Can lights and power be on the same circuit?

A light fitting cannot be connected to a dedicated power circuit. That’s why the circuit is designated as POWER at the fuse box, because it is a dedicated power circuit. Powering down that circuit removes power from power points on that circuit and not lights.

How do I add a light to an existing circuit?

You can usually install a light fixture between an existing one and the switch by cutting the cable to the existing fixture at the location of the new one, inserting the ends of the cable into the electrical box for the new fixture and pigtailing the new fixture onto these wires.

How do you wire multiple lights with power to light?

You can do this light switch wiring in one of two ways. The most common is to daisy-chain the light fixtures by connecting them to each other and hooking the first one up to the switch. The other way to wire multiple lights to one switch is to connect all of them directly to the switch in a “home run” configuration.

Do you wire lights in series or parallel?

If all your lights operate on the same voltage, such as 12V or 120V, and you want to turn them on or off individually, wire them in parallel. This is always done for home and office lighting. If you have 50 mini bulbs rated at 2.5V and you want to power them from 120V, wire them in series.

Where does the wiring go in a light fixture?

The hot black wire from the power source travels through the switch and from there to the light. Flipping the switch interrupts the flow of electricity to the light, turning it off and on. If power goes to the fixture before heading to the switch, you have “end-line” wiring. Only one cable enters the switch box, coming from the fixture.

What to know about light switch wiring before you try any?

The white wire to the switch should be marked black to indicate that it is hot. (Ground wires are not shown.) If the line carrying power comes into the light box first, the circuit must still be wired so the switch interrupts the black line. The white wire from the service panel is wired to one side of the light.

Is the white wire on a light switch a load wire?

If you see a white wire on the existing switch, that is not a neutral. It is either a LINE or a LOAD wire. It is a common wiring practice when wiring with only a two conductor cable to use the white as LINE and the black as LOAD. As I explained above the white is supposed to be re-identified with another color, but is often neglected.

What do you need to know about power through wiring?

Wrap a piece of black electrician’s tape around it at both ends or color the end black with a marker to show that it carries power. With power-through wiring, power enters the switch box. The feed wire (the hot wire coming from the service panel) runs to the switch before it goes to the fixture.

How is a light switch wired to a neutral terminal?

This circuit is wired with a 2-wire cable running from the light to the switch location. The neutral from the source is connected directly to the neutral terminal on the light and the source hot is spliced with the white loop wire. The white wire is marked black on both ends to identify it as hot. At SW1 it is connected to one of the terminals.