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| Installing Your
Chandelier or Lighting Fixture ›› |
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When working with electricity always:
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Turn off the power.
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Test the wires to ensure the power is off.
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Lock out the panel box, so no one can accidentally turn the
power back on while you are working.
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Check with local authorities to see if a permit is required.
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Have your work checked by an inspector.
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Wear eye goggles and a dust mask.
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To avoid overloading the circuit, consult a licensed
electrician.
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Basic
Electrical Overview
The
following are the basic principles of wiring in your home which can
benefit every homeowner:
- In
contemporary wiring, individual wires run in a sheathed cable.
"Two-wire with ground" and "three-wire with ground" cables are
available:
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Two-wire with ground cables have a black wire, a white wire and an
uninsulated ground.
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Three-wire with ground cables (used when installing three-way and
four-way switches) have a black wire, a white wire, a red wire and
an uninsulated ground.
- Older
houses may have two-wire system called "knob and tube" wiring. With
this system, individual wires are insulated with white or black
treated fabric.
Telling the Difference Between Wires
Regardless of the type of wiring you have in your home, here are some
basics to remember:
- The
white wire is usually the neutral wire, but sometimes wiring
installation requires it to be a hot wire. If the white wire is the
hot wire, code it black with paint or electrical tape. A previous
installer may not have coded the wire so be careful. If a red wire is
present, it should also be hot.
- The
black wire is "hot."
- The
exposed copper wires are ground wires.
Circuit Location
- If a
single cable enters the box (or one set of black and white
wires), the fixture is at the end of the circuit. This is usually, but
not always, the situation with ceiling light fixtures.
- If
two cables enter the box (or two sets of black and white wires in
older "knob and tube" installations), the fixture is in the middle of
a circuit.
- A
third cable (or set of black and white wires) may also enter the
fixture, depending upon the installation. The placement of the fixture
within the circuit affects how it is wired.
If
Your House Has Aluminum Wiring
If your
home has aluminum wiring—the metal under the insulation is almost always
white instead of copper-colored. Aluminum and copper wires should be
connected with a wire connector specifically rated for this purpose.
Otherwise, copper and aluminum will react with each other, possibly
leading to a loose connection and creating a fire hazard.
Replacing Existing Light Fixtures
Chandeliers should be mounted at least 30" above a table to allow for
headroom. The diameter of the fixture should be 12" less than the width
of the table.
Before
removing the old light fixture, be sure to observe the first rule of
electrical work—Turn off the power to the circuit on which you plan
to work!
- Do
this at the service panel (breaker box), and check the circuit to make
sure it is off.
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Inexpensive circuit testers are available. The testers are essentially
a light with two probes designed to handle house current. They are
useful for testing ground and hot wires, and for determining whether a
light fixture is carrying current.
- A
non-contact voltage detector is available which can detect between 100
and 600 volts AC without actually having to touch a wire.
Once the
circuit has been turned off at the breaker and has been checked, there
is no need to fear working with the wiring on that particular circuit.
The
second rule to remember when replacing fixtures is—Wire the new one
back in the same way the old one came out!
- The
majority of the time when replacing light fixtures you simply connect
white wires to white wires and black wires to black wires.
- If
several wires are involved, however, or if the wiring seems more
complicated and perhaps even includes a red wire, take note of the
connections before you disconnect them.
- Make
yourself a sketch of how the fixture is wired (index the sketch by
wire color) or mark the wires themselves with masking tape and a
pencil so you will know how to put them back.
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Good idea:
The
physical installation of your new fixture depends upon the fixture
itself, so refer to the manufacturer's instructions for directions
on this part of the process. |
- Now
that you know how the existing wiring looks, remove the old fixture.
- Make
your electrical connections by "tying in" to the home wiring using
plastic connectors, often called "wire nuts." Install the connector by
twisting it onto the wires.
- If the
chandelier includes a ground wire (bare or green insulated wire),
connect it to any other ground wires and grounding screws already in
place in the metal electrical box used to support the chandelier.
- Finish
installing the chandelier as indicated in your manufacturer's
instructions.
What
If Something Goes Wrong?
If you
have wired the chandelier just like the old fixture, it should work
fine. But sometimes mistakes are made.
Test the
bulbs. If the bulbs are fine but the chandelier still does not work,
turn off the breaker and perform the checks listed below.
If you
have miswired the chandelier, one of two things will happen:
- Either
the breaker will trip when you turn on the light switch
- Or it
simply won't work
Double-check to see that the breaker is off.
- If the
breaker has indeed tripped, look again at your sketch or your masking
tape tags to see where the wrong connection was made.
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Double-check your wire connections to see that the wires are properly
connected and insulated by the wire nuts.
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