Shared neutral for lights on two switches?

[cadunkle]

I am getting parts together to do lights in my shed. I am thinking of using 7x 4' two tube fixtures with direct wire 120v LED tubes. I won't need all that light most of the time so am thinking it would be nice to wire them so only one tube in each fixture comes on with each of two switches. Can I use 14/3 for this, run through all 7 fixtures and sharing the neutral?

The tubes I intend to use are 15w each, for a load of 1.75 amps on the fixtures that would share a neutral to control tubes on two switches. I will have two more traditional fluorescent T8 fixtures with electronic ballast and 4x 32w tubes on the circuit, to light the upstairs storage when needed. These will be on a third switch and should pull about 1.07 amps or a bit more for ballast inefficiencies. So max load on this circuit will be 3 amps or less, though I suspect that doesn't matter.

If I can't share a neutral within the same fixture, how do I wire this functionality to current code and safety? Two 14/2 wires between all fixtures, grounds to the fixture, hot and neutral separate to each side of each fixture?

 

[pattenp]

If this is a circuit on a single pole breaker where you are just using 14/3 to provide separate switching then there is no problem, you are not actually sharing the neutral. I don't assume you are using a multiwire branch circuit with a 2pole breaker for the lighting circuit which would also be okay. This is actually sharing the neutral.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

As said above, if youre only using one ungrounded conductor to feed the lights, then youre not actually sharing a neutral

 

[cadunkle]

Sounds like what I'm thinking is not sharing the neutral. This is for multiple switches on one lighting circuit using a single pole 15a 120v breaker, all terminated in the same fixtures and grounded with the same ground wire.

I think I misunderstood the term sharing a neutral. A shared neutral would be between two breakers or circuits. This is all on one breaker, two hots separately switched but from the same breaker, same phase, and in the same fixtures grounded with the same ground conductor.

 

[Terry D]

As already said, its not sharing a neutral since its all the same circuit, and yes, you can use a 14/3 cable to simplify the wiring