Don’t try to work on your home without a permit. You could face a hefty fine if you’re caught. Also, if you make a mistake and do any damage, insurance may refuse to cover it if you didn’t have a permit. If you’re not working on your home wiring and are just daisy-chaining lights as a hobby or activity, then you probably don’t need a permit. If you aren’t sure whether this job requires permits, contact a local electrician and ask.
Common switch wattages are 300, 600, and 1,000. This means if you use 100 watt bulbs, these switches could respectively support 3, 6, and 10 bulbs. [3] X Research source Make sure you’re looking at the wattage measurement on the switch. Switches also mark amps and volts. These are different measurements. Never overload light switches. This is extremely dangerous and will cause a fire. If you need more bulbs than the switch can support, install a new switch first.
Your breaker box may have a wiring plan on the inside cover showing which areas each fuse connects to. Use this as a guide to locate the right fuse. If you can’t locate the right fuse, then switch the master switch in the middle to the Off position. Remember that this will cut off power for your whole home while it’s off.
If you do get a volt reading, do not work on the wires. Double-check and make sure you turned off the right circuit breaker. If you can’t stop electricity from flowing to the room, call a professional electrician to inspect your wiring.
Always make sure there are no obstructions above the ceiling before cutting through it. Drill a hole where each fixture will be and insert a piece of wire or hangar. Feel around for obstructions. Then, when you’ve confirmed the path is clear, cut the hole.
Hold onto the light fixture when you remove the wires if nothing else is securing it. The wires may already be pigtailed, meaning that they’re twisted together before attaching to the light fixture. This makes daisy-chaining easier. To disconnect the wires, remove the wire nuts holding them together. Then unravel the wire ends from each other.
If there is excess wiring when you’re done, just coil it up in the light fixture. Do not mix up the colors you use. Always use white wires for the neutral and black wires for the hot.
If the fixture wasn’t already pigtailed, then you’ll need to make a pigtail. Disconnect the hot and neutral wires from the fixture. Cut another white and black wire 3 inches (7. 6 cm) long and attach them to the fixture. Then pigtail those wires with the original hot and neutral ones and the ones that you’re running to the next fixture. The advantage of pigtailing is that if one light burns out, the other lights in the chain will still work. Connecting all the wires directly to the fixture will stop the electric current if that light burns out.
You can also staple the wiring to the wall if you don’t want to work through the walls and ceiling. If you’re daisy-chaining fixtures that aren’t in the ceiling or wall, then just run the wiring to the new fixture.
If you’re connecting more fixtures after this one, then continue using pigtails until the last fixture.
Ground wires are occasionally wrapped in green rubber. This depends on the local codes. Some local codes also require ground wires to be joined with a nut instead of twisted together. Check the local regulations for the correct procedure.
If the lights don’t work, turn the power back off and double-check the connections. Make sure all the wires are in the right spots and have a tight connection. Never troubleshoot electricity without turning the power off again. Remember, lights should be wired in parallel rather than in series. [15] X Expert Source Marvin WooLicensed Electrician Expert Interview. 31 January 2022. When wired in series, if one bulb fails then the entire group of lights fails. [16] X Expert Source Marvin WooLicensed Electrician Expert Interview. 31 January 2022. Safety is a matter of wiring technique, proper wire sizing and load calculating. [17] X Expert Source Marvin WooLicensed Electrician Expert Interview. 31 January 2022.
