Working on a project that another contractor left halfway through. All the demo was complete when I came to site, now I'm 90% done, and just reconnecting new fixtures/plates ect(I did no electric work while there, just put up some new sheetrock, ceiling texture and paint.) 1 box was left bare without a switch, as well as one light fixture disconnected when I arrived originally. The previous guy taped together a group of 5 or so white wires and 5 or so black wires, and one white wire was left desperate. It all looked weird and bunched up but I assumed white to white black to black ground to ground must be this white wire. Hook It up, hook up a light switch, flip the breaker back on and the light is on, but the new switch doesn't work. Not receiving the signal. Okay, call the homeowner, confirm the missing box was a switch for the light, she said no it was a flat plate. Flip the breaker off, disconnect the switch. Put it back on and go to flip the switch that she says is the one for the overhead I was installing, and the thing shorts the whole upstairs. I'm lost, I really hope all this detail helps because I have no idea and don't want to call an electrician just for a fixture
Electrical – Why is the circuit shorting after connecting a new light fixture
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Best Answer
Every white wire is not a neutral. If you see an "extra" white, you should not connect it to a bundle of whites (which are neutrals) in the box. The extra white must have been a hot -- either switched hot or an always hot. If you know which white was originally not connected, then disconnect it from the other whites.
The previous guy probably also improperly connected a black to a group of other blacks. The proper connections might be to leave the white disconnected in the box with electrical tape over the end. Or the proper connection might be to connect this extra white to a certain one of the blacks. This might restore the circuit to functioning, but at this point it would be for the best to call an electrician.