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Quote:
Originally posted by onewhippedpuppy
??? How would that work? Unless whoever wired it was really stupid, the white should be the ground, that's the standard. I agree that wiring the green ground to the white one is pointless, but I've never heard of a light with a fuse in the wire either.
If the black is hot to the fixture, the bulb is in the socket (acting as a resister), and the white wire disconected or open in the circuit, you will measure 110volts at the white wire. Now connect the ground to that white wire, and the metal frame of the fixture will be hot.

Don't always assume a white is neutral either. It is pretty common that if power is supplied to the light fixture, a two wire is brought down the wall to the switch box, in which case the white wire is switched hot. As is demonstrated here: http://www.electrical-online.com/howtoarticles/lights.htm

Note in the case above, the white & black are connected to the switch, and the white & black tied together in the light box.(making the white wire hot)

White is not ground. In some cases it is neutral, others it can be live.
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Last edited by dad911; 01-01-2006 at 10:14 PM..
Old 01-01-2006, 10:11 PM
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