Help with wiring please.

[curious_mal]

Hello all,

I have a single strip light on the garage roof but would like to replace this with a couple of low energy bulbs and add more of the same at both ends of the garage as it has always been a dark place. I was planning on using batten fittings for the bulbs, fixed to the joists. The switch is on the wall beside the door and the light is in the middle of the roof with two cables out to it. I was thinking of bringing one of the cables back near the switch and putting a junction box in to feed the new fittings off however I cannot get my head around the current wiring inside the current light. From the pic can you help me with which cables I remove do I rejoin in the junction box and which ones will still run out to the light.

Thanks and hope it makes sense.

 

[sparkyspike]

The black core is your neutral. The 2 reds are your live feed in (contained in the same sheath as the neutral) and out and the remaining black with a red tag is your switched feed from the switch. Rather than put a JB by the switch, put a jb here, where your strip light is. Even better, use your first batten holder as a jb. Put two reds in the loop terminal, black in N and black with tag in L

 

[RF Lighting]

You currently have this setup:

You shold ignore the "feed to next light" as your wiring does not have this.


Lots more about lighting in our wiki.

//www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:single-way-lighting

 

[breezer]

one black is switched live the other is neutral. its normal (except the switched live should have red tape)

put the two blacks into the batten holder lamp terminals , the two reds in the loop in terminal

take another cable from the two blacks to the next batten holder, then take another cable to the next batten holder, then take another cable to the next batten holder.

All earths should be connected to n apropriate eath terminal in the battn holder patress.

Personally i would leave that light where it is and just add the extra lights.

I guess you don't know what the energy saving lamps are really called?

They are called CFL's = Comapct Flourescents

they also do not take as long to "warm up" as CFL's do

 

[mdbalson]

If I was you I would keep the current light & then add two more fluros, one at each end of the garage.

 

[curious_mal]

Thanks a lot for the replies gents, wiring understood....

I am slightly confused about the type of bulb / lighting being recommended. I would like to go for efficiency as the lights are on quite a bit with one thing and another (including no window) so I was going to go for similar to these...

in pairs in batten fittings. I already have some in the house , they are 23w and are pretty quick to give off a good white light, or would a good old fluorescent tube be just as good?

thanks again

Mal

 

[breezer]

yes, those are CFL's compact flourescents. They are minature versions of what you already have

as some one else said keep the light you have and add some more or batten holders

 

[TicklyT]

The lamps you have shown are a form of flourescent lamp. It's just that the length of the tube has been rolled up into a ball, and the electronics have been crammed into a bayonet cap to make it fit in a bayonet lampholder.

For a utilitarian work light, I would prefer a straight florrie to give a more even light distribution.

Painting the ceiling white will make a lot of difference to the light levels too