Can I wire two fluorescent lights together?
As long as the combined maximum amperage rating of all the fixtures combined doesn’t exceed the circuit breaker rating, you can install as many fixtures as you want. On a properly installed circuit, adding more fixtures is a simple matter of running and connecting additional wiring.
Are fluorescent lights wired in series or parallel?
series
Magnetic vs Electronic Ballasts
Older magnetic fluorescent ballasts are usually rapid start and wired in series. Newer electronic ballasts are instant start (wired in parallel), rapid start (wired in series), programmed start (wired in series-parallel, dimmable and CFL ballasts.
How do you connect two fluorescent light fixtures?
How to Connect 2 Fluorescent Lights Together
- Locate the electrical box power source for the lighting circuit. …
- Cut a piece of NM cable and strip off the insulation to identify each of the interior wires. …
- Connect the wires to the corresponding color wires in the electrical box.
What are the color wires to ballast?
2 and 3 lamp instant start ballasts use blue wires for individual connections, and red wires for common connections. Black wire is for line voltage and white wire for neutral. An instant start ballast uses a single wire which connects from the ballast to each of the lamp terminals.
How many fluorescent lights can you put on one circuit?
You can put up to 30 lights (based on 50 watt light) on a 15 amp breaker. You can put up to 40 lights (based on 50 watt light) on a 20 amp breaker.
How do you wire multiple lights to one switch?
You can do this light switch wiring in one of two ways. The most common is to daisy-chain the light fixtures by connecting them to each other and hooking the first one up to the switch. The other way to wire multiple lights to one switch is to connect all of them directly to the switch in a “home run” configuration.
What do I do with the yellow wires on a ballast?
The common yellow wires connect from the ballast to push-in connectors on one of the right holders of lamp 1 or 2. Two yellow wires connect the common lampholders together.
Which wire is hot on a ballast?
Generally, the hot wire on the ballast is black, and the neutral is white. The other colors are the wires that connect the ballast to the fluorescent tube holders and to each other.
What is the red wire on a fluorescent light fixture?
The red wire is most likely a spare wire that was intended to be used when wiring for a ceiling fan. Typically when a ceiling fan is installed the red wire is most commonly used for the light and the black is commonly for the fan motor.
Can I put the red and black wires together?
These wires are typically used for switch wiring as well as the interconnection between smoke detectors hard-wired into the power system. You can link two red wires together, or you can link a red wire to a black wire. Since red wires conduct current, they are considered hot.
Can red and white wires go together?
In the US, the answer would be no, even though I am reluctant to answer this. White is not aggressive. White is neutral, black is 120, green is ground, and red is the other phase of the mains into your house.
What do I do with the red wire when installing a light fixture?
The exact purpose of a red wire for a light fixture can vary. Except in rare cases, it is a hot wire or a switched hot wire. Check the wire with a non-contact voltage tester with the power and switch turned on. If the tester indicates the wire is hot, turn the switch off and retest.
What is the extra red wire for?
A red wire up in the ceiling fan junction box usually indicates that the wiring has been installed which provides separate switch for the light and a separate switch for the fan motor. If your ceiling fan does not have a light fixture, then simply cap off the red wire and attach the fan motor to the black wire.
Which is live red or black?
Black (neutral) Red (live) Green and yellow (earth)
Why do I have a black white and red wire?
Black wires are hot wires that run to the electrical outlet from the switch. Red wires are hot wires common in a 240-volt outlet or when a wall switch controls the outlet. Blue and yellow wires are hot wires for ceiling fans and three- or four-way switches. White or gray electrical wires are neutral wires.
Does the red wire connect to black or white?
Attach the black wire to the outlet you want to always be on (usually the top one) and the red wire to the switched outlet. Connect the white wire to either of the chrome screws (remember, they are still joined) and the ground wire to the green ground screw.
Which wire is hot when both are same color?
In most modern fixtures the neutral wire will be white and the hot wire is red or black. In some types of fixtures, both wires will be the same color. In this case, the neutral wire is always identified by some means. In some cases, there will be small writing on the wiring case.
