Wiring lights in parallel

[ckadams00]

Have looked and looked but I can't find any type of diagram on this.

I have 15A power to the ceiling outlets (for shop lights) in my shop. All work was done by an electrician. there is 14/3 coming into the first outlet (from panel), then running to another outlet, then to a switch as follows:

Panel---Outlet---Outlet---Switch.

I have two questions. First, I want to take out the outlets and wire in four can lights in parallel. I think this is pretty simple to do, I am just looking for a parallel diagram with the SWITCH AT THE END. Everything I have found has the power coming into the switch first.

Second, the 14/3 wire used does not have a ground? It has purple-white-red - where purple and white are connected to the outlet and the red runs past the outlet entirely to the switch. Shouldn't this be 14/3 with a ground?

Obviously this was done by a professional so I might be missing something on the ground . . .everything I can find to read refers to a ground wire though, so I wanted to check before I get started on anything.

Any help would be appreciated!

 

[Falcon67]

Are you sure the purple runs back to the breaker? Does the switch have the purple on one side and the red on the other?

 

[Fenton]

Check at Menards. I picked up a book, actually more like a pamphlet, at Menards that had a blue cover and was only about 30-40 pages thick that had the various wiring diagrams including the one you are asking about. I found the diagrams in this book more helpful than what was shown in a couple of the other books I had bought. Plus, it was less than $5 if I remember correctly.

 

[ckadams00]

OK found out that the actual feed from the panel comes into a box and feeds two circuits. Not really important, it's confusing - jump ahead to my question if you want). There is now way I'm goig to find a book diagram like this. I think the wire from the panel is 5wire, it branches of to two parallel outlets, two outlets upstairs and a shop outlet. The parallel switches run to a switch at the end which controls onlyt he two parallel outlets, not the three others. Anyway, not really important.

There is 3 wire running to the two outlets and ending in the switch. I am going to insert three additional florescents on this line, so I need to cut them into the three wire in parallel - I know what I need to do that.

Here's my question (finally, sorry) The three wire is purple, red, white. The red is the one that runs directly to the end switch. The purple and white fun to the fixtures. There is no ground ?!). Since there is already the red wire runnig to the switch, I don't think I need to use 3-wire to add in the additional fixtures - just two wire - and still be in parallel. The 2wire has a ground - where do I tie this to since the existing wire doesn't have a ground wire?

Realize this is confusing. . . .

 

[r_olson_06]

what kind of cable are you using some cable or conduit can be considered as the ground conductor. A few examples are mc cable with alumn ground, sealtight on circuits less that 20a and emt. Now if this is the case you should a 2wire out of the outlets to the light fixtures. The red is the switch "hot" feed and the purple is the "switched hot". Tieing the lights to the purple wire would make the lights run off the switch. And now for the ground. The ground should be tied to the box if metal by means of a ground screw or pigtail. Hope this helps you.

 

[ckadams00]

Got all the lights wired and it works. A couple of issues: testing an outlet in the run I have a "neutral/hot" switched. This surprised me because I wired it the way I took it apart. So, it looks like i need to switch the wiring on the outlet - not a big deal.

Second, when this was installed (professionally) there was no ground wire used. Don't understand that - thought ground was always necessary/good idea. I used 14/3 to run the parallel, and there is a ground wire, so all the new lights are grounded and the ground wire runs from the first light to the second, third, fourth, and then terminates at the outlet. There is no ground from the original junction box to the first light and there is no ground wire from the last outlet to the switch.

I am going to run a ground wire from the last outlet to the switch box. Just don't know how to tie the ground into the original switch box. Or does it matter?

The plan looks like this:

original junction box(with outlet) - light 1 - light 2 - light 3 - light 4 - junction box (with outlet) - switch.

Thanks, I know talking to us newbies about electric is trying, but I want to do it properly.

 

[nkachur]

I am having some problems visualizing. Can you take some pictures of the inside of the boxes and post them?