Dan,
Which ever way you go there isn't much in it in terms of wire use. Each cable
has the two conductors and a ground. weather you run past a switch to the light
or drop a two conductor cable from a light it is much the same.
This is one reason why it is usual to drop a cable from the light. You can run
a circuit around the ceiling linking light boxes in a loop so, one line comes
to the attic for example and forms a chain linking one junction box with
another usually around a ring a few feet less diameter than the perimeter of
the ceiling because that is usually where the lights are located, central in
rooms and so on. Usually light switches are on inner walls so it is a
relatively short drop from the light junction box to the light switch. You may
have more than one circuit up there but the principle is the same.
Of course the other major advantage to dropping switch lines is that you can
easily have access to unswitched power in those junction boxes when she wants
another light over the sink or for a plug for the hair drier next to the
dresser. You don't want to be fishing a cable out of a switch box believe me.
If I was Han Solo I'd probably pet my wookie
----- Original Message -----
From: Dan Rossi
To: Blind Handyman List
Sent: Monday, February 15, 2010 9:42 AM
Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Wiring rehash.
Sorry, I never got back to folks to clarify my descriptions of wiring a
light fixture to a switch.
I don't really have much to add, other than to say thanks to everyone for
their descriptions, everything makes perfect sense.
One thing I would like to say is that I am continuously surprised how you
sometimes get an idea in your head and you find it hard to see that there
is another way.
In one of my descriptions, I mentioned running a wire from the power to
the switch and a line from the light to the switch then plugging in the
black wires to the switch and tieing the white lines together. I made
some comment about that not being efficient wire usage. Some folks talked
about not even having to cut the white wire, it just passes through the
box.
Where I got confused, but eventually clarified it in my own head. I had
this picture of wires running up the walls from the basement to the
attic. Then the power line would have to run down from the attic to the
switch and a line would have to run from the switch, back up to the attic
and over to the light. That is the way I would have to do it in my
situation.
However, what I hadn't thought of, which others were thinking of, is that
in certain situations, you can run from the power source, directly up to
the switch and then on up and over to the light fixture. So that would be
efficient use of wire since you wouldn't have a line going down and up the
wall. Just one going straight up.
Does that make any sense?
Anyway, this was long enough and I will now post another question.
--
Blue skies.
Dan Rossi
Carnegie Mellon University.
E-Mail: [email protected]
Tel: (412) 268-9081
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
