Electrical Q - 1 switch controlling 5 lights

[mathey]

Man, this drives me crazy every time I do this...

Single switch controlling 5 ceiling lights.
12/2 wire from switch to light 1, and 12/3 wire between lights 1-5

Power comes into switch: blk/blk go to switch, wht/wht pass thru

I have lights 2-4 wired as such: blk/blk pass thru, red/red and wht/wht to light

My question is what do I do from switch to light 1?

-and-

What do I do at light 5?

Thanks!

 

[SPIKER]

I take it you want all 5 lights to come on at once?


if so then the switch will have 1 hot (black wire) from the load center, the 12/2 romex. and the white wire will be in the box with it. from the box take the same 12/2 romex and attach the white wire to the white wire. and attach the black wire to the other term on the switch. then run this 12/2 romex to the first light, and tie the lights hot lead (black or red) to the black wire and the white lamp wire to the white lead and the green lead to the bare/grean lead in the romex. continue on to next light the same way, or branch out so that all the blacks are connected and all the whites are connected to each lamps respective wire. this is called a series/parrallel circuit.
"you tied the switch in series with and all the loads in parallel with each other..."

ok any further questions please feel fre to ask.

mark M

 

[rozett]

Let me start off by saying that I am not an electrician. While I have done a fair amount of wiring in my own houses, I am not always up to date on the code.

Assumptions:
1) you are trying to control these five lights as all on or all off.... using a single switch.
2) these are standard light fixtures.. ie: up to 100 watt bulbs

If these assumptions are correct, then all you need to do is run 14/2 from the switch to light 1 and the same from light to light. So when you flip the switch, power is fed to all five lights. With five 100 watt bulbs, 14/2 will work just fine.

The only time that you would need 14/3 is if you have more than one switch. For example, if you have a switch on either side of a room and either switch would turn on all five lights, then you would need 14/3.

You would also use 14/3 if you needed power at the fixture even when the switch was off. In my last house, I wired the new family room with 14/3 all the way around the room. Each duplex outlet had the top socket live all the time, while the bottom socket went on/off with the switch. That way I could place lamps anywhere in the room and still turn them on/off with the switch.

Maybe Inspector507 will pipe in here and give a code compliant answer... /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[EddieWalker]

If you have one switch for the lights, then you only need 12/2 for the lights. The only reason for 12/3 is if you're putting in a three way switch and want two light switches.

Since you already have the 12/3, just ignore the red wire.

From the switch, go to the first light. Black to black and white to white. Wire nut it all together and run it from there to the next light. At the last one, you just end it.

14/2 is easier to work with and costs less. The 12/2 is good for 20 amps instead of 15 amps that you'd use with 14/2, but otherwise there's no advantage to spending the extra money.

Eddie

 

[Inspector507]

mathey,
Some places require 12 wire, if thats the case, by all means use it. But 14/2 will probably suffice. Spiker and Eddie gave you the proper way to connect them. I have no idea what you're doing with 12/3. No need for it.

 

[Steve_Miller]

You can tie the red wire to the unswitched hot at the switchbox and carry it up to the lights if you want hook up a ceiling fan down the road somewhere.

Steve

 

[LarryD]

Red wire doesn't go to the switch box, but if it did, he could use another switch and get two level lighting. 2 lights, 3 lights, or 5 lights.

 

[_RaT_]

Larry, I thought that is what he was asking. Controlling the 5 lights with some control. IE, light one and two with switch one and lights 3, 4, 5 with another switch. Unfortunately, he has the 12/3 after light one which helps very little. It needs to go back to the switch.

 

[mathey]

no, it was the first "simple" answer...all 5 lights come on at once...the diagrams I had were for if the power came in at light 5 and the switch was at the end, hence the red wire...

many thanks to all!