Turn the power back on. Twist the bare copper wire from the light fixture electrical box around the green screw located on one side of the strap.
Electrical Basics Wiring A Basic Single Pole Light Switch
Two hot wires to light fixture. If you dont have a multimeter connect one of the non white wires to the black wire on the fixture. You can wrap the wire around one of the screws that holds the fixture on but the only purpose it serves is to help hold the fixture up while you wire the black hot and white common wires. Never connect the fixtures ground wire to the white wire never ever ever connect the ground wire to the white wire. Connect the two black wires from the light fixture to the black wire from the electrical box the same way you connected the white wires. Connect the two white wires from the light fixture to the white wire located in the electrical box by twisting an orange wire nut onto all three wires. By max stout updated july 17 2017 connecting a two wire light fixture to a three wire power supply cable is not an ordinary occurrence.
Twist the ends of the two light fixture lead wires together. Attach the chain to the screw collar then hold the light fixture up against it. If the light can be turned on or off from switches at each. If one wire is always hot thats not the one you want. Testing electrical wiring can produce different results depending on the method so it is best to test each insulated wire to ground one at a time and then test between the two insulated wires typically black and white for 120 volts. Voltage readings for light fixtures.
Thank you for your electrical wiring questions. Adjust the length of the chain to the link that best matches your desired length. One of the black and white wires goes to the light fixture. Three wire supply cables generally carry red and black hot wires of 110 to 120 volts each with a single white neutral wire. The other black and white wires are the electrical circuit for the switch. You want the wire thats hot when the light switch is on and registers zero volts with the light switch off.
On a flat surface attach the adjusted chain to the light fixture. Use chain pliers or pliers with a screwdriver to open the link on the end of the chain.