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From: Jim on 2 Jul 2010 22:02
See this photo for reference: http://www.badongo.com/pic/9827256

The white-sheated wire goes to the dead fixture and terminates inside its
box.

Can anyone take a guess as to where the on/off switch would be located for
this old garage light fixture? It's in a California house built in the
early 1950s. The previous owners never got the fixture to work, and when it
last worked is a mystery.

The main ceiling bulb inside the garage works fine, along with a light
outside above the man-door (one of two; the other leads to the kitchen).
Both of those fixtures are operated with wall switches next to their
respective doors.

But the outside spotlight high above the big "garage door" hasn't worked in
decades and nobody knows where the switch is supposed to be. I opened the
wiring box (shown closed in that photo) and couldn't find any sign of a
pull-chain switch. The wires are so jammed in that it was hard to trace
them back outside the box. Didn't want to risk pulling on them, as they
seem brittle.

This may be hard to fugure out online, but if anyone knows where a 1950s
garage switch might TYPICALLY be located, please advise. I've looked all
over inside the garage and may have to get the contractor's wiring diagram
somehow.

Thanks. Jim
From: William Sommerwerck on 3 Jul 2010 05:07
> But the outside spotlight high above the big "garage door"
> hasn't worked in decades and nobody knows where the
> switch is supposed to be. I opened the wiring box (shown
> closed in that photo) and couldn't find any sign of a pull-chain
> switch. The wires are so jammed in that it was hard to trace
> them back outside the box. Didn't want to risk pulling on
> them, as they seem brittle.

My intuition is that the switch is in (or at) the house. You would want to
turn on the light before walking out of the house, and turn it off only
after you got back in.


From: Michael A. Terrell on 3 Jul 2010 06:27

Jim wrote:
>
> See this photo for reference: http://www.badongo.com/pic/9827256
>
> The white-sheated wire goes to the dead fixture and terminates inside its
> box.
>
> Can anyone take a guess as to where the on/off switch would be located for
> this old garage light fixture? It's in a California house built in the
> early 1950s. The previous owners never got the fixture to work, and when it
> last worked is a mystery.
>
> The main ceiling bulb inside the garage works fine, along with a light
> outside above the man-door (one of two; the other leads to the kitchen).
> Both of those fixtures are operated with wall switches next to their
> respective doors.
>
> But the outside spotlight high above the big "garage door" hasn't worked in
> decades and nobody knows where the switch is supposed to be. I opened the
> wiring box (shown closed in that photo) and couldn't find any sign of a
> pull-chain switch. The wires are so jammed in that it was hard to trace
> them back outside the box. Didn't want to risk pulling on them, as they
> seem brittle.
>
> This may be hard to fugure out online, but if anyone knows where a 1950s
> garage switch might TYPICALLY be located, please advise. I've looked all
> over inside the garage and may have to get the contractor's wiring diagram
> somehow.


What makes you think the contractor made any notes, let alone a
wiring diagram? You've watched too many episodes of Mission:
Impossible.


--
Anyone wanting to run for any political office in the US should have to
have a DD214, and a honorable discharge.
From: Meat Plow on 3 Jul 2010 09:16
On Fri, 02 Jul 2010 21:02:28 -0500, Jim ǝʇoɹʍ:

> See this photo for reference: http://www.badongo.com/pic/9827256
>
> The white-sheated wire goes to the dead fixture and terminates inside
> its box.
>
> Can anyone take a guess as to where the on/off switch would be located
> for this old garage light fixture? It's in a California house built in
> the early 1950s. The previous owners never got the fixture to work, and
> when it last worked is a mystery.
>
> The main ceiling bulb inside the garage works fine, along with a light
> outside above the man-door (one of two; the other leads to the kitchen).
> Both of those fixtures are operated with wall switches next to their
> respective doors.
>
> But the outside spotlight high above the big "garage door" hasn't worked
> in decades and nobody knows where the switch is supposed to be. I opened
> the wiring box (shown closed in that photo) and couldn't find any sign
> of a pull-chain switch. The wires are so jammed in that it was hard to
> trace them back outside the box. Didn't want to risk pulling on them, as
> they seem brittle.
>
> This may be hard to fugure out online, but if anyone knows where a 1950s
> garage switch might TYPICALLY be located, please advise. I've looked all
> over inside the garage and may have to get the contractor's wiring
> diagram somehow.
>
> Thanks. Jim

I have a detached garage and the light switch is in the hallway leading
to the basement near the sides entrance of the house where the garage is
located.
From: Bob AZ on 3 Jul 2010 14:58

> This may be hard to fugure out online, but if anyone knows where a 1950s
> garage switch might TYPICALLY be located, please advise. I've looked all
> over inside the garage and may have to get the contractor's wiring diagram
> somehow.
>
> Thanks. Jim

Jim
The only sure way is to be sure the power is off and then take it all
apart and put it back together again. Be prepared to lose and replace
some cable/wire.

My best guess is that the problem is in the box feeding the fixture in
question. Also do yourself a favor and replace the pictured box with a
bigger one. At least twice the size. Home depot will have everything.

Forget the contractor. There probably never was a wiring diagram and
all involved are dead.

Bob AZ

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