# Wiring of bare copper wire in a light fixture



## Rehabber (Dec 29, 2005)

It is grounded correctly:yes:


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## Piedmont (Nov 1, 2007)

x2

You did it right, the bare copper wire should be wire nutted to the green wire of fixtures/switches if they provide it.


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## joed (Mar 13, 2005)

If the boxes are metal they need to be grounded witha ground screw. If the boxes are plastic you are fine.


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## Fleet_Foxes (Jul 16, 2009)

Thanks, all of you. The previous (older) fixtures didn't have a grounding wire. And the bare copper (house) wire in one box was attached to a mounting screw and in the other box wasn't attached to anything. So I suddenly (late last night) started wondering if I should have first run them to a mounting screw and then to the fixture's ground wire.

So, now I'm still confused. The boxes are metal. Can I cap them directly together, or do I need to run the bare copper wire to a mounting screw (or purchase a green grounding screw) *first* before capping them together?


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## Fleet_Foxes (Jul 16, 2009)

Okay, so I think that I indeed have NOT wired this correctly. If I understand what I've been reading, then my light fixture may be grounded but the metallic electrical box might not. I believe I should have:

1. run the bare copper wire to a grounding screw in the electrical box so that the box is grounded (in my case, it will have to be a mounting screw)

2. following on from there, connect the copper wire to the green insulated grounding wire of the light fixture.

It's the first step that I skipped.


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