Do It Yourself Wiring - What You Need To Know Before You Purchase New Light Fixtures

Lighting is one of those home improvement projects that everyone loves to do. Change that old chandelier to a fancy new one, or that small lighting fixture to a larger one that adds more light in the room. And one of the most popular ones, change that small light to a nice new ceiling fan. These are all great improvements to your home and relativity easy to do yourself, but whether you decide to do it yourself or hire an electrical contractor to do the work there are some things you need to consider before you go out and buy those new lighting fixtures.

The first thing you need to consider is the power requirements of the new fixture. If you are changing an old fixture with only one light bulb to one with two light bulbs, this will most likely not be a problem. But if it is a larger fixture or a chandelier you will need to take this into account.

You can go about this by finding out what is on the existing circuit that you intend to change the fixture on. Go to your main electrical panel and turn off the breakers until you find out which circuit the fixture is on. Next you will need to find out what is on that circuit, so with only that breaker off check and see what other fixtures or devices do not work. Next you will need to add up the current draw on the existing circuit, as per code you are only allowed to draw 80% of the current provided for by the circuit breaker protecting the circuit. For example if it is a 15 amp circuit breaker you are only permitted to draw 1200 watts, which is a total of twenty 60 watt light bulbs. At first glace this may seem like a lot but I have seen people have 20 60 watt light bulbs on a single chandelier. Checking to make sure that you don’t overload the circuit is very important; you will also need to make sure that the switch or dimmer is rated for the proper current draw of the fixture.

The next thing you need to look at is the weight of the new fixture, the box you are attaching it to has to be rated for the weight of the new fixture. Different electrical boxes have different ratings as far as the weight that can hang from them. This will only come into play with larger fixtures or ceiling fans. A ceiling fan must be hung from a box that is rated for a ceiling fan. If you are installing a heavy fixture or a ceiling fan you will most likely need to change the box also.

The National Electrical Code allows you to hang up to 50 lbs. from any electrical box that is threaded to accept No. 8-32 machine screws. Make sure your electrical box is securely fastened before you hang a new light fixture from it. If your light fixture weighs more than 50 lbs or is a ceiling fan, you will need to install a fan brace box. Check the label to make sure the box is designed to support the weight of your fixture.

Considering these aspects in advance will help you be better prepared for the project before you purchase the fixture. It will also keep you safe and compliant with the National Electrical Code.

John has been in the electrical industry for over 20 years and is currently running wireityourself.com an online do it yourself home wiring site.

Get Your Home Wired For Voice, Data And Video With A Structured Wiring System

Being a communication cable contractor for both business and residential I get calls from people all the time about installing cable to support a telephone, computer or a plasma screen TV. The location of anyone of this devises May well be in a room that is inaccessible without a tremendous expense for the home or business owner. Some times it's impossible to install cables in some buildings after the walls are completed. It’s so much cheaper to cable a building when the walls are open and the studs are showing.

The time to have your cable installed is not when walls are painted and pictures are hung. Take this tip from me if you are in the process of building that dream home don’t forget to have your building contractor include a structured wiring system.

A Structured Wiring System is the cable and connecting hardware (wall jacks, patch panels etc.) in a building that connects telephones, computers, and video/sound devices. Structured cabling system meets standards that make allowance for equipment to be added or change without having to modify the cabling that is in the walls. Structured cabling system by design takes in to account your future needs so cable is ran to every room location that data voice video may be needed. As technology advance and new equipment for faster Internet, better surround sound system, or TV Screens are developed you can be sure your structured cable system will be able to handle it for years to come.

Mike Stephens is president of Net Services Inc a structured cabling company in St. Louis Mo. To find out more about cabling for voice data and video see netservices1.com

Lighting Your Dolls House Using The Copper Tape Wiring Method

Lighting your dolls house can be one of the most rewarding aspects of building and owning a dolls house. The use of working lights, fires and even televisions can really add life to your house and make it a centre piece of the room in which it is housed.

The use of copper tape to light your dolls house is just one of the methods that can be used (others will be discussed in future articles).This method uses thin strips of self adhesive copper tape to conduct electricity around your house.

The first stage is to decide on the location of your dolls house lights. The socket should be removed from the end of each light and a small hole drilled to allow the wire to pass through (in this case to the back of the house). For ceiling light the hole should be drilled through the ceiling into the room upstairs and then out of the back of this room. This way wires can be covered over with carpeting etc. For wall lights that are not on the back wall these too can be trailed up the wall and then out to the back from the room above (small groves can be made in the walls to hide the wire and keep a smooth surface for decorating).

Next we need to decide on the position of the copper tape. For a front opening dolls house this would be the back of the house. The copper tape is laid down in two strips that run parallel to each other (they must not touch or they will short circuit). Where the copper tape overlaps use masking tape between the two tapes to insulate. Tape should be positioned so that the lighting wires can be easily connected and so that the wire creates a circuit.

Once the light has been installed the wire on the outside should be cut to the appropriate length to allow connection to the copper tape without lots of excess wire. To connect the wire to the copper tape separate the wire into two strands, strip the plastic coating off and solder one to either side of the copper tape circuit taking care that the copper cores do not touch.

Plug in the transformer and check that each light is working as you go – don’t wait till the end to try a figure out which light isn’t working!

While creating lighting circuit for your dolls house is relatively straight forward it should be remembered that we are working with an electrical circuit and must follow safe practices. Remember to always use the correct transformer for the job and NEVER connect straight to the mains.

Information provided by Scaledtofit for guideline purposes only. Scaledtofit supplies quality dolls house furniture, accessories and lighting to suit many periods, styles and budgets. http://www.scaledotfit.co.uk