Convert center bulb fitting into junction box for LED strips

[dave93cab]

Hi,

Sorry if this question has been posted before. I'm doing my garage up a bit, epoxy floor going in tomorrow and a paint job lined up after that Anyway..

My townhouse 2 car garage has a single bulb fitting in the center of the garage, semi-obscured by the garage door opener. Light is ok for regular use but useless if I am working on a car in the center of the garage. What I am wanting to do (and do properly) is to install some LED strips either side of the garage (minimum of 2), but I want to replace the existing bulb and use it's circuit so the light switch works etc. I'm thinking along the lines of having the existing wiring at the fitting converted into a junction box and run conduit out both ways to some LED strips mounted on the ceiling.

House is 2006 so should be modern fittings etc.

What's the correct way to achieve this following code? TX btw

Thanks

 

[75gmck25]

There are LED ceiling lights available at the big box stores that have 5-6 foot cords. Just remove the existing bulb holder and replace it with something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HEHCAU/?tag=atomicindus08-20 .
Then plug your new LED lights into the double receptacle and turn them on and off with the existing wall switch.

Some of the newer LED lights are also designed to be daisy-chained, so the light housing has a plug-in for the next set of lights. I probably wouldn't go more than about two lights in a row, but even then the amperage draw will be very low if you are using all LEDs.

Bruce

 

[CJ7VFR]

The best way is to replace the existing single bulb light fixture with a dual receptacle like Bruce said.

But if you want to set up something quickly, before you change the single light fixture over to a dual receptacle, you can always buy a screw in socket adapter that has two receptacles on it. You would also have to buy two adapters to change the 3 prong male portion of the LED lights extension cord to two prong to plug them into the screw in socket adapter.

All of this can be found at any big box store for about $6.00. This will give you the ability to set up the lights where you want them, and use them, until such a time as you replace the single bulb light fixture with a receptacle.

I had this exact set-up in the garage of my old townhouse and it worked great. I had one 4 foot fluorescent shop light on each side of the garage, but it worked for me because I was young and had good eyesight then!

If you buy LED shop lights like Bruce suggested, then you could easily have two shop lights on each side of the car, for a total of 4 shop lights. You can plug one light into another, on each side, and then plug the main shop light on each side into the screw in socket adapter.

Then you can control the lights from the existing light switch.

Jim

 

[dave93cab]

Thanks, ordered the leviton part on amazon and a few shop lights!