Barn Lights in Series


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Old 08-01-06, 05:29 PM
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Talking Barn Lights in Series

Ooookay.

I'm completely revamping the old barn. It's got two working lights - and three stalls, a hay room, and a tack room. You see my problem. I purchased all the fixtures I need, got them mounted on 2x4's and ready to go(saves me from putting each box up, then tottering on a ladder to wire them... I'm too bloody short).

Now, these lights are gonna run in a fish-hook type pattern. Wire to the switch from the breakers... then 3 lights down the aisle, turn, one light in each stall and the tack room, then the last in the hay room. I've already got the old lights on a new switch (thank god, the old one was a fire waiting to happen).

Questions are:

1. What type/size wire would be recommended? The max wattage for each fixture is 60 (I have 23-watt bulbs waiting in the wings). The breakers are 20 and 30. The fixtures have grounding screws in them.

2. Each fixture has the black and white coming out, and the ground screwed into the strap. How do I daisy-chain those together? Especially if I use a 14-2 wire that has the two conductors (black and white) and the ground.

Gah... not to seem like the 'dumb chick'... but I love doing the stuff myself... and well - it drives the hubby up the wall. but I just wanna make sure I got the right train of logic before I go putting up the new wire and fixtures (ripping out the old stuff as we speak, how therapeutic)
 
  #2  
Old 08-01-06, 07:05 PM
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Are you working all the lights off one switch? If so, bring your power to the switch box, take a cable from the switch box to the first light. In the switch box, tie your white wires together with a b-cap, and place one of the black wires on the bottom screw and the other on the top screw. At each light fixture hook white to white and black to black and the grounding wire to the metal box with an appropriate green grounding screw.
You used the term "series", and you don't want to hook them up in series, but parallel.
Now as far as your breakers, if you use 14-2, you use a 15 amp breaker; 12-2, use a 20 amp breaker; 10-2 for a 30 amp breaker. No exceptions, except to overwire it. Don't over breaker the wire, or your wire becomes your fuse. Not a pretty sight.
Post back if we can help further, and Good Luck. You can do it.
 
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Old 08-11-06, 01:13 PM
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over fusing

I would not use a 30A CB on a simple lighting circuit as described; rather a 15A CB. If you plan on later using some power equipment requiring high current, the 30A feed will be of use.
 
  #4  
Old 08-11-06, 01:50 PM
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Lights

If you are using bulb socket fixtures that only have screw connections and no wires, you will need to pigtail a short piece of wire at each connection to connect the fixture.(2 blacks and one end of black pigtail wirenutted together. Other end of pigtail to fixture. Do the same for white wires and ground.
 
 

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