Wire Up Outlets and Switches Using Romex
It’s ok to locate an outlet 12″ above the floor. Install your outlets higher if you would like to. Switches commonly go 48″ off the floor but that too can vary if need be. We will assume the light fixture is a surface mounted one and will be located in the center of the room.
Purchase 4 “Romex outlet boxes with romex clamps”. Also purchase 1 “Romex Octagon shaped Light box” with romex clamps installed. A romex box includes simple clips or clamps that will anchor your Romex wire in the box. Also purchase 14-2 or 12-2 WG Romex wire or cable. It comes in 50 ft, 100 ft or even 250 ft rolls. Consider adding about double to what you initially think you’ll need. I would suggest the 250 ft to begin with.
Knock out one of the tabs on each of the romex boxes so that you can slip the wire into the box.
Using a tape, mark a line on the front of each stud along the wall where you want the outlets to be anchored. Mark on the front of the stud where the switch will go too.
Using a 16d box nail and a hammer, anchor the box with two nails coming through the side of the box and into the stud. Allow 1/2″ of the box to stick out in front of the stud so that it will end up flush with the drywall, usually 1/2″.
The light box anchors into a piece of 2 x 4 installed between two joists or trusses. Align it so that it also sticks down about 1/2″ from the joist.
Run 1 piece of Romex wire from each box to the next and allow about 6 – 8″ to stick out of each box. Drill 5/8″ holes through the center of each stud with a wood bit, so the romex can fit through. Also run one wire from the light switch to the light box in the ceiling.
Run one last piece of romex wire to the “source” where this circuit will gain it’s power. This source will be the circuit breaker box probably located in the basement or garage. Run this wire all the way to the source and cut it long. Hook it up later, no now, to insure no shock. Run this source wire from the 1st outlet you installed and not the light switch.
Remove the front metal cover on the breaker box. It is typically held on by 6 screws. Be sure and use these same screws when you re-install this cover as they have rounded ends and will not puncture any wire inside the box.
Notice how the white and the copper colored wires hook together on one or both sides of the breaker which run down the center. Black wires carry the power to the circuits throughout the house.
Look for the brand name of your circuit breaker box located on the inside of the front panel. You’ll need to know this information when you purchase the breaker for your new circuit.
Normal brands include ITE, GE, or Cutler Hammer. Each brand will have a different style breaker.
You need a 110-120 volt, single pole, 15 amp for 14 gauge wire or 20 amp for 12 gauge wire.
Go back to the new outlets. Install a new 15 amp (or 20 ampl) outlet to the wires sticking out of the boxes. Remember 15 amp uses 14/2 wire and 20 amp uses 12/2 wire. You do this by simply stripping back the black and white insulation 5/8″. One additional wire should be remaining and is to be used as the ground wire and this gets anchored to the green ground screw on the outlet and usually switch.
Attach the BLACK wire to the small side opening of the outlet. These screws are normally darker colored screws. Just bend the wire around one of the two screws on that side. Follow the same procedure for the white wire located on the other side of the outlet.
Push the outlet into the metal box, aligning the two screws, one top and one bottom, screw in both. Do the same for each new outlet. When you get to the light switch, anchor the black wire on the bottom screw and the white wire on the top screw. Attach ground wire to the only remaining screw.
Install the outlet plate on each new outlet including the switch.
Install the black wire on the new breaker and hookup the white and ground wire to the appropriate screws on the breaker box and snap in the new breaker being careful not to touch anything nearby with your fingers.
Install the light fixture, add bulb and turn breaker on.
You should now have an operating light and new outlets that function.
Solar Flood Lighting For Residence, Statues, Remote Areas and More
Right now with solar flood lights you should utilize in some ways, for instance for light home rowers, remote areas, airport runways, to light statues and naturally at your home. In many ways with solar lights you can save electricity, money and our planet. Solar lights are powered with solar energy. Special supplies with photoelectric feature convert the solar power from the solar into electricity. These materials are manufactured into wafer sort housings known as solar cells or solar panels. Below you will see what are the common makes use of solar floodlights in our society immediately, and how it helps in nitty-gritty.
Lighthouses and towers are normally installed away from the widespread populace. That is, on the edge of a bay or in mountainous areas, that are often far from the electric grid. Supplying electrical energy to these infrastructures may be very difficult to do and solar lights can be the solution. The city will even avoid installing a separate cable to produce electricity to a tower or lighthouse as a result of it is going to be too costly for such a minimal energy requirement, for example, to power flood lights. Solar cells can provide electricity to those infrastructures and lights, and not using a problem.
Solar lights can be used along airport runways. Large open spaces are at all times a very good location to harness solar energy and airport administration can maximize this to their advantage. Solar lights can be utilized as a again-up light source or in circumstances of emergencies alongside the runway.
There are commercial signs and billboards that require a continuous supply of light throughout the night. Sure, it may be performed by utilizing electricity but the price of using electrical flood lights for illumination could be very high. Solar lights provide a reliable and reasonably priced supply of light as no operational costs are involved. Such solar lighting may be very effective or illuminating timber, monuments statues and other buildings or objects that want highly effective illumination with out the fee associated with electricity. Solar lights requires less maintenance and because of the LEDs, it has a lesser risk of a failure or shutdown. Solar flood lights generally is a good alternative light source to electrical energy-run flood lights.
Solar lighting is quick becoming the norm for home outside lighting, as well as, safety and protection. It harnesses and stores solar power in the course of the day and makes use of it to power the LED light bulbs of the flood light to light up a sure area of the house at night. Solar flood lights do not want connection to an electrical supply as compared to standard flood lights. Within the long-term perspective, these powerful solar lights is not going to only save you money and time, but may even help keep the atmosphere green. For house safety, the solar flood lights are tamper-resistant and criminals could have a tough time to disarm the flood lights. Likelihood is, criminals will suppose twice earlier than proceeding through with their plan because they must risk being detected. Worse, neighbors will be able to identify them beneath the spotlight.
12-Volt Or 120-Volt – Which is Right For Your Outdoor Lighting System?
It is not as complicated as you may think when deciding between a low-voltage 12 volt system and a 120 standard volt system or a combination of both. Just for clarification purposes a 120 standard volt system is what you use in your home to power all of your appliances. The 12 V or low-voltage lighting system will actually be plugged into a transformer that is then plugged into your home electrical 120 volt socket for its power. I want to now give you some specific instances where your outdoor lighting system would be best served by using one or the other power systems to meet your outdoor lighting needs.
Safety
A low-voltage lighting system is typically safer to install than a standard voltage system. In fact the only opportunity for danger when handling or installation is when making the connection to the standard voltage power source or when using a much too small wire size. So pretty safe as far as handling electrical systems go.
The standard voltage system requires that you be careful when making a connection to the main power source. You will also need to calculate proper electrical loads, pass all of your local electrical wiring codes, and have your system inspected prior to being connected to the main system.
Brightness Levels
Brightness with low voltage lighting systems will range from medium-bright to dim. One way to increase brightness would be to use an incandescent quartz 12 volt lamp. The area you will be able to light with a medium bright level with each lamp is lower than what most standard lamps will put out with a standard volt system. This can be remedied by using more lamps.
Standard volt brightness levels range from small lamps with dimmers putting out dim light to throwing out a very bright light with mercury vapor, quartz, and metal halide bulbs or lamps. Some of these lamps are capable of projecting light over thousands of square feet. Needless to say this is much more than you will probably need for most of your home outdoor lighting projects.
These are just a couple of the differences between the two outdoor lighting systems but let’s go into what you really want to know which is, what is the best system for your home? Smaller yards or gardens are better suited for low voltage systems because of the smaller area to light. Low voltage systems work well for providing small spotlights on medium-sized or small trees, small statues, and lighting small lawn areas.
The brighter standard volt systems are much more suited when illuminating large areas or when used for providing security or safety around your home. Due to their strength of light and ability to project it over large distances they also work well when the subject you want to illuminate is a long way from your light source or fixture. One example of this would be having a Well light or ground mounted light being used for up lighting into the branches of a large tree.
These are a few issues to consider when deciding between a low-voltage or standard voltage outdoor lighting system but the short of it is low-voltage works better for small settings or small areas and standard voltage works better for large areas or over long distances.