If you are re-installing an older fixture, the fixture wires may not be color coded. If so, choose one fixture wire and connect it to the black supply wire. Connect the other fixture wire to the white ceiling wire. Connect the silver or copper ground wires.

What wires do I connect for a light fixture?


Quote from Youtube video: It's the bare copper wire. And it usually attaches to a green screw on the mounting bracket. Remember when you're working with the wires.

Does it matter which way I wire a light fixture?





Tip. The fixture still works if you reverse the wires, but the socket sleeve will be hot, and anyone who touches it while changing a bulb can get a shock. When wired correctly, the socket sleeve is neutral and only the small metal tab at the base of the socket is hot.

Which wire is the hot wire on a light fixture?

black wire

Here’s a rundown of electrical wires: The black wire is the “hot” wire, it carries the electricity from the breaker panel into the switch or light source. The white wire is the “neutral” wire, it takes any unused electricity and current and sends it back to the breaker panel.

How do you wire a new light fixture?

How to Replace a Light Fixture

  1. Turn off power to the old fixture. …
  2. Remove the canopy to expose the wiring and fixture hardware. …
  3. Unscrew the three wires: black, white, and copper. …
  4. Remove old light fixture. …
  5. Install new bracket (sometimes). …
  6. Connect new fixture wires.

Which wire is L and N?





The N is for the neutral side or the white wire, and the L is for the load side, the black wire.

What side of wire is positive?

The Round / Smooth Side is Always Positive. If the wire is Black and hooked to AC, then the Wire is Positive and White is Negative. If the wires are Red and Black (for DC Purposes), then Red is Always Positive and Black is Always Negative. 3 of 6 found this helpful.

What are the 3 wires in a light fixture?

A standard box for a light fixture will have three wires, a white (neutral), black (current), and copper (ground.)

How do you wire a light fixture with two sets of wires?

Connect the lead wires from the fixture to the black hot wire in the electrical box by twisting a wire connector to the ends of the lead and hot wires. Repeat these connections with the two white neutral wires from the light fixture and the white neutral wire in the light fixture box.

Do you have to connect ground wire for light fixture?



If it’s metal, you’ll need to ensure it’s grounded at the site of the light fixture by attaching the grounding wire to the box itself. If it’s plastic, grounding isn’t necessary, but you can install a grounding screw and wrap the grounding wire around the screw.

What happens if the light fixture doesn’t have a ground wire?

You can either wrap the ground wire in the electrical box with tape and let it float in the electrical box, or you can attach the ground wire in the electrical box to the light fixture, or appliance, itself.

Can I attach ground wire to mounting screw?

Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: The ground wire from the green terminal on the receptacle. The one that's connected to the metal box.

What happens if you don’t connect the ground wire?



The appliance will operate normally without the ground wire because it is not a part of the conducting path which supplies electricity to the appliance. In fact, if the ground wire is broken or removed, you will normally not be able to tell the difference.

Do I need to connect both ground wires?

The reason that wiring devices have grounding connections that accept only one wire is that otherwise, if two ground wires were connected to the device, then if someone later removed that wiring device and then re-applied power without wire-nutting the grounding conductors, there would be a break in the ground path for …

Do you need a ground screw if you have a ground wire?

It is not required to ground the mounting plate. That green screw is only there for convenience of grounding a metal fixture with no separate ground wire.

What kind of screw can I use for grounding?

Ground screws must be -32 thread pitch or finer, and must be threaded into the metal box. 10-32 is the “conventional” size. And most metal boxes have a hole tapped for a #10-32 screw for precisely that purpose. This is visible as a hole slightly smaller than the normal mounting holes.

Does ground wire connect to ground wire?



Ground Wires and Ungrounded Fixtures and Boxes



When you have a ground wire and there is no place to attach it then place a wire connector over the end, coil up the ground wire and push it back into the electrical junction box. IMPORTANT: Never cut the ground wire off.