GFY Electricians, Need Some Wiring Help
 

I have 5 lights in my basement, 2 of which are controlled with a light switch at the top of the stairs. The rest are all those stupid pull string cords. How difficult is it to have that switch turn on and off ALL 5 of the lights?

Here is a picture of the setup:

http://content.screencast.com/users/...09-12_1528.png

Just an annoying thing that I deal with often when I go downstairs to get something, plus want to start working on finishing the basement in the next year.

Get a life insurance before trying anything advised here related to electricity.

You will be working on finishing the basement, but cant figure out how to rewire a few lights? :)
The easy solution would be to just shutoff the main sircuit on your HFI relay everytime you leave the basement, problem solved :thumbsup :1orglaugh

Do you want to do it yourself, or just have someone tell you to call an electrician? Because if you have to ask, then you should call an electrician.

Are they all running on the same circuit?

:1orglaugh:1orglaugh already done! installed a water softener and did some other work in my house

:1orglaugh:1orglaugh I think I know how but wanted to make sure. Its hard to see how they are wired with all the insulation around but figured someone has done this before

No! that is the tricky part. The one on the top left is on another circuit but I plan on wiring them all together. For some reason, it is setup with the water heater

gonna be best to wire the three pull cords together and put two switches in

you may have issues with your insurance and having 5 lights on the same circuit.

http://www.doityourself.com/forum/li...isy-chain.html

haha i'm going with hire electrician here...nothing is worth getting shocked or the frustration this sounds like since its on different circuits

i think people usually turn the circuit off

If all those three lights are powered by the same curcuit, you just need to interupt them at some point and run the wires to a switch where you want to mount them, then change out the light sockets, if you're doing a remodel, depending on what you're going to use the room for, like maybe a work shop, you may want to upgrade your lighting

I agree here. I'd put in another switch at the bottom of the stairs. Depending on what all is on that circuit, add another breaker if you have an open slot, and wire the lights to the switch.

Wire them all together on a dedicated circuit, be sure to check the amps each light draws and change out the breaker to the dedicated circuit with the proper beaker switch.

This will most likely entail crawling in the attic......:winkwink:

If you have a home depot, go talk to the electrician in that department.

Good luck.

Cant believe that i did not think of this until now, but Richard inspired me :)
Tie a string onto each of the three pullcords and run it up to the main switch, that way you have it right there and would only need to pull one coord!

Gte outa here i should become an electrician, profit would be huge on this one!

3 lights shouldn't be an issue, depending on what else is on the circuit with the other two. If the circuit that you are adding the lights to still has room, (I'm assuming here that its a 15 amp circuit with 14/2 wire, a 15 amp circuit can carry only a total of 1440 watts, which is 80% of 1800 watts) The 3 lights you want to add would be adding a max of 300 watts, based on 100w bulbs. Then as long as you know which wires are going where, its just a matter of disconnecting the wire supplying the first light in the circuit (I would remove that wire completely from the junction box it comes from or direct from the panel), and joining it to one of the other light boxes.

Just make sure you dont bury any junction boxes or wires as it would violate code. If you are doing a remodel, I would rip everything out and start fresh, that's what I did, and you would be surprised what you find. That is of course assuming that its feasible. If not I agree with those that said just interrupt the circuit with a switch. You could even gang the switches together in the same box.

The thing is electricians want $100+ to wire it up, then end of giving me a quote for well over $300. One was $580!

Wire will cost me $60 at most. New outlet, box and wall plate is about $11. If I can do this for under $100 I will, otherwise I'll keep pulling strings!

The answer was already posted, running them all on the same circuit, however, you could install motion detector screw in adapters to each of them, so they automatically come on as you walk downstairs.

A few of these:

http://www.cleverandeasy.com/images/...on_sensor2.jpg

(you can also get these in sets)

If you don't want to pay an electrician or do it yourself (which would be very easy), these would be a very easy option.

You don't have to put them in every light fixture, but if you strategically place them, it will do the job. I also believe they make other adapters with light sensors so if one light was turned on, it would trigger all the others.

I bought something similar for my upstairs hall way. at night, its a pain to turn on the hall lights because it is bright any my gf usually yells. I installed a motion sensor and plugged in a light, after installed two reciprocals in the hallway. Works real nice now

Have you though about using Wireless Wall Light Switches & Wireless Outlet Triggers

411 to find a electrician, 911 if you decide to not use it

Just get three really long strings and run em to your light switch!

Been there, done that: 90% of the chances are that the wires of the 3 pull lights are inside the switch box or are a direct pass through. black and red. all you have to do is cut the black and add it to the switch connectors leaving the red intact.

RebelR did a good job of describing what you should do, however, let me break it down for you in terms that you can better understand with the limited amount of information you provided about the layout of your basement. First, find out if those three pull chains are all daisy chained(connected), if they are find out where they're being fed from. It's going to be one of three sources:

a.) A junction box in the basement ceiling(highly likely)
b.) A receptacle/switch somewhere in the house(less likely)
c.) They're on their own circuit in the panel(even less likely)

Once you find out where they're being fed from disconnect the feed and remove that wire altogether from the light to the junction box. Then all you have to do is run a piece of 14/2 wire from the second switched light to the first pull chain(assuming all the pull chains are already connected) and all five of your lights will work off of that switch at the top of the stairs. Damn it, I just noticed you said the one is on with the water heater so now you have two feeds to disconnect.

assuming there's no drywall on the ceiling, it's quick and simple. You should have help from someone who knows what they doing though because a silly mistake like a staple through the wiring COULD burn the house down.

Nah, the most that'll happen if he drives a nail through a piece of romex is the circuit will trip when he goes to turn the power on. I would be more worried about the fact that he has no clue about any NEC code, but that's not that big a deal since it's such a small project. Just staple the wire within 8" of the boxes and every 4' after.

Like I said earlier, your best bet is to put all five lights on the switch at the top of the stairs. That's the easiest thing to do most likely anyways. There's absolutely no reason for a pullchain to be tied in with the water heater circuit, that should be a dedicated 30amp 240v circuit, at least every one I wired was. But i've seen weirder shit.

Get rid of the existing feeds to the pullchains and just rewire them from the last switched light.

Did you rewire these lights yet?