Tying 2 flood lights to existing flood light switch

I have a flood light installed on my eave in my back yard that's tied to a switch on the inside of our bedroom. I'd like to add two more flood light fixtures on the corners of the house, also facing the backyard. The current light is towards the middle of the house. My questions are:

1. Would it be a problem installing lights on both corners of the house, which would be tied to a switch in the middle of the house? We're talking about 80' linearly from one corner to the other.

2. What would be the best way to tie these two lights into the existing one?

Diagram below. See red.

 

I see no problem adding two more outdoor fixtures. The easiest way to wire them would be thru the attic. Otherwise you'd need outdoor wiring like UF cable that could be stapled around the house at the top of the wall where the eave meets.

 

Thanks for the response.

I was planning on going through the attic for the wiring. I guess my question more specifically is whether or not I just tap into the wires in the attic going to the existing light or do I run dedicated wires to the switch? The only electrical I've done around the house is replacing switches and outlets. I'm more familiar with automotive wiring, so I'm looking for specific guidance for household.

 

A specific answer would be based on the amount of slack wire between the existing light and switch. I'd cut the wire somewhere in between and install a 4" square junction box.

Be sure to turn the circuit off before cutting the wire. That cable should be 14-2w/gr. or 12-2w/gr. If it's not... let us know before you cut it.

 

Thanks again for the response.

The wire appears to be 12/2. There is plenty of slack between the switch and the light. Pic below.

So 4" junction box should do the trick? Any other tips/hints?

 

Looking at the diagrams online for 4-way junction boxes, all of them have a hot wire feeding the box and the switch coming off of that. In my setup, I won't have a hot wire, only a switched wire feeding the box. Will this setup be ok?

 

No, they have a hot going to the switch box and a switched hot to the connection box.

 

Ray,

The pic you posted is one I made of my proposed setup. If you google "4 way junction box wiring diagram" and go to images, it shows several different diagrams, some with a hot wire going to the box and a switch coming off of it. See example below. I just wanted to make sure my setup will work correctly and how to wire it inside the box since none of the diagrams I have found match mine.

 

I have removed your image because you improperly linked to an image on a web site. http://www.doityourself.com/forum/el...-pictures.html

 

Would wire ties suffice to tie the three lights to the switch? Is this as simple as splitting the 12/2 cable and tying the 4 wires together (times 2)? I also read on here that metal junction boxes must be grounded. Where would I ground this to if the j-box is in the attic?

 

Electrical cables are secured with staples, typically, or by being run through framing members, if and when they need to be secured.

Times 3.

The ground wire is in the cable with the hot and the neutral. To bond the metal J-box to ground, you add a fifth piece of bare wire to the splice of the four ground wires and terminate that piece to a green ground screw in the box.

You will need a deep 1900 (4" square) box or an 11-b (4-11/16" square) box, four cable connectors, one ground screw and one cover for the box. Pick a location where you can securely mount the box and cut the cable so that there will be 8" of the existing cable inside the box from each end.

When was your house built? If it's since the 1980s, the white jacket on the cable should indicate that it's 14-2/G. Regardless, the information should be molded into the jacket.

Is this on a 15A circuit or a 20A circuit?

 

I call wire caps wire ties, sorry for the confusion. Yes, I'll use staples for the wire.

Yep. Typo.

Thanks for the tips.

House was built in 1986. The cable is white but it clearly says "12/2 ground type NM-B". The way it is wired in the attic, I don't believe the existing flood light was original with the house. The circuit is 15A.

Thanks again for all the help.

 

IDK why they used 12-2/G on a 15A circuit. It might have been what they had on hand. Regardless, you can use 14-2/G for the two new runs.