I am looking to add a new lighting circuit to my living room. Currently their is no fixture or switches in this room. My home is a single story and I do have good access to the attic.

I would like to run 14/2? from the panel through conduit in the attic to the living room. I would like to install in this order, three recessed lights to switch, then to fan to switch,(control fan and light from same switch), and then to three more recessed lights to another switch. Power to run from recessed, to fan, to recessed

I have minimal experience in wiring. I have installed remote control fans, switches , and other fixtures. I have no experience running new service like this. I have read many books and have got a basic grasp on this project now.

From the box to first set of recessed lights and then to switch # 1 I would like to wire like this;

power(black) from circuit to white of switch(mark as black with tape)

white from circuit to white of recessed lights

black from switch to black recessed lights.

Can I do it like this?

I would like to wire the fan and then the other set of recessed lights like this.

I don't know if this is correct? Looking for some help thanks. Of course all power will be shut down prior to working on this project.

 

Why conduit? I would only use conduit where required by code or if there were some chance the wire would be subject to abuse.


I think I understand how you want to wire, but I am not sure you made it clear for others. Please clarify.

Are the recessed lights all separate fixtures (size separate lights)?

If at all possible I would keep the fan on a different switch than the lights.

 

Sorry for the confusion. The recessed lighting will be three individual lights and will be controlled by one switch.

The fan will be controlled by another switch.

The next set of three individual recessed lights will be controlled by its own switch. Hope this clarifies it.




thanks,


Mike

 

Your plan will not work, at least not without using a mixture of 14/2 and 14/3 cable (mostly 14/3), and making connections that will seem unnaturally complicated to you.

There are a lot of ways to do this so that it works, and even more ways to do this so it won't. I'll give you my preferred approach, which is the approach hardest to screw up. I believe that it is a mistake to try to cable this based on minimizing the amount of cable you use (the traveling salesman problem). You cannot simply start at the nearest box and go to the farthest box.

Run the cable from the breaker box to the nearest switch box. Then run the cable from this switch box to the next switch box. Then from this switch box to the last switch box. Once you get this done, then run more cable from each switch box to what that switch will control.

 

As John says, what you want to do will require a mixture of 14/2 and 14/3 cable.

I would suggest either what John says or running power from the panel to one of the first 3 lights, then to the fan, then to one of the second three lights. Once power is to all three locations, then run a single 14/2 from each of those locations to the switch. Now you need to connect the actual devices (lights and fan) to the return from the switch. For the lights you will need to run 14/2 to the second and third lights from the first light at each location.

Just be careful to make sure that you do not exceed box fill and that you reidentify the white that will be a hot.

There are a mariad of ways to wire this. Whatever makes most sense based on your layout is what I would do. I suggest my way since you only need to fish a single 14/2 down the wall to each switch.

 

Thanks for the reply's. I am still a little confused and I think it is mostly because I didn't explain things well. I will try again.

I want to connect a row of three recessed lights to a switch. All three lights will be controlled by one switch.

In the middle of the room I want to connect a fan, controlled by its own switch.Both fan and light together.

An then another row of three recessed lights to be controlled by its own switch.

All three switches are to be located right next to each other.
If this is how you interpreted it disregard, I just want to make sure we are all on the same page.

Thanks again, I really appreciate you all taken the time out to help.

 

Based upon your latest information, I would side with John.

Run 14/2 from the panel to the box containing the switches. Then run three wires from that box, one to each location (first of 3 lights, fan, forst of 3 lights).

At the switch box connect all four white wires together with a wire nut.

At the switch box connect all four ground (bare) wires together and to each switch. You must also ground the box if it is metal. There are many ways to do this, with and without wirenuts.

Then connect the black wire from the panel using a wirenut to three pigtail pieces of black wire. These go to one of the terminals on each switch. The other terminal on each switch is connected to the black wire from one of the locations (lights or fan).

The switch box will have a lot of wires in it, and may be difficult to pack them in. Just be careful to keep the bare ground wires away from the terminals on the switches. I like to do the grounds first and push them as far as possible to the rear of the box. Be thankful you don;t need 12 guage wire, as it is even harder to work with!

At the fan just connect up the black, white and ground wires.

At the first light of one set of 3 connect up the black, white and ground wires to the light and to another piece of 14/3 that goes to the second light of the set. Connect the second light and an additional 14/2 to the 3rd light of the set. At the third light just wire it up.

Wire the second set of three lights identical to the first set of three lights.

Good luck.

 

Thanks again. How is the 2nd light, three wire hooked up? Just for my information, why must a 14/3 be used. I am just trying to learn so I just don't follow directions but can understand why things are wired in a particular way.


Mike

 

You don't need 14/3 if you wire it this way. 14/3 would only be needed if you wanted to carry a neutral, a hot and a switched hot in the same cable.

If you follow what John and I are suggesting, you will only have a constant hot going to the switch box. The wires from the switch box to the fixtures will always be a switched hot, you will not need constant hot at all.

You will end up with a star configuration. Hot going to the switch box, and 3 switched hots going from the switch box directly to the fixture.