How to Wire a Fluorescent Light? With Easy Light Installation

A simple and affordable approach to add brightness and cheer to a dark or dim place is to install fluorescent lighting fixtures. These lighting fixtures provide excellent energy economy, less heat, and a broad lighting spectrum. It only takes a few easy steps, some basic equipment, and a short period of time to connect a fluorescent light fixture. As with other electrical fixtures, wiring your fluorescent fixture involves the same fundamental processes.

Wiring the Electrical Box

1. Turn off the breaker for the mild circuit. If the breaker is now not labeled or can’t be identified, ask an electrician to pick out and flip off the breaker. Work from a stepladder to get entry to the electrical box. Test between the naked ends of the black and white wires in the container to make certain the circuit is off, the usage of an electrical tester.
2. Strip off four inches of the outer insulation at one quit of a piece of 14 gauge, 2-wire romex, the usage of a utility knife. To do this, lay the wire flat and make a 4-inch reduce alongside the centerline of the piece at one end, and then fold again the outer insulation. Cut off the extra to expose the black and white wires.
3. Strip off 1 inch of insulation at the ends of the black and white wires, the use of wire strippers. Insert the ends of the wires into the open port on a 1/2-inch plastic romex connector. Pull them through till the outer insulation suits securely inner the connector.
4. Squeeze the internal stop of the connector collectively through hand. Feed the ends of the wires and the internal stop of the connector into the 1/2-inch port on a plastic electrical plate. Snap the connector into area at the plate.
5. Connect the naked ends of the white and black romex wires to the corresponding white and black wires in the electrical bow, the use of wire nuts. To do this, preserve the naked ends of comparable coloured wires alongside every other. Ensure the ends are even and then screw on the nut by means of hand. Secure every connection with countless wraps of electrical tape the place the wires healthy into the nuts, and round the base of the nuts.
6. Fit the electrical plate flat towards the face of the electrical container and align the screw holes with the threaded holes at the outer edges of the box. Secure the plate to the container with the aid of using one of the supplied screws at every attachment, the usage of a screwdriver.

Wiring the Light Fixture

1. Remove the fluorescent lamps from the mild fixture. Depending on the fixture, rotate a lamp so the contact tabs at every cease slide out of the slots at the base of the holders at every end. Alternatively, push the lamp one way towards an interior spring and decrease it out of the holders.
2. Rotate and eliminate the wing nuts that impervious the cowl plate over the wires and ballast in the fixture. Lower the plate via hand to take away it. Set the cowl plate aside.
3. Remove one of the electrical knock-out slugs at the higher aspect of the fixture, the usage of a screwdriver and pliers. To do this, preserve the tip of the screwdriver in opposition to the outer side of the slug and faucet the take care of with one hand to pressure the aspect of the slug loose. Grip the unfastened side with pliers. Twist it to eliminate the slug.
4. Hold the hooked up piece of romex it really is related at the electrical container vertically alongside the mild fixture. Cut off any extra it truly is under the decrease side of the fixture, the use of wire cutters. Lay the cease of the romex flat atop the higher aspect of the fixture and strip off four inches of the outer insulation at the end, as before. Strip off 1 inch of the black and white insulation on these wires, as before.
5. Install a 1/2-inch romex connector onto the give up of the supply wire, as before. Squeeze the internal give up of the connector and feed the wires via the port on the fixture the place the slug used to be removed. Snap the connector into vicinity on the fixture.
6. Remove the furnished wire nuts from the black and white wires on the mild fixture. Connect the bared ends of the black and white romex wires to the corresponding black and white fixture wires, the use of the wire nuts. Wrap every connection with electrical tape, as before.
7. Push each wire connections towards the upper, inner face of the mild fixture. Fit the cowl plate at the fixture and rotate the wing nuts to maintain it in place. Re-install the saved fluorescent lamps in the fixture.

Connection Instructions

1. Be cautious and shut off the relevant circuit breaker power switch. To make sure the power is off, use an electrical tester to examine the circuit. Remove any outdated hardware or fittings from the installation area.
2. Find the studs to which you will attach your fluorescent light fixture using a stud finder. Mark the location of the stud with pencil marks that are spaced just like the mounting holes on your fluorescent light fixture. Use toggle bolts if you are unable to locate a stud.
3. If your fixture has wiring knockouts, use a screwdriver to carefully pry them open. Through the hole in the fixture, connect the existing ceiling wiring. You must firmly connect your own grounding wire to the metal ceiling electrical box or metal conduit if your light fixture has a green (or bare) grounding wire but your existing ceiling wiring does not. To provide a secure, trustworthy connection, mount the wire using the correct mounting eyelets and a screw or bolt.
4. In order to align the mounting holes of the light fixture with your pencil lines, place it against the ceiling.Drill the proper length screws into the studs and through the hood of the fixture. If you’re using toggle bolts, drill the ceiling hole to the manufacturer’s recommended size (NOT the fixture). To reconnect the toggle, you might need to remove the bolt from the toggle so that it can fit through the mounting hole in the fixture. Through the ceiling hole, insert the toggle bolt, and then drill or screwdriver it into place.
5. Twist the black fixture wire and the black ceiling wire together. Utilizing UL-approved plastic wire nuts, seal the ends. Use the white wires in a similar manner.
6. If your fixture is equipped with a green (or bare) grounding wire, connect it to the existing ground wire from the ceiling wiring and make sure the connection is tight. Attach any reflector or diffusers that came with your fixture.
7. Restore power from the circuit breaker and turn on the light.