecting the hots, the ceiling fan in the adjacent room lost power. 

I've never seen this setup before but I can only guess that there was once a light fixture in the box and when it was removed, the wires were joined together to keep the circuit going for the light in the other room (which is operated by a switch on the wall). 

Now for the question. Now that I am trying to install a fixture in the box, I have joined all blacks (2 that were already in the box and 1 from the fixture), whites, and have installed pigtails to connect all the grounds: 

2 tails extending from the two ground wires coming from the cables, 1 from the box via a threaded screw, and then the wire coming from the fixture. 

See photo here: http://imgur.com/MHiipVQ

Can someone please verify that I have this properly grounded? 

Thanks.


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## slownsteady (Jan 7, 2017)

Does the light have it's own switch? I didn't see anything wrong with it otherwise, but I'm just a homeowner. One of the electrical guys will be along to take a look soon.


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## bjmcgoo22 (Jan 7, 2017)

The fixture does not have its own switch but a switch on the wall controls it and the other ceiling fan.


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## kok328 (Jan 7, 2017)

looks good but am wondering about the two orange wire nuts in the box.
you can get rid of the extra ground wire from box to fixture and just loop the ground wire from the fixture around the ground screw in the box and then connect the end of the wire to the ground wire nut connection.


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## Snoonyb (Jan 7, 2017)

The connections are correct, however you do not have a switch leg for this fixture, so, your alternatives are a remote, pull chain, breaking the ceiling and walls for a switch leg, wiremold for the switch leg, or a constant on light fixture.


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## bud16415 (Jan 7, 2017)

Snoonyb said:


> The connections are correct, however you do not have a switch leg for this fixture, so, your alternatives are a remote, pull chain, breaking the ceiling and walls for a switch leg, wiremold for the switch leg, or a constant on light fixture.



Or he can let the switch on the wall control the light and the fan. My guess is the fan has a pull chain.


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## bjmcgoo22 (Jan 7, 2017)

bud16415 said:


> Or he can let the switch on the wall control the light and the fan. My guess is the fan has a pull chain.



That is correct.


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## bjmcgoo22 (Jan 7, 2017)

kok328 said:


> looks good but am wondering about the two orange wire nuts in the box.
> you can get rid of the extra ground wire from box to fixture and just loop the ground wire from the fixture around the ground screw in the box and then connect the end of the wire to the ground wire nut connection.



That's what I originally thought as well but someone told me I needed to connect the two grounds from the cables to the box...


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## slownsteady (Jan 7, 2017)

Getting rid of the extra wire nut is not crucial, as long as all the metal parts are grounded. If the box is too crowded, you can do as Kok mentioned.


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## bjmcgoo22 (Jan 7, 2017)

slownsteady said:


> Getting rid of the extra wire nut is not crucial, as long as all the metal parts are grounded. If the box is too crowded, you can do as Kok mentioned.



Good deal. Thanks for the help.


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## afjes_2016 (Jan 7, 2017)

I do not see a switch loop there. Although it is quite difficult to see all the wires in this picture if there was a switch loop there would be a mix-match of color wires in one of the wire nuts which I do not see. At first it looked like a switch loop but I am almost sure it is not.

I believe (since OP stated the one wall switch operates the fan in the other room and this light fixture) that the power goes from the switch to this light fixture first then to the fan in the other room.

Why all the green ground wires though? What type of cable is this? Usually Romex/sheathed cable has two insulated conductors and one bare ground wire. I also don't know why there is an extra green ground going from the fixture to the box and it looks like it is just sticking to the box thru the hole.


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## slownsteady (Jan 7, 2017)

I got the impression there is a spare piece of wire just to support the fixture as it hangs there. One ground for each wire, one for the box, one for the fixture.


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## bjmcgoo22 (Jan 7, 2017)

slownsteady said:


> I got the impression there is a spare piece of wire just to support the fixture as it hangs there. One ground for each wire, one for the box, one for the fixture.



That's correct.

I followed Kok's advice and got rid of the 3rd tail from the box and just looped the fixture's ground wire around a screw in the box. Definitely helped everything fit a little better.

Light is on and everything seems good. 

One question (maybe stupid) but I'm curious. If for some reason the fixture wasn't grounded and it became a shock hazard, would a non-contact voltage tester read hot if touching the metal of the fixture?


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