Help with wiring new lights in my garage

[awesometool]

Originally Posted by GregWeld

THIS DIAGRAM IS COMPLETELY INCORRECT!!! DO NOT WIRE YOUR SWITCH LIKE THIS!!!

The WHITE wire - should come from the panel to the switch BOX only and be junctioned there with the WHITE wire going to the LIGHT --- the SWITCH should have a BLACK wire from the panel to one screw (or push in) on the SWITCH with ANOTHER BLACK from the screw (or push in) to the LIGHT....

REMEMBER - You ONLY SWITCH ONE LEG OF ELECTRICITY!!

This diagram shows a WHITE CONNECTED TO A BLACK -- NEVER NEVER NEVER!!!!

Your switching the hot wire just like the diagram. Your way would use much more liner foot of 12/2. I have on average of two electrical inspections per week at my companies work sites and if we pull full power to the switch box it would not pass. Just do a search for "diagram of a switch leg" it never has a netrual wire at a switch. If you look at any new construction or remodel project it has one wire to the switch box.

[scherp69]

I finally got to go back in the shop to work on the lights. I ended up running the power wire straight to the switch, pigtailed the black power to the my two switches and connected the whites together. From there everything else was black to black and white to white connection. I then changed out the 20 amp breaker and put in a 15 amp and it was go time. I flicked the switches on and I have lights again!!! And it's way brighter in there now too!

It's strange though...I know now that 14 wire goes with a 15 amp breaker. I looked at all the wire I yanked out...it's all 14 wire and has been running on the 20 amp breaker for the entire time. Oh well...it's all good now.

Oh and as for the stereo...it was plugged into a separate circuit and playing away. As soon as I turned the lights on...static. Guess I'll be running cable into the shop :devil:

Thanks again for everyone input and advice. I really appreciate it.

[GregWeld]

Wiring 101..... :>) Not hard when it's done "right" you got light!

http://www.electrical-online.com/ima...to%20light.gif


While there are "variations" of this basic switch wiring... this is what most home guys should stick with IMHO.... easy to figure it out when something doesn't go right... and anyone looking at it can see what's up.

GOOD JOB!!

[Garage Dog 65]

Never wire the hot line directly to the florescent fixture first. Hot should only run to the switch - and then the fixture - then to return. I've seen ballasts catch fire due to partial shorts that don't pop the breaker. Power should be off the fixture(s) when the switch is in the Off posn.

(I've seen people tap into an existing hot plug line in the ceiling {Ex: GD opener} - then drop a switch leg down the wall to the switch. That leaves the circuit hot all the time. Easy - but dangerous IMO)

Jim

[GregWeld]

Electricity makes a CIRCUIT -- when you switch one leg of that circuit OFF - there in no more circuit... whether it was hot or not.... one line of electricity doesn't make electricity...

[Garage Dog 65]

Talking about chassis shorts or partial shorts to neutral. If it happened when the circuit was energized - at least you'd be in the room when it smoked.

[GregWeld]

RIGHT!!

Tell you what --- I wired my shop myself... with the "over look" from my buddy who's an electrician. At the time - I would have had to wait 6 weeks to get him here - so he said -- "just do it yourself" and I'll stop on my way home to make sure you're doing it right...

Well --- I had to tear some of it out. He said that the BEGINNING of each outlet run - had to be started with a GFCI - because with a CONCRETE FLOOR - it could transport ground through moisture in the concrete... and I could be working with a tool and place my hand down on the floor and complete the circuit... SO THAT WAS GOOD ADVICE. A GFCI would immediately sense the short and trip... but a circuit breaker would just fry me first.... :>)

The other funny thing I did - when pulling the 220 circuits - I was pulling THREE wires - black / white / green... he started laughing at me - cause I was moaning about how much work it was to pull those three big wires through the conduit... I was pulling a GROUND and of course I didn't need to since the conduit is the ground. As long as I didn't go more than 6 feet with any "flex"... over 6 feet with flexible (like the jump between the wall and the lift) I didn't need a separate ground wire. DOH!

I was tempted to run GFCI circuit breakers - but he told me just to do the GFCI outlets at the beginning of any run - or if I ran a single outlet circuit to just use the GFCI type. That was easy.

The best part was he let me use his account at the big electrical supply house so I could get all the stuff I wanted - and I could get really heavy duty outlets etc. I didn't want to use the 99 cent versions from Home Depot...

[Garage Dog 65]

[QUOTE=GregWeld;250331]The best part was he let me use his account at the big electrical supply house[QUOTE]

That's just not fair !

[GregWeld]

[QUOTE=Garage Dog 65;250383]

Originally Posted by GregWeld

The best part was he let me use his account at the big electrical supply houseQUOTE]

That's just not fair !

I know Jim!! Trust me - I was like a kid in a candy store... Got nice commercial 8' fixtures instead of the Home Depot versions - they were A LOT more - but it's unbelievable how much better they are. The ballast must be three times the size - and the sheet metal alone is twice the gauge....

Then they had all these way kool little metal "hammer on" beam clamps! I could get a beam clamp (never heard of one before I started on this project) for just about anything I wanted to do! Since I wanted my electrical "exposed" - I could just get a beam clamp that would hold the conduit... no holes to drill - just pound 'em on and done! Got beam clamps that had holes to hang the fluorescent fixtures from ... just snake an S hook in there and some chain - done. Got chain on a spool... that was pretty easy... Plus - since the guys at the shop eventually found out I was building a "hot rod shop" -- they all became very helpful!


Don't know if you can see it in this picture - but the flex stuff I used for the garage door openers etc - is all just run along the metal roof joists using these way cool little beam clamps!

Just ignore the Wayne Due clip hanging there....

[rwhite692]

Greg what are your plans for that WD clip?

I have another 69 sitting in my side yard that needs one, heck I should be ready for that car in around 8 years.

if you ever decide to part with it, you better let me know!!

Also, +1 on the "real" (ie, Commercial) flourescent fixtures with the good (meaning, long lasting, low EMI, fast-starting) ballasts. 8ft 4lamp T8, with 1 ballast per fixture, <10% THD.

I bought a total of sixteen Lithonia fixtures (not cheap!) for my 24x36 detached garage.

There will be four rows of fixtures running the shop lengthwise continuous end-to-end.

I just spent the last three days texturing/priming/painting the ceiling (vaulted) and hopefully will get the fixtures put up this weekend.