A Light on Fashion

My plans for getting some house renovation projects done over the holidays seem to have gone the way of ribbons, bows and wrapping paper the day after Christmas.

With the holidays over, though, it's time to get back to work.  The first task will be installing a fan and some ductwork to help move hot, wood stove-heated air from one part of the house to the other.  That work lies just ahead.

I did take care of one little task just before the holidays that I have yet to share.  I installed a light and switch in the master bedroom closet.  If you've seen me around looking better dressed of late, that new view of my wardrobe may be the reason.

The wiring for the light and switch has all been in place since I wired the entire upstairs some time ago, but getting a fixture and installing a switch was just another one of those hundred-odd tasks that kept getting pushed-off in favor others.

In this case, the supply comes to the ceiling box first and the wire to the switch extends from there.  Installing the fixture means first, turning off the power to the circuit at the breaker panel in the basement.

Then, at the ceiling box, I connected the neutral (white) supply wire to the neutral (white) wire on the light fixture.  The supply ground wire is connected to both the fixture's ground wire and the ground wire that runs to the switch.  Wire nuts are used to make these connections and I give a little tug on the wires to make sure they're snug and won't pop out when they're shoved up into the ceiling box.

The hot (black) supply wire is connected to the white wire that runs to switch and that white wire is marked with a black sharpie to indicate that it is a hot wire, and not neutral.  The black wire that runs to the switch is then connected to the black wire on the fixture.

The switch is wired simply by connecting the black and white wires to the two switch terminals and the ground wire to the ground terminal.  Before installing the switch in the box, the back of the switch is wrapped with electrical tape to protect the bare terminals.

Once all the connections are made, I push the wires neatly into the ceiling box and screw the fixture in place.  The wall switch is screwed into place too, and then I'm ready to turn on the power.

Wiring tasks like the one above are pretty straightforward.  The most important thing to remember is not to be careless.  Keep an eye out for bare wires and nicks in the insulation.  Don't strip off too much insulation that will leave wire exposed, and don't strip too little so that the connection is not secure.  The book "Complete Wiring" from Stanley has been very helpful to me throughout this project.

handyman