adding lights from an existing light source

[henry_chinaski]

i don't really know too much about wiring/re-wiring, however i can follow directions.
i want to add lights in the upper area above my garage so that i can store some stuff.
i saw this



up there, which is the light on the ceiling in the garage



can i splice into the white chord

3/8"( 1cm ) wide with these words machine printed on it:
TYPE MM-8 14-2 WITH GROUND PLASTIC 600 VOLTS CIRTEX-U (UL) R.B. FEB 24 2005 03:04
BED BATH FR DR K LR UT OTH 1 2 3 4 5 6


to add a light up in that area or do i need to call a professional?
any help is greatly appreciated.
thanks for your time.
-hc

[Phelps]

Yes, you can make such a 'splice'. That is how lights hooked up together, say in a basement, are done.

Leave the light on and then turn off the power so that you know you have flipped the right breaker.

Then take down the light fixture.

Install new ceiling boxes where you want them.

Then take another piece of appropriate desired length white 'cord', as you call it, (Romex) so it can span between the box in your photo and the next nearest box you will be/have mounted(ing).

Then poke it through one of the other available wire entry holes into the top edge of the box in your photo.

Run the wire between the boxes and inside so that you have about 6 inches of wire inside each one. (code)

You must nail a plastic romex staple within 4 inches of the box to secure the 'cord' (Romex). (code)

Then in the original box you show in your photo, splice white to white, black to black and ground to ground.

You can now reinstall the light fixture or perhaps buy/install fluorescent ones in order to create more lumens requiring about 1/4 of the wattage!!, because this will greatly cut down on the possibility of overloading the circuit. You can either install tube fluorescent lighting, or install regular incandescent fixtures and then install 'compact fluorescent bulbs' in these. You could buy 100 watt bulbs of that type, and they only consume 23 or 25 watts!!

You have to pigtail wire connect the wires of same color, of your existing or new light fixtures to the same color wires up in the box.

Do the same procedure for 2,3,or 4 more lights. (There may be some code regarding the number you can have, but I don't know what it is. But I would go the route of putting in one of the two types of fluorecent bulbs/fixtures, if I were you.

Do you know that I was able to save my boss, a landlord, hundreds (into the low thousands of dollars, by not having to rewire an old tri-plex house, when I substitute put in 100 watt fluorescents in about 6 basement ceiling light fixtures (laundromat down there), because the circuit had been overloading. But since I put in those new bulbs, which only use 23 watts each, I reduced the total wattage from 600 watts to 138 watts!!, which was enough to keep the circuit from overloading. (This was like 3 years ago in a highly used college rental and I have yet had to go there to put in a replacement buss fuse.!!)

[henry_chinaski]

thanks for the advice.

You can now reinstall the light fixture or perhaps buy/install fluorescent ones in order to create more lumens requiring about 1/4 of the wattage!!, because this will greatly cut down on the possibility of overloading the circuit. You can either install tube fluorescent lighting, or install regular incandescent fixtures and then install 'compact fluorescent bulbs' in these. You could buy 100 watt bulbs of that type, and they only consume 23 or 25 watts!!

if the fluorescent lighting will lower my energy bill then i will go that route.
my original idea(based on the my initial question here) was to copy the lighting that the builder did in the area above the upstairs bedrooms(this is 1 of the 2 up there):


and add a couple like those in the space above the garage. also, i was going to add another light exactly like the one inside the garage


at the opposite end to add more light. now based on your suggestion, i'm going to go with the fluorescent lights.
now for my next questions...

1) since i'd like to install fluorescent lights inside the garage, can i use the exisiting romex for a 100 watt fluorescent?

2) can fluorescent lights be used in the crawl space above the garage or should i just install the same type as in the space above the upstairs bedrooms(exposed lightbulb photo)?

3) is there a better way to install the fluorescent lights for more optimal lighting? meaning, parallel or perpendicular with the longer side of the garage(see diagram below)

red circle = single exisitng light
blue rectangle = new fluorescent lights parallel
orange rectangle = new fluorescent lights perpendicular




thank you for your time,
-hc

[Phelps]

thanks for the advice.



if the fluorescent lighting will lower my energy bill then i will go that route.
my original idea(based on the my initial question here) was to copy the lighting that the builder did in the area above the upstairs bedrooms(this is 1 of the 2 up there):


and add a couple like those in the space above the garage. also, i was going to add another light exactly like the one inside the garage


at the opposite end to add more light. now based on your suggestion, i'm going to go with the fluorescent lights.
now for my next questions...

1) since i'd like to install fluorescent lights inside the garage, can i use the exisiting romex for a 100 watt fluorescent?

2) can fluorescent lights be used in the crawl space above the garage or should i just install the same type as in the space above the upstairs bedrooms(exposed lightbulb photo)?

3) is there a better way to install the fluorescent lights for more optimal lighting? meaning, parallel or perpendicular with the longer side of the garage(see diagram below)

red circle = single exisitng light
blue rectangle = new fluorescent lights parallel
orange rectangle = new fluorescent lights perpendicular




thank you for your time,
-hc

If you want to use the same types of light fixtures...go ahead. Just screw in compact fluorescent bulbs instead of incandescent ones. You can screw in a 100 watt equivelent (if it fits in a globe, if you use the kind of fixture that has a glass globe) that will only generate the wattage of a 25 watt bulb (so you are saving 3/4 on your electric bill for those lights!!! You heard right. You save 3/4...not 1/4!!!) and only gives off the heat of a 25 watt bulb (better for the lamp wiring). Yet, it will give off 100 watt equivelent of light.

1. A: Yes. But are you thinking about simply doing what I just posted or are you thinking about putting in the tube-style fixtures that like have 2-40 watt 4 foot fluorescent bulbs? Regardless, you can use the same Romex to do so. When installing such metal fluorescent tube light fixtures, you do not need to mount a ceiling box/ junction first. You can literally run the romex directly into such a fluorescent light fixture. These light fixtures have 'knockouts' for you to run the wire into. Then you use a Romex wire strain relief to clamp the Romex wire to the fluorescent fixture. You put in the strain relief so that the threads are inside the fixture and then you tighten the nut on the inside. You also secure the ground wire to the metal of the fixture near it's entry point. They have a spot for that.

2. A: You can install whatever you like.

3. A: I don't think orientation matters. It's probably aesthetics.

[henry_chinaski]

again, thanks for your advice.

If you want to use the same types of light fixtures...go ahead. Just screw in compact fluorescent bulbs instead of incandescent ones. You can screw in a 100 watt equivelent (if it fits in a globe, if you use the kind of fixture that has a glass globe) that will only generate the wattage of a 25 watt bulb (so you are saving 3/4 on your electric bill for those lights!!! You heard right. You save 3/4...not 1/4!!!) and only gives off the heat of a 25 watt bulb (better for the lamp wiring). Yet, it will give off 100 watt equivelent of light.

i wasn't even aware of compact fluorescent lightbulbs

are you thinking about putting in the tube-style fixtures that like have 2-40 watt 4 foot fluorescent bulbs?

my ignorance, this was idea of what fluorescent lights were. instead of add all new fixtures i'm just going to add the same type. for the most part we rarely use the garage lights. and more than likely won't need the lights up in the crawl space all that much - so there's no need to add large expensive fixtures.

you are a wonder of advice and i truly appreciate all that you have helped me with. it seems our energy bill will be significantly lower based on your suggestions - thank you very much!
-hc

[Phelps]

You are welcome.

And just so you know...regarding those basement-closet-attic type el cheapo porcelain open light fixtures (like you have in your top photo)...you can buy them in plastic or ceramic, and with or without outlets built into them, and with or without pull chains, in case you don't need to have them all come on with the light switch all the time.

Even in new construction they will often put 4 or 6 of these down a basement, and maybe one or two...one at the bottom of the basement step area and perhaps one in the laundry area will come on with the switch. And the rest are run either on another switch or just have pull chain ones.

Those compact fluorescent bulbs can be bought on sale or sometimes a hardware store might run a promotioonal. I stock up on these at these prices: 60 watt equivelent (15 watt) for only 99 cents! The 100 watt equivelent (23-25 watts) for only $1.49! A local Hardware Hank store carries this promotional from the factory, once or twice a year! Or, find a 4-pack of the bulbs at a home center. Sometimes there is like a $2 per bulb rebate! Just don't blindly grab. Look at the prices and compare.

Oh. And I am presuming you followed the wiring instructions, eh? Whenever you see one switched box that has one Romex wire in it, that means that they switched the black wire only (presuamably they should have if they did it right), and the white wire is the return wire, disassociated from the switch. You can run one wire similarly off that one box to either a couple more boxes, or you can run one wire from the original box to another 2nd box. Then from that 2nd box run another wire to a third box, and from a third box run a wire to a 4th box, etc., and you just hook up black to black and white to white and ground to ground. And then attach the light wires (black to black, white to white) to those wires by wire nutting them.

Oh. I clicked on your link and the CFL they show is a totally encased one that actually looks like a regular bulb. Most of the common ones sold in home centers are of that spiral glass variety. Have you seen THOSE? Those are the ones that I buy.