Stumped with light fixture wiring

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Bullitt930

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I am trying to install a new light fixture in place of an old fixture. The wiring is still K&T.

I hooked up the hot to the black, neutral to the white, and connected the ground to the bracket.

The thing that gets me is when the switch is on the off position, there is current at the fixture through all wires. When the switch is flipped on there is no current at the light besides the hot wire.

What do I do?
 
Are you sure there's just two wires going to that outlet?
I light could care less if it's a white or a black wire going to the leads on the lights, and should work no matter which one goes to what wire, but if there's more wires that tap off and go someplace else to power something that''s another issue.
If there only two wires and no ground wire coming in and you grounded to the box then there could be a short someplace grounding to the steel cable running to the box.
 
I should have noted that the old fixture still works when hooked up with just the 2 wires. So I don't believe there is a short anywhere.
 
I'd be curious to know what you are using to detect current in all 3 wires with the switch off. Some of the more sensitive voltage testers (press-the-button-when-the-tip-is-near-the-insulated-wire type) I've used have often given a strong beep tone, even though I know the wire is "dead." I attribute it to an upstream bleed of some sort. My current tester even beeps when placed near the flimsy dead-end antenna wire from my stereo.

Maybe speedy petey will chime in soon with a better explanation.
 
Tell us more about the new fixture. If the old one works the new one should. Does it have a switch on it possibly? Are the bulbs good?
 
Problem solved!... not really. I ended up just cutting up the housing for the new fixture and installing it around the old fixture base.

There is no switches on the new light fixture and all 6 of the new bulbs tested fine in other lights. I was using a GreenLee current detector for the wires (beeps and lights up).
 
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