Does it work to branch receptacle wiring off a run of can lights?

Question

I am finishing my basement and I have installed 8 can lights in the family room to replace the 4 exposed 100 watt bulbs. The cans are 75 watt max. The builders wired outlets in our upstairs living room off the basement light fixtures. In other words, the second light fixture in the run downstairs had 14/2 wire coming out from it and heading through the ceiling.

I copied this setup, but my breaker trips each time I flip the light switch on. There is actually less wattage on the breaker now than there was with the previous lights (I haven't run all 8 cans together yet). Why is the breaker tripping?

Thank you!

Answer 1

I would check first that 14/2 from the 2nd fixture and see exactly where it goes.
1- Disconnect it (both the white wire and the black).
2- Now try your lights.
3- Where is your switch?
4- How many sets of wires are in the switch box?
5- If there is one set, there will be a black wire and a white wire going to your lights. This means the hot wire (a black one) should be going to the hot black wire in the fixture box that has the power in it. The power goes from there to the switch and returns to the lights on the white wire. At the first fixture a piece of black tape on that white wire and it goes to the black wire(s) of all the light fixtures.
6- Then all the white fixture wires get tied together to the neutral and all the blacks get tied together and you're good to go.
7- Now, that odd 14/2 (if it really goes to any receptacle should get connected to your panel through a 15 Amp breaker seperate from the lighting circuit.
8- If your basement is finished with sheet rock (in which the cans are installed), that will be a really tough job unless you are really handy and lucky enough be able to fish in a fresh wire from the panel.
9- If you have a drop ceiling you should not have much of a problem.
10- If you find more than that one set of unknown wires, identify which is the hot and which are neutral. (Now you may need professional help)
Good Luck ! ! ! [Take your time, do it right and BE SAFE].

Answer 2

Sounds like a wiring or fixture problem. Remove the light bulbs and test if the the breaker still trips.

Are you are pulling the 600 watts from the can lights from one circuit that goes to all the outlets in the LR? A big TV and a few lamps and you are getting close to maxing the circuit.

Answer 3

If the breaker trips when you flip the switch you have a dead short . In the switch or one of the cans you have a problem. In a few RARE cases I have seen a brand new can light have a factory wiring problem. Was there a switch for the old lights? If not I would start there. If you have questions you can email and I will try to help

Answer 4

Wattage is not what throws breakers; amperage does. If you are on a lighting bus it is probably 15A, where outlet busses are usually 20A. You may also have a ground fault somewhere. You need to separate the lighting and outlet busses anyway, or every time you run the vacuum the lights will go out.

Answer 5

Your best to stay with 12/2 for all your lights and switches.

Answer 6

wattage is volts times amps, nothing less nothing more. it sounds like you mixed up the white switch wire with the neutrals.