Elementary Light Wiring

   / Elementary Light Wiring #1  

lakngulf

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When wiring a light and switch I have always run the hot to the switch and then to the light fixture. On a current project of lighting a storage area, I could use a lot less wire if I brought the hot thru the lights first. I want to have four light fixtures off one switch...nothing fancy.

Will this work if I cut and attach the white at each light, and let the black run continuous to the switch? Then both white and black attach to the switch?

Seems simple enough but I googled the concept and the first find hooked a hot black to the light, and the white from the switch to the side of the light. Then the other black and white were wired together. And the white was marked black, and attached to the switch on bottom, where I would have assumed black would be connected.

Help!
 
   / Elementary Light Wiring #2  
Inserting the light into either the white or black wire only sounds like you get a series circuit. You want the lights in parallel--light across black and white.
 
   / Elementary Light Wiring #3  
I think this is what you are trying to do.

three.jpg

But I think it's easier to just run wires parallel like dave1949 states

wiring-multiple-lights.gif
 
   / Elementary Light Wiring #4  
just run a "switch leg"...you can still break the hot regardless of where it is fed from...
 
   / Elementary Light Wiring
  • Thread Starter
#5  
Found the following while researching the best method. I think I will just stick with power to switch and then to multiple lights. I know how to do that. The instructions below sound way to complicated, and why is 14/3 needed?

here is how it goes;

from power source 14/2 to ceiling box...... 14/3 to next box........14/3 to next box .........14/3to next box..........14/2 to single-pole switch and box.

black from power source wire nutted to black in all ceiling boxes and the 14/2 black to the switch.

white from power source wire nutted to white from light and to 14/3 white to next light then nutted to next light white and 14/3 to next light etc. This white stops at the last light white wire.

black light wire in first box is nutted to 14/3 red wire.. second light black wire nutted to the 2 red.....3rd light black nutted to red and the white from the 14/2 to the switch. this white wire should have black electrical tape on both ends to show it is being used as a black (hot) wire.

in switch box the black and the remarked white goes to the single pole switch screws.
 
   / Elementary Light Wiring #6  
I think this is what you are trying to do.

View attachment 363351
Found the following while researching the best method. I think I will just stick with power to switch and then to multiple lights. I know how to do that. The instructions below sound way to complicated, and why is 14/3 needed?

here is how it goes;

from power source 14/2 to ceiling box...... 14/3 to next box........14/3 to next box .........14/3to next box..........14/2 to single-pole switch and box.

black from power source wire nutted to black in all ceiling boxes and the 14/2 black to the switch.

white from power source wire nutted to white from light and to 14/3 white to next light then nutted to next light white and 14/3 to next light etc. This white stops at the last light white wire.

black light wire in first box is nutted to 14/3 red wire.. second light black wire nutted to the 2 red.....3rd light black nutted to red and the white from the 14/2 to the switch. this white wire should have black electrical tape on both ends to show it is being used as a black (hot) wire.

in switch box the black and the remarked white goes to the single pole switch screws.

I think your written description is the same thing as slvda00's sketch.

It is really worth it for safety's sake to switch the hot before the lights, it's probably code anyways. When the switch is off, there is no power at any light.

The third wire is passing the hot from the power source to the switch, just passing through each light box with no connection to a light fixture.
 
   / Elementary Light Wiring
  • Thread Starter
#7  
I think your written description is the same thing as slvda00's sketch.

It is really worth it for safety's sake to switch the hot before the lights, it's probably code anyways. When the switch is off, there is no power at any light.

The third wire is passing the hot from the power source to the switch, just passing through each light box with no connection to a light fixture.

Thanks for your help. I have wired several lights and switches, with power to switch first. I plan to do this project that way. Saving a few feet of wire is not worth it.
 
   / Elementary Light Wiring #8  
Lakngulf,

You have one light with one switch and power goes to light instead of switch right?

Run a 14/2 from the switch box to the light box. In the light box, hook the black from power wire to white of switch wire. Hook the black from the switch wire to the light and white of power wire to the light.

At the switch box, hook the switch across white and black. Done.

If you want to add another light across the room, connect a 14/2 from the new light to the black and white on the old light. The switch will control both lights.
 
   / Elementary Light Wiring
  • Thread Starter
#9  
Lakngulf,

You have one light with one switch and power goes to light instead of switch right?

Run a 14/2 from the switch box to the light box. In the light box, hook the black from power wire to white of switch wire. Hook the black from the switch wire to the light and white of power wire to the light.

At the switch box, hook the switch across white and black. Done.

If you want to add another light across the room, connect a 14/2 from the new light to the black and white on the old light. The switch will control both lights.

Now that sounds simple enough. I do want to have about four lights off the one switch
 
   / Elementary Light Wiring #10  
Just keep hooking the new lights to the old lights. If you draw out what I said, you will see the power will come into the light box and immediately go down the white to the switch, and back on the black to the light. It gets trickier when you want to add another switch.

Now that sounds simple enough. I do want to have about four lights off the one switch
 
 
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