Red wire used as black?

[garyttu]

I have two switches near the entrance of a room that used to be connected to a fan and light (one controlled the light and one the fan)...It looks like this (one circuit):

http://gallery.avsforum.com/showphoto.php?photo=5945&size=big&password=&sort=1&cat=507

Can I use this wiring to control two DIFFERENT sets of recessed lighting I want to install? Perhaps using the 'red' wire as a 'black'? Will this work?

http://gallery.avsforum.com/showphoto.php?photo=5955&size=big&password=&sort=1&cat=507

[Rewired]

quote:Originally posted by garyttu

I have two switches near the entrance of a room that used to be connected to a fan and light (one controlled the light and one the fan)...It looks like this (one circuit):

http://gallery.avsforum.com/showphoto.php?photo=5945&size=big&password=&sort=1&cat=507

Can I use this wiring to control two DIFFERENT sets of recessed lighting I want to install? Perhaps using the 'red' wire as a 'black'? Will this work?

http://gallery.avsforum.com/showphoto.php?photo=5955&size=big&password=&sort=1&cat=507

[Rewired]

quote:Originally posted by Rewired

quote:Originally posted by garyttu

I have two switches near the entrance of a room that used to be connected to a fan and light (one controlled the light and one the fan)...It looks like this (one circuit):

http://gallery.avsforum.com/showphoto.php?photo=5945&size=big&password=&sort=1&cat=507

Can I use this wiring to control two DIFFERENT sets of recessed lighting I want to install? Perhaps using the 'red' wire as a 'black'? Will this work?
http://gallery.avsforum.com/showphot...sort=1&cat=507

From what it sounds like and what I could see you could use that set of wires to control the two DIFFERNT sets of lights you want. The white "neutral" wire will be common to both sets of lights, and the "red" will be used as a "black" they are both hot wires anyway

[garyttu]

Is it ok to share the neutral at the light box? Since I have 2 sets of lights I'd have one 14/2 going to the first lights connected to one hot (black) and the lights on another 14/2 connected to the other (red)...

Using this set up however I would be connecting 3 white wires together at the box (1 from the first 14/2, 1 from the second, and the one coming from the source/box)... Is it ok to do this "2 to 1 sharing" when it comes to the neutral?

[Rewired]

quote:Originally posted by garyttu

Is it ok to share the neutral at the light box? Since I have 2 sets of lights I'd have one 14/2 going to the first lights connected to one hot (black) and the lights on another 14/2 connected to the other (red)...

Using this set up however I would be connecting 3 white wires together at the box (1 from the first 14/2, 1 from the second, and the one coming from the source/box)... Is it ok to do this "2 to 1 sharing" when it comes to the neutral?

Yes its ok! The ceiling fan you had there originally was wired like that only internally. (fan motor and lighht neutral joined internally and brought out of the fan as a single wire.) Now in your case you are substituting two strings of lights in place of a fan motor, and the light on the fan.