New light fixture wiring question..?
Question:i have one switched light in a long hallway and want to add another light fixture cotrolled by the existing switch. can i safely jumper the existing fixture to the new fixture? i'm not certain about breaker amps or how much is on that breaker; and does that matter?
Answers:
Unless that circuit is close to being overloaded you shouldn't have anything to worry about with one light. You can extend the switch leg from one light to a new one if controlling them with the existing switch is what you had in mind.
Shouldn't be a problem unless your putting a 400 watt halagon. You should be able to extend this circuit no problem.
should not be a problem one more light isint going to really overdo the breaker... if your still weary turn the breaker off and you can see what else is attached to the breaker in your home chances are its not that much...
If this is a really long hall way what I would do is this:
1. connect the two light fixtures in parallel to each other ( electrically) so that if one goes out the other will not.
2. Install a new wall switch at the other end of the hallway.
3. Both wall switches will be 3-Way Switches so the lights can be turned on and off from either switch at any time.
To Connect the three way switches:
1. Notice each switch has one terminal on one side, and two terminals on the opposite side. Connect the black power line to the One terminal side. The white wiring is always joined together with wire nuts and not connected to the switches at all.
2. From the side that has the Two terminals, connect a red line and a black line, these will go to the "other wall switch" and it won't matter how they are connected to the other switch as long as they are connected on the side with " Two Terminals"
3. After connecting the "Red, and Black" lines to the second wall switch, and still connecting " White wire to White wire" using wire nuts & electrical tape.
4. Run a "Black line" off of the "One" terminal of the second switch, to a juntion on the ceiling, bring the white wire with it to the same pont. This junction would be located between the two light fixtures and will have a black and white wire in it. Connect the two fixtures to the same colored wire in this junction ( in the junction each will have three wires to it.)
Black wire in junction connected to black wire from light one, and black wire from light two.
White wire in junction the same, coming in, light one, and light two wrapped with wire nut and electrical tape.
Result:
1. You have two light fixture that are independent of each other. if one burns out the other will still function.
2. You have a switch at each end of the hallway so that the lights can be turned on or off from either end of the hallway. Therefore, you can enter one end of the hallway and turn the lights on, exit through the other end and turn the lights off.
Materials:
2 switch boxes
2 3-way wall switches
2 switch covers
2 light fixtures
1 Junction box ( cetrally located on ceiling)
3-Way wire ( has ground, black, white, and red wires in it)
Wire Nuts and Electrical Tape
Junction box cover - if sold seperately
You'll have a little bit of work to install the new wall switch, and the junction box in the ceiling midway between the two light fixtures.
Remember, the power lines come into the one switch already.
1. Feed the back to the switch connect a black & red on the other side of this switch.
connect the white to the white. Send wire to switch2.
2. Feed wire from junction to switch2. Connect black to junction to switch(the side with one terminal on it). Connect the white to white. connect the red & black to the switch2.
It really isn't too hard - other than running your lines and cutting your holes.
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