Lights & Electricity + swtich??

[_8_Ball]

Hey guys,

I just installed 5 sets of flourencent lights in my basement and I connect a switch the whole thing the problem is the following...

if the switch is on OFF and the breaker is "on" then all the lights work, but if I flick the switch to "On" then it trips the breaker and everything goes off... I was wondering...

How to I connect the main power the lights and the switch together?

right now there connected like the picture that is attached... I believe it's causing a short, I'm just not sure how to fix it...

Thanks,

[GonePostal]

Switch needs to be in series with the lights not parallel... When the switch is off your lights are still on because you switch is in parallel.
It should be
Power ---- Switch --- L1 - L2 - L3 -L4 -L5
You have it
|-Switch-|
Power-------------L1-L2-L3-L4-L5

[JSully]

:withstupi

[min]

I think you've got the switch wiring mixed up
if it works when your switch if on the OFF position and shorts it when it's on the ON position, you've got things backwards

main power should not have any direct connection with the lights, the switch is what connects them to give the flow of power

[Gyno Rhino]

Do as GP said. Right now, the switch does nothing but mess up your circuit.

You need the switch between the power and the lights. If the switch is off, no power should come through to them - if on, power flows through. You need a series setup.

Again, go with GP.

[RichLockyer]

Ditto.
You don't have a location in your profile, so color codes could be different, but in the US, the colors will be white, black, and bare copper or green.

Bare copper/green is your safety ground. This should be attached to the metal frame of each light and tie to the grounding lug in the breaker panel.
If you are using Romex cable, it will be a paper-wrapped bare copper wire.

White is the neutral. It comes from the neutral bus bar in the breaker panel (where all the other white wires land) and goes directly to every fixture.

The black wire is the hot lead. That comes from the breaker to the switch. The other pin on the switch goes out to the fixtures.

If you're in Europe, the colors are green/yellow for the safety ground, blue for neutral, and brown for hot.

[_8_Ball]

Thanks for all the replies... that's what I though... now for the question I should of asked at the beginning...

Connecting the power to the switch will be easy... White, Black Ground... BUT, how to I connect the lights to the switch?

I have a switch like the one in the picture... how do physicly attach the lights to the switch & power?

In other words, How do I physicly add the switch in the middle...

What kind of wiring do I need to do?

F-F-F-F-Switch-Mainpower?

Thanks,

8

[_8_Ball]

Crap... I think I just facked up.. and I waisted to much time...

After a little bit of reading I think the way I connected things is very very flawed...

I did it this way... The florencents have 2 wires Black and White... All I did was run 1 wire between all the florescent boxes and connect all the black to the blacks and all the whites to the whites.. and I basicly end up with 1 white and 1 black wire comming out of the last box...

I think this was wrong... I'm still not sure how to connect all of them together but it seems it's facked... 2 days worth...

I'm stumped... and pissed!!

8

[Gyno Rhino]

It's hard to understand what you said, but it sounds like you connected them all in series?

That would work, but it's not the best way to go about things.

[_8_Ball]

Yes, they are in a series. My confusion lies in the following:

How do I intergrate a switch between the main power and the lights? because I'm left with 2 sets of wires (One from the end of my light series and one from the main power (both have 1 black wire and 1 white wire) How do I connect them up to the switch so that they are not touching (hence giving them power regardless of the switch), yet still letting the switch provide power to the lights?

Thanks for everyone's help so far...

8

[Gyno Rhino]

The switch should have a place to hook up the power on one side, and the lights on the other.

By flipping the switch, you control whether the circuit is oepn or closed.

[_8_Ball]

The switch should have a place to hook up the power on one side, and the lights on the other.

By flipping the switch, you control whether the circuit is oepn or closed.

ohh.. that might be my problem... I only got a single pole... (2 screws on just 1 side + ground on the other... )

I have a newer looking model of this:

Do you know the correct name for the switch your talking about?

Thanks

8

[_8_Ball]

hehe... I got it... duh! double pole... dumbass!

I will go pick one up tonight...

[RichLockyer]

ohh.. that might be my problem... I only got a single pole... (2 screws on just 1 side + ground on the other... )

I have a newer looking model of this:

Do you know the correct name for the switch your talking about?

Thanks

8

Nono... you don't need a double pole unless switching 220/240.

The WHITE wires all go back to the neutral bus... you never switch them.

The fixtures should not be connected in series. Series means that the white from one fixture connects to the black from the next fixture, and so on down the line until they are all connected. You want a PARALLEL connection....
Look at this drawing. The white wire goes to the neutral bus and the black wire goes to the breaker.

The switch is in series with the rest of the circuit, but all of the lights are in parallel, which provides them all with the same voltage. Connecting them in series would require a power source of 600 volts to power five fixtures.

[GonePostal]

Lights in parallel with each other. In series with the power source.

[_8_Ball]

Hey guys,

It's working now...

RichLockyer your diagram finally made me "get it".....

Thanks to everyone for their replies... my basement which only had 3 pull lights now has 5 sets of flourescents...

I also workout down there so it's even better now...

thanks again!

8

[RichLockyer]

Thanks to everyone for their replies... my basement which only had 3 pull lights now has 5 sets of flourescents...

I also workout down there so it's even better now...

Sweet. Glad to be of help.
More light is always good... if it's too bright, you can always put on your Gatorz