How to wire a new ceiling light fitting?
- on 02.14.10
- Ceiling Light
- 2 Comments
- Digg
- Del.icio.us
I am trying to replace the ceiling LIGHT fixture, I have a white ,black and pink/red wire, where do they go. The only marking on the new fitting is for E
Do you have just a light or a ceiling fan and light? Or was there ever a ceiling fan there? It is possible that you have two power sorces in that junction box and without a meter you are not going to know. Do you have two switches on the wall? Or can you swich this light from Two locations? All this matters. This is how you need to wire this light and if you do it this way you will be ok. First of all you need a power wire and that by code is what we call a color wire. A black wire is a power/color wire. A white wire has no color so it is therefore a neutral wire or ground. A true ground by todays codes is green. Now an old electrican will tell you that a ground and a neutral are the same thing and it’s true to some degree but they mean something to use. The are just used differently so we call them different. Long subject. ANyway you need a Black and A white wire to operate a single fixture.If you have a green wire any where just tie it to the fixtures green ground. Now the light should come on.
If this is a ceiling fan also then the other power/color wire is red. So tie a red to usually a blue in a fan. Blue is another power/color wire. Now the light should come on along with the fan.
If the light can be turned on from more than one location then you are looking at what is know as a messenger wire. A messenger does that it goes back and forth with the power depending on the switch location.
In this case you should tie that red to the other red and tie the black to your black and the white to the white.
This is long but no way to tell you without knowing a whole lot of things and the first thing to always remember is a meter is the best friend you will ever have dealing with power. It will bit you and if in the wrong position could hurt you. You have to be reaching up to work on a light so getting shocked you will fall off and will scare you. As I tell everyone " it only hurts for a minute " But I’m Being funny.. Get a meter to be safe and good luck this should do it.
Thought it was going to be easy? It really is once you read this and get a meter. I can do it by feel but I’m use to it. Be careful.
For now go online and look on manuf. website for wiring diagram.
References :
Do you have just a light or a ceiling fan and light? Or was there ever a ceiling fan there? It is possible that you have two power sorces in that junction box and without a meter you are not going to know. Do you have two switches on the wall? Or can you swich this light from Two locations? All this matters. This is how you need to wire this light and if you do it this way you will be ok. First of all you need a power wire and that by code is what we call a color wire. A black wire is a power/color wire. A white wire has no color so it is therefore a neutral wire or ground. A true ground by todays codes is green. Now an old electrican will tell you that a ground and a neutral are the same thing and it’s true to some degree but they mean something to use. The are just used differently so we call them different. Long subject. ANyway you need a Black and A white wire to operate a single fixture.If you have a green wire any where just tie it to the fixtures green ground. Now the light should come on.
If this is a ceiling fan also then the other power/color wire is red. So tie a red to usually a blue in a fan. Blue is another power/color wire. Now the light should come on along with the fan.
If the light can be turned on from more than one location then you are looking at what is know as a messenger wire. A messenger does that it goes back and forth with the power depending on the switch location.
In this case you should tie that red to the other red and tie the black to your black and the white to the white.
This is long but no way to tell you without knowing a whole lot of things and the first thing to always remember is a meter is the best friend you will ever have dealing with power. It will bit you and if in the wrong position could hurt you. You have to be reaching up to work on a light so getting shocked you will fall off and will scare you. As I tell everyone " it only hurts for a minute " But I’m Being funny.. Get a meter to be safe and good luck this should do it.
Thought it was going to be easy? It really is once you read this and get a meter. I can do it by feel but I’m use to it. Be careful.
References :