I have a ceiling fan that keeps tripping the breaker. I changed out the light socket and that wasn't it and then I checked the fixture and a green wire was not connected. I connected it to the neutral and it still trips the breaker. I think it's the ground wire and needs to attach to something else. Help.

Good question, proper wiring is a crucial virtue that needs to be one hundred percent accurate.

Three wires showing from the ceiling lamp fixture harness, positive, negative, and ground.

The negative wire is the white wire,
The Hot wire (positive) is the wire of brighter color than known negative,
220V AC (alternating current) home wiring to(" duplex outlet switch, GFI switch, single/dual pole light switch, lamp fixtures,") the Hot wire or lead, is normally Black, the lighter color, or White is neutral or neggative,
Neutral wire (completes circuit) allows current flow to continue through to other parts of house, Alternating current.

The Ground wire is usually wrapped in green color, or unmarked copper.

The copper wire from the ceiling will need to be grounded to the metal bracket on the new light fixture, a gold or silver screw, sometimes tagged with green, is the proper grounding location, Any place on Metal not attached to ceiling bracket, Ground should be attached to metal on fan,

White wire from Fan is neutral, Negative.
Black wire from Fan is Hot Wire, Positive,
If Blue wire from Fan is Not Manufacture spliced, Meaning no Copper is exposed, Wire is not used, Blue wire is NOT ground,
If Fan has a light, Voltage from Hot Black wire will supply both light and fan functions,

Safety First.
flip off breaker switch to the room fan is being installed.

Doubble Check
Black^Black wire connection is secure.

White^White neutral wire connection is secure.

Ground is fastened securely to metal or wrapped under a screw.

Using splice caps is recomended, The plastic shell encloses the wire connection ensuring No stray copper is exposed, limits possibility of cross wiring.

Google the brand of fan being installed, and Check wire color code, and wiring diagram, Info good to have, and checking twice will only guarantee Lamp Fixture Install Well Done.

(Blue wire may be there for installing multiple ceiling fixtures in a loop circuit, so all controlled by same light switch.)


Enjoy Your New Fan,

Jos
Thoughts&Comments, encouraged [email protected]

With the power off, make sure the connections are correct and tight. Check the fuse/circuit breaker and switch in that order.

If turning on the lights caused such a huge surge of power that it flipped the breaker, it could have been enough current to fry the hot wire (the one electricity flows into the fixture from) leading from the source to the fixture, or to blow the contact point where it connects to the fixture. This is even more likely if the fixture is old and doesn't have a green grounding wire to dissipate excess current, or if your wiring is prone to weakening from age or animals chewing on it.

If this is the case, you should flip the breaker to the off position and call an electrician immediately, since the hot wire will still be live up to the point of the break. A live wire floating around in your ceiling is a major (and I mean major) fire hazard.

Is it a new installation? Your ceiling fan should never trip a breaker unless it has a problem in the fan or light fixture attached to it.

I think you have a mixed or a connected wire problem. It looks like your breaker has tripped, doesn't need to spark... :) to trip. Is everything the same voltage ? Are you sure there's power at the switch mentioned..
Don't take anything for granted, respect electricity..

Test each light separately.
Black Hot wire arrives at one screw on the switch. The Hot black wire going to Lights connects to other screw on the switch.
The White Neutral that completes the circuit to lights is connected with other white wires that are covered with wire nut pushed to back of box.
Open up light#1, and the Hot and Neutral arrive from switch box.
The Hot and Neutral going to lights#2-6 are also located inside light#1 box.
Check each wire for signs of high heat and burning. Check each wire if the insulation has been sliced, or cut short, or if copper is visible because wire nut does not cover wires correctly
http://waterheatertimer.org/How-to-select-right-wire-nut.html
Disconnect Hot and Neutral going to lights#2-6, so switch is only turning on light#1.
Test if there is a short when turning switch ON.
Then repeat step, so switch turns on light#1 and light#2, but light#3-6 are disconnected.

If you need further help, I’m available over the phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/gene_9f0ef4df2f9897e7

check the wiring connections to 2 light fixtures,sounds like a short between these 2,but I would check each individual lamp.

The green ground wire should connect back to the ground wire in the terminal box (in the ceiling). If the wires there are not insulated, the ground will be the bare one. Connecting it to the white (neutral) wire should not trip the breaker, though. You may have the hot and neutral swapped back at the breaker panel.

Check your wiring for short circuits. If you turn the switch on and it pops it may be in the switch box or up in the fan box. Also make sure the fan blades spin freely. A motor overload or short circuit would be the only reason for the breaker tripping immediately.

For Hampton Bay ceiling fan replacement parts!!!
There is a a major ceiling fan manufacturer in Fort Lauderdale FL called King of Fans (website: kingoffans.com) that deals strictly with Hampton Bay ceiling fans & parts. They are the Home Depot distributor for Hampton Bay ceiling fans. Their number is 1-800-330-3267. There is also a 1-877-527-0313 number for Hampton Bay products other than ceiling fans...