Is the ground wire the problem?

Question

We are installing a lamp post in our front yard. We finally got it all wired and set up, but as we plugged it in, it did nothing. We had a ground wire connection but we didn't connect it. Would that make the whole thing not work? Or should we check our other connections to make sure they are correct? I need simple answers, nothing too technical, because it will make no sense to me. Thanks!

Answer 1

yes if there is a photcell cover for atleast a minute if still does not kick on you have  electricity to it the ground is for safety make sure from where ever you tapped into power that its on or if straight shot to breaker make sure that it is tightend down securely

Answer 2

Start with the ground wire  for sure   then  like you are doing  work backwards

Answer 3

Let's start at the beginning.  See if this is what you have done or use this to check to make sure your connections are good.  

The source of the power to the lamp post should have been a black wire somewhere.  This could be coming from a switch, a circuit breaker/fuse, or an outlet somewhere.  You need the black wire connected to another black wire all the way back to the breaker/fuse.  This is the source of the power to the lamp.  

Next, you need a neutral, white wire connected all the way back to the fuse panel.  You might have connected this to a white wire in an outlet box, or somewhere else.

In addition, you may have a ground wire.  In older construction, you may not have this wire inside of the building.  If not, just forget about it.  If you do have a ground wire in the box where the power lead (black) comes from, connect your ground wire there.

In the lamp post, there should be a black wire to the light, a white wire to the light, and (possibly) a ground wire.  

Hook up your wiring this way:

1: Make sure that there is no source of power to the wiring you are using.  You can trip the breaker or remove the fuse that connects to the wiring you are using.  

2: Connect your black wire, from the source, to the black wire to the lamp.  You need about 1/2" of clean bare wire on each of these.  If they are stranded wire, twist them together and put a wire nut on them to hold them together.  This should be tight but remember, at some point in the future you may have to remove it.  

3: Connect your white wires in the same fashion as the black ones.  

4:  Connect the ground wire to a ground wire from the lamp or to a s***w terminal inside of the lamp post where it will not show when the thing is fully assembled.  

5:  Assemble the lamp to the post per the instructions that came with the lamp.  If you have no instructions, try to put the lamp onto the post

in such a way that all of the wiring is inside of the post or fixture when you mount it.  Use screws to hold the lamp to the post.

6:  You should be ready to test out your wiring.  Make sure that no other electrical boxes or fixtures are open for fingers to get inside.  If they are, close them up and return them to the way they looked before you started your project.  Then, turn on the circuit breaker/fuse.

Your light should work.  If you have a switch in the line to the lamp, turn it on and off to cycle the lamp.  

Note:  Some lamp posts have a photo cell switch mounted in them to turn the light on at dusk and off at dawn.  These work well and save power because we forget to turn off lights we can't see.

To hook up this switch, normally we connect the black wire from the source to the black wire from the photo cell.  Then we connect the red wire from the photo cell to the black wire to the lamp.  Connect the white wire from the cell to the other two white wires (1 from source, 1 from the lamp).  Be sure to make these connections with the power turned off in the breaker panel.  

This sounds terribly complex but it really is not.  Print this out and take it with you when you check your connections.  I'll bet you have either a missed connection or a bad connection inside of a wire nut.  Just carefully check each connection and make sure that the breaker or fuse is back on when you test out the lamp  

Let me know how it works out.  [e-mail] and good luck!

Answer 4

in the US you wouldn't  need the ground wire to have it work, but it is a safety  feature that should be connected if possible.  Check other connections, sometimes wires break off inside wire nuts, or don't connect( pull on wires they should not be loose) If the plug is in  a gfi  there is a separate breaker for it. maybe no power to light.

Answer 5

Does your lamp post have a daylight sensor on it? If so that sensor will not let the light come on until it is dark outside... You can always put tape over the sensor to trick it into thinking it's dark...