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Step 4Wiring
A few precautions need to be followed during this sequence: a mistake here can cause injury or start a fire.
This is simple stuff, but there is no room for error. So always double-check your work, and get someone else to check the wiring if you are not comfortable.
The steps I identify as critical are the ones that MUST be completed correctly.
1. Connect the ballast to the socket. The ballast wires may already have the ends stripped; if not, strip off no more than 1/2 inch. Be sure to choose the correct wires; this step may be difficult to undo! Consult the ballast's wiring diagram. Push those wires into the socket's appropriate holes. -CRITICAL STEP
2. The two-prong plug should have one prong that is wider than the other, and this feature should fit only one way into the wall socket (i.e. you shouldn't be able to flip it). You will use the wire running from the narrow plug for the switch.** See note below for more info.
3. Pick a spot in the wire that you believe will be a convenient location, perhaps 18 inches from the end that will connect to the light. At that spot, cut the conductor running from the narrow prong and install the switch. -CRITICAL STEP
4. Run about 15 inches of wire through the box, from the outside.
5. You should have the conductors split for a length of about 3".
6. Tie a knot using one of the conductors. This will prevent the wire from being pulled out of the box, in the event of an accident. -CRITICAL STEP
7. The power wires should then be connected to the ballast. Be sure that you choose the correct wires. The wire ends should be stripped for 1/2 inch, and no longer. The twist connectors should be applied firmly; loose is dangerous. For extra safety, you can use electrical tape to fasten the connectors to the wires. -CRITICAL STEP
8. Double-check all of your connections.
Are the connections solid? They should not come apart when you tug on them.
Is the ballast correctly wired to the power wire and to the socket? Check against the ballast's wiring diagram. -CRITICAL STEP
9. LIVE TEST!
Install the bulb, plug it in and flip the switch.
10. Slip the assembly into the box, while pulling the slack power wire.
If you have any questions or concerns about the wiring, PLEASE ask your question.
**NOTE: The narrower prong will make contact with the hot conductor in the wall socket, while the wider prong will make contact with the neutral conductor in the wall socket.
In a properly wired wall socket (in North America at least) only the hot conductor will actually carry current. Therefore, putting the switch on this conductor can greatly limit the dangers of short circuits, and electrocution, in damaged electrical fixtures.
This is simple stuff, but there is no room for error. So always double-check your work, and get someone else to check the wiring if you are not comfortable.
The steps I identify as critical are the ones that MUST be completed correctly.
1. Connect the ballast to the socket. The ballast wires may already have the ends stripped; if not, strip off no more than 1/2 inch. Be sure to choose the correct wires; this step may be difficult to undo! Consult the ballast's wiring diagram. Push those wires into the socket's appropriate holes. -CRITICAL STEP
2. The two-prong plug should have one prong that is wider than the other, and this feature should fit only one way into the wall socket (i.e. you shouldn't be able to flip it). You will use the wire running from the narrow plug for the switch.** See note below for more info.
3. Pick a spot in the wire that you believe will be a convenient location, perhaps 18 inches from the end that will connect to the light. At that spot, cut the conductor running from the narrow prong and install the switch. -CRITICAL STEP
4. Run about 15 inches of wire through the box, from the outside.
5. You should have the conductors split for a length of about 3".
6. Tie a knot using one of the conductors. This will prevent the wire from being pulled out of the box, in the event of an accident. -CRITICAL STEP
7. The power wires should then be connected to the ballast. Be sure that you choose the correct wires. The wire ends should be stripped for 1/2 inch, and no longer. The twist connectors should be applied firmly; loose is dangerous. For extra safety, you can use electrical tape to fasten the connectors to the wires. -CRITICAL STEP
8. Double-check all of your connections.
Are the connections solid? They should not come apart when you tug on them.
Is the ballast correctly wired to the power wire and to the socket? Check against the ballast's wiring diagram. -CRITICAL STEP
9. LIVE TEST!
Install the bulb, plug it in and flip the switch.
10. Slip the assembly into the box, while pulling the slack power wire.
If you have any questions or concerns about the wiring, PLEASE ask your question.
**NOTE: The narrower prong will make contact with the hot conductor in the wall socket, while the wider prong will make contact with the neutral conductor in the wall socket.
In a properly wired wall socket (in North America at least) only the hot conductor will actually carry current. Therefore, putting the switch on this conductor can greatly limit the dangers of short circuits, and electrocution, in damaged electrical fixtures.
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