Instruct me on my lighting wiring circuit

[topcok88]

I am in the process of wiring up 17 6" recessed lights in my basement woodshop. I know that this will work but is this the "correct" way to do this? Or should I go directly from my switch and wire the lights in "line" instead of branching off? I only ask because this way will be easier and also waste a little less wire.

Thanks.

120v 15amp comes from the breaker using 14/2, goes to the switch, then the current single light bulb. My intention is to run the wire down the existing ceiling cavity, going to the third light, then branching off both directions as shown. Should I do this a different way?

IMG_2555 by Sean Lund, on Flickr

 

[wyliesdiesels]

all the links are screwed up

 

[topcok88]

Yes, I am sorry. I am trying to fix it.

 

[topcok88]

https://flic.kr/p/QKhtSL

IMG_2555 by Sean Lund, on Flickr

 

[Richard Cranium]

Really tough to tell with out seeing a wiring picture.

 

[joe_padavano]

Here's one of the OP's drawings. I ASSUME you plan to simply parallel connect every light. If so, the electrons don't care, it will work fine.

 

[topcok88]

Yes, thank you Joe. For some reason my Mac and/or Flickr is not playing nice with my links and not embedding properly. Yes the wiring in parallel is essentially it, but I didn't know if I was overlooking anything as far as future diagnosis/frustrations. If this is just as good as any other way then great! I will have it done tomorrow! Lights are nailed up and I have 1000' of 14/2 ready!

 

[cajunfirehawk]

Led or regular bulbs? IE whats the total wattage of all lights ?

 

[topcok88]

Led or regular bulbs? IE whats the total wattage of all lights ?

65w lights, so 1235w. My other room in my Drainage thread (17'x13') is illuminated by 12 cans and 65w bulbs. This room is 19'x13' and I am fitting a row of lights in every other joist bay for most of it. Plan to swap to LED when I get the basement done. Also, each room will be on its own 15 amp circuit for lights.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

What type of lights are these?

Incandescent, Fluorescent, or LED?

If fluorescent u need the fixture current rating NOT the bulb rating. This is important as total lighting load cannot be more than 80% of circuit capacity since its considered a continuous load.

Also u may want to consider doing 2 circuits that way if in the rare occasion the breaker trips, you're not left in the dark.

 

[topcok88]

What type of lights are these?

Incandescent, Fluorescent, or LED?

If fluorescent u need the fixture current rating NOT the bulb rating. This is important as total lighting load cannot be more than 80% of circuit capacity since its considered a continuous load.

Also u may want to consider doing 2 circuits that way if in the rare occasion the breaker trips, you're not left in the dark.

Housings are 6" recessed Halo H7ICAT and bulbs are Sylvania 65BR30/FL/CVP incandescent floods. Lighting is on its own circuit and I have at a minimum 4 240v 20amp circuits and 5 120v 20amp circuits in that one small area. I contemplated doing two circuits but dunno what would cause it to trip being on its own.

 

[Jess]

The reason for considering 2 circuits would be that there may be a limit in the code on the total number of fixtures per circuit. Where I am, I thinks its 12, regardless of wattage of lamps installed. You location may have different rules or you can choose to ignore them. The NEC & CEC haven't yet taken into consideration the advent of LED fixtures that use substantially less power, unless its a very recent amendment that I'm not aware of.

 

[Al G]

You should also look at how many conductors the junction box on the fixtures is rated for. I've seen some rated only for one set in and one set out.

 

[topcok88]

You should also look at how many conductors the junction box on the fixtures is rated for. I've seen some rated only for one set in and one set out.

"Listed for through branch (8) No. 12 AWG branch circuit 90c conductors through the box."

 

[topcok88]

The reason for considering 2 circuits would be that there may be a limit in the code on the total number of fixtures per circuit. Where I am, I thinks its 12, regardless of wattage of lamps installed. You location may have different rules or you can choose to ignore them. The NEC & CEC haven't yet taken into consideration the advent of LED fixtures that use substantially less power, unless its a very recent amendment that I'm not aware of.

So this is a great point and makes me think about this more. If a person has a housing capable of holding a 150watt light, is that person limited to sizing the circuit based on 150watts per light, even if they only have 65watt lights installed? Thanks Jess

Edit: Appears by certain websites these housings are limited to 75w fixtures. So going by the calculations 75w x 17 fixtures = 1275 watts and a 120v circuit x 15 amps = 1800 watts x 80% = 1440 watts... pretty close eh?

 

[AntonLargiader]

We had a setup like you describe - same bulbs, ten of them - in our kitchen reno two years ago. I've already swapped out to LED bulbs. I don't know why anyone would install 17 incandescent spots these days. That's a lot of heat. I liked the light quality, but LEDs are above 90 CRI these days.

 

[topcok88]

We had a setup like you describe - same bulbs, ten of them - in our kitchen reno two years ago. I've already swapped out to LED bulbs. I don't know why anyone would install 17 incandescent spots these days. That's a lot of heat. I liked the light quality, but LEDs are above 90 CRI these days.

I agree, but it's still unfinished, still lots of work going on while I'm finishing the basement, and would rather go with a less expensive option until I am done with the area. My main floor of the house is all LED and I like it very much. But down here the heat doesn't really make a difference and the light quality is very good for working on detailed stuff.

 

[AntonLargiader]

I got FEIT BR30 LEDs with good CRI for about $7 each on Amazon (turned out they were California subsidy bulbs).

 

[Shiftless]

I got FEIT BR30 LEDs with good CRI for about $7 each on Amazon (turned out they were California subsidy bulbs).

Costco has the same bulbs for about half of THAT price. I run 7 of them as part of the lighting in my garage. They work great! One thing to keep in mind though... many users report audible hum when using them with a dimmer. Mine are either off or on.
I don't know what the OP is paying for incandescent BR30's but I bet they aren't much less or maybe even more.
And the savings in electrical power will mount up quickly.

 

[AntonLargiader]

Yep - $4.50 each. Amazing. The first LED floods I bought (I got one each of three different brands to compare) were like $12~15 each, then I got ten of the FEITs over the summer for $7 or so. I got the Phillips, GE and FEIT and my wife liked the FEIT the best.

 

[teamextreme]

You may have already done the work, but I would route the wire differently to avoid all the 3 cable junctions at the top of the drawing. If you move alternating horizontal links across the top to the bottom you will create far fewer 3 cable junctions, which are just more wire crammed into the smallish j-boxes and more of a pain to deal with. You effectively create one long "snake" of wire instead of all the drops. Doing this shouldn't require any more wire than your plan.

 

[mbatarga]

I'd reconsider using 1 switch for lights. Do you need all of those lights illuminated 100% of the time you are in the shop?

For my shop which has 25 8' long fluorescent fixtures, I routed wiring in 3 groups - 1 switch controls 5 lights over my car/garage bay, 1 switch controls 12 lights and another controls 8. I only energize the 5 lights over the car/garage bay if I'm working in that area. Flipping the first of the other 2 switches - gives me 12 lights that run along the walls and down the center of the remaining part of the shop. The other switch for the remaining 8 lights provide fill-in lighting between the other 12. This allows me to adjust the amount of electricity used depending on the ambient light from windows/time of day.

 

[topcok88]

Lots of good comments and feedback. I ended up wiring as described in the diagram due to space constraints near duct work on one side of the shop. This area is a work in progress and my largest concern was getting a lot of well distributed light, in a given area, while not sacrificing head height. In a few hours I went from this single terrible light fixture to a reasonable amount of light. I still have to finish the circuits, a little framing, and drywall but it is a large enough area for me to do woodworking in currently.
IMG_2557 by Sean Lund, on Flickr
I used these fixtures from HomeDepot ($50 for 6 with out finish rings versus the $70 for 6 from Lowes).
IMG_2559 by Sean Lund, on Flickr
I used these lights because they were cheap, like $2 each if I recall correctly. Plus if I break them while doing finishing work in the area I wont feel as bad.
IMG_2558 by Sean Lund, on Flickr
And I have light so I can actually see in my basement wood shop area. Now I need to clean it and throw out more junk.
IMG_2562 by Sean Lund, on Flickr
Thanks for the advice guys.

 

[teamextreme]

That's one **** table saw.

 

[topcok88]

Thank you. I hope once the mustard yellow (Powermatic) gets in there it will compliment the black and red SS color combo.

 

[AffableCurmudgeon]

Looks nice.
I would suggest having two switches.
Also, LEDs are pretty cheap now. Less than $2 per bulb.
https://www.menards.com/main/electr...3088264083-c-7482.htm?tid=4423449017664557864

 

[topcok88]

Looks nice.
I would suggest having two switches.
Also, LEDs are pretty cheap now. Less than $2 per bulb.
https://www.menards.com/main/electr...3088264083-c-7482.htm?tid=4423449017664557864

So I used to work for Menard Inc in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and miss how much they had available for sale. Still much better in my mind than Lowes or Home Depot. I basically grabbed what was available off the shelf at Lowes and was going to worry about the LED thing later. The two additional rooms left to wire will only have 8 recessed lights each and run off a 600W dimmable switch.