Hardwire LED Shop lights?

[thais0n]

Hey guys, this is my first post here!

My garage setup is a 2 car/1 car setup - 2 separate bays. In each bay, there is an overhead fluorescent fixture (the 1 car has one fixture, the 2 car has 2). Each side is controlled by its own wall switch

I recently bought four of those Feit LED workshop lights from Costco and am struggling to figure out how to wire them up. It would be awesome if I could somehow tie them into the fluorescent fixtures so everything comes on with one switch. The LED lights have a plug, so I would need to cut that.

Is this possible? Would it be to code? Any other thoughts?

Thanks in advance

 

[E.Marquez]

Hey guys, this is my first post here!

My garage setup is a 2 car/1 car setup - 2 separate bays. In each bay, there is an overhead fluorescent fixture (the 1 car has one fixture, the 2 car has 2). Each side is controlled by its own wall switch

I recently bought four of those Feit LED workshop lights from Costco and am struggling to figure out how to wire them up. It would be awesome if I could somehow tie them into the fluorescent fixtures so everything comes on with one switch. The LED lights have a plug, so I would need to cut that.

Is this possible? Would it be to code? Any other thoughts?

Thanks in advance

CODE is a specific issue you'll have to figure out for your area.. though following NEC (which I'm not qualified to speak on) normally seems to meet local code issues for a residence.from what i have seen personally.
... as well as permits needed if your local requires them.

As to how... your current fixtures have an AC line running to them, you'll need to pigtail off them into a junction box and hard wire the new LEDs to that, OR you could pigtail off the existing hard wiring into a receptacle box, wiring up a single 115v 15 amp receptacle and then just plug in your new LED lights.

 

[RunninOnEmpty]

No offense intended here - just saying this for your own safety:

If you can't figure out how to hardwire something without asking, you really need to just hire someone or find a friend that has experience doing electrical work.

At the very least, you have a good bit of learning to do before you should start digging into mains electrical work.

 

[E.Marquez]

No offense intended here - just saying this for your own safety:

If you can't figure out how to hardwire something without asking, you really need to just hire someone or find a friend that has experience doing electrical work.

At the very least, you have a good bit of learning to do before you should start digging into mains electrical work.

Well put and I believe well intended

I should have caveated my post with the same

 

[thais0n]

No offense taken, and I have done some basic electrical work. But never converted a plug to hardwire.

Also was just hoping that someone could share what they have done with these lights besides manually plugging and unplugging them. I have seen a ton of pictures of these things in people's shops, but no idea how people are powering them. Is it a switched outlet? Maybe something else?

I was considering running an outlet off of the fluorescent fixture - so it would be a switched outlet that I could plug the LEDs into, which in effect would have everything controlled by one switch. But I didnt think you were supposed to run a receptacle off a light like that.

 

[RunninOnEmpty]

Theoretically you could add an outlet to an existing light - some lights come this way already. However if the light doesn't have a built in fuse or breaker, you would want the entire light to be wired with 14 gauge wire. You always want your wire to be able to handle the current that the breaker might allow because you don't want the wire to catch fire. You always want your electronics to have fuses when hardwired and code probably requires it too.

I don't recommend adding an outlet if you aren't familiar with electrical code in your area. If there is ever a fire in your house and the insurance company finds wiring not to code, they will not cover the damage, even if it wasn't caused by what you did.

The easiest way to do this is to simply have an outlet on the ceiling which you can plug lights into and it can be switched. This is what I recommend - highly - especially since you aren't very familiar with electrical work.

 

[Beemer533]

I could be wrong, but I don't think you can modify a light fixture that is designed to be plugged in to be hardwired... I'm not saying it won't work, I don't think it would be code compliant though (depending were the OP is of course).

 

[Platonic Solid]

I wouldn't hardwire a disposable unrepairable light fixture. As to whether you can turn your current fixtures into outlets - as long as the lighting circuits you're dealing with are on a dedicated breaker and the feed wiring is 14 Gage, I don't see why not.

Actually, I believe it's code that lighting circuits must be independent, thus installing outlets off the lighting circuit would be against code, but heck - my entire house is wired with lighting and outlets on the same circuits - but it's an old house before the code changed.

I should probably stay out of this conversation, cause what I would do and what you should do are likely opposing.

 

[tms0425]

I am finishing up my electrical/lighting circuits and getting ready to put up steel on the ceiling. I originally planned to use standard hardwired T8 fixtures and poke a 3/4" hole through the tin and properly clamped into the flush fixtures, but I bought some of the Feit corded LED fixtures and decided I liked them a lot, so changed the plan to just use switched outlets on the ceiling.

I did open one up to consider whether it could even be modified to be hardwired. It has a flimsy plastic enclosure with 3 small delicate pc boards that fall out when you take it apart. No way you could fix 14g wire or pigtails into them at all. I wouldn't attempt to convert them, regardless of the code situation, and I've done a ton of wiring and mods of electronics.

 

[James-W]

I wouldn't hard wire a disposable unrepairable light fixture.

I would tend to agree with you, I don't think it is such a good idea either. if the cord color is a problem, replace the cord with a color more appropriate, or paint the existing cord to the desired color.

 

[thais0n]

Thanks for all the help guys. After looking here, I am simply going to use one of these things - I just plug it in, then plugs the lights into it, and then i have a wireless remote that I can mount on the wall or carry around the shop.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DQELHBS/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I can use some of the plastic wire track to make the cords runs along the ceiling a little cleaner looking.

 

[k7txoradio]

Re: Hardwire LED Shop lights? (2 wire plugin)

Not sure this has been nailed down yet re two wire plug in LED fixture such as the ones sold at COSTCO (FEIT fixture I believe).

Can the NEC code be met by plugging these UL approved hanging fixtures with 6 foot two wire cord into 3 wire GFCI protected rafters-mounted outlet boxes directly over each fixture? Wall switch controlled and 15 amp panel breaker protected of course.

Gene

 

[glockman]

In my area the arrangement you just described passed code. I have a switched outlet in the ceiling over my bench and two of the feit lights plugged into it. My electrical inspection was a little over a year ago.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

 

[Empty Pockets]

Worse case, check your code, run the existing power to a plug, put a plug on the end of the existing florescent fixture, and plug them both into the newly installed outlet

 

[sberry]

If they come with plugs wire a place to plug them in. You cant cut the ends off and hard wire the cords. Go back to the Jbox that feeds the other fixtures and wire on a receptacle using the same size cable that feeds that box, add a power strip after if yo need additional recepts.

 

[matt_i]

I got these porcelain lampholders w outlet for the existing part of my shop to replace similar plastic lampholders running CFLs. Reason is that the previous owner installed the 3-1/4" tiny round boxes which cannot support an outlet like the 2-1/8" deep 4" octagon boxes can.

Otherwise I was going to have to be up and down from the attic cutting in octagon boxes, digging thru cellulose insulation (cough, cough) making a huge mess and working blind under the attic floor in the center.

I also like them because the plug-in LED (from Costco) has a pull-chain, AND, if you were to ever move, simply unplug the fixture and take it with you to your next place, no modification is required and lights still exist.

It doesn't address GFI concerns but a controller could be installed in the circuit or a breaker.

Leviton 9726-C: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00002N5FR/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[alwak]

Glad to read this about the costco LEDS .I been thinking on getting some,have already put some utillatec from Lowes up and the are great bright light .I just wired some gang boxes up . Other places I hard wired them in. I like the white light better and have found you can't always go by what is on the box. How is the lite on the Feit ones, is it bright daylight or the soft can;t see s???t. They are a lot cheaper that util . So far I have dropped over 1500 watts in my shop with LEDS & the new fluorescent .I like the pull switch that way I can just run what I need at the time I;m in a 40x60 and don't need the whole thing lit up all the time. Good luck on the Wiring just think it out but don't over think it.Al in Wasilla