PDA

View Full Version : Wiring Fluoresent lights??



Joe D'Attilio
03-04-2008, 11:58 AM
I am adding 2 more fluorescents to my workshop

Everything seems to be right but I want to check.

The ballast is laid out as such:

rt side 2 blue and 2 red going to bulb holders
lt side black and white wire; 2 yellow conencted to bulb holders.

Question there is a third yellow that was loose - is this connected to the bulb holders or is this yellow lead not connected or connected somewhere else?

Also how do you ground the ballast?

This is the closest i could find only difference is mine is 2' 2 bulb set up
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=163705-337-0401030003&lpage=none

Confused...

This best represents the wiring diagram:

http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infxtra/i/ballastwiringdiag.jpg

Eric Haycraft
03-04-2008, 1:21 PM
Do both fixtures have a loose wire or just one? If just one, take it back. If both, a picture might help.

Regarding grounding.. there should be a greenish screw inside the light that the ground attaches to. If not, you can just attach the ground wire with a screw. The electrical dept should have grounding screws available at most BORGs.

Joe D'Attilio
03-04-2008, 2:11 PM
I don't have a pic; both yellow wires were not connected.

DO I have to forge my own ground as the ballast only has a black and white - or is the additional yellow suppose to be the ground?? A I have never seen a yellow gnd. Any help would be a very big help I searched hi/LO for any pics of the set up I have

Scott Long
03-04-2008, 2:13 PM
Joe,

You should have two yellow wires coming out of the ballast. One yellow per socket, the third yellow wire is a jumper going from one socket to the other. There is no reason that there should be loose wires in a brand new fixture. If it were me I would take it back and get another or get a different brand all together. It sounds like there quality control isn't quite up to par.

Scott Long
03-04-2008, 2:15 PM
sorry I never answered you question about the ground.

The ground wire should be attached to a screw on the fixture or the ballast somewhere.

Chris Padilla
03-04-2008, 2:23 PM
sorry I never answered you question about the ground.

The ground wire should be attached to a screw on the fixture or the ballast somewhere.

Right. In other words, there won't be a "wire" per se on the fixture but there should be a point where you can screw the green/bare wire from your wiring. There might even be a little "GND" written on there or the universal sign for ground near a screw hole:

Joe D'Attilio
03-04-2008, 3:02 PM
Right. In other words, there won't be a "wire" per se on the fixture but there should be a point where you can screw the green/bare wire from your wiring. There might even be a little "GND" written on there or the universal sign for ground near a screw hole: SO the ballast will be grounded by the GND coming in on the supply and screwed to the fixture?

Still not sure why there is a plain unattached yellow wire?

Scott Long
03-04-2008, 4:29 PM
The two yellow wires go into two sockets (lets say on the left side of the fixture) the other plain yellow wire is a "jumper wire" between those two sockets.

Chris Padilla
03-04-2008, 4:35 PM
SO the ballast will be grounded by the GND coming in on the supply and screwed to the fixture?

Yes, that is correct.

Joe D'Attilio
03-04-2008, 10:06 PM
Thanks all - i completed tonight after a trip to the shooting range with fellow creeker Wayne Bitting; and everything works fine! 1st a double gang of receptacles, 2 fluorescents on a switch, next I'll be rewiring my house LOL

I'll be starting on my 1st 2 workbenches this week hopefully! One for honing to house a delta variable speed grinder, a Delta DP200 variable speed DP, belgian stones and a nice slab of granite for flattening. , the other will be my workbench on my slide downthe slippery slope of NEANDER!