Large rooms often have three-way switches with multiple lights.
A room with more than one exit uses a three-way switch near each door to operate the lights. The three-way switches work independently of each other and both can turn the lighting system on and off. An electrician wires a second, and each additional, light fixture to the first light fixture in a parallel circuit. If one light bulb burns out in a parallel circuit, the remaining light bulbs stay lit; all of the light bulbs turn off in a series circuit if one light bulb burns out.
Instructions
1. Turn off the circuit breaker controlling room with the three-way switch's circuit. Hallway and living area lights often use a "Lighting" label.
2. Run a 14-2 plus ground wire-set from the first light fixture to the next light fixture. Extend the wire-set past each light fixture 6 inches, then cut the wire-set with wire cutters. A 14-2 plus ground wire-set contains three 14-gauge wire strands; one wire strand uses white insulation, one uses black insulation and one does not use any insulation.
3. Strip 3/8 inch of the insulation from the end of the insulated wires on both sides of the wire-set using wire strippers. Place each insulated wire strand in the wire stripper's jaws, squeeze the stripper's handles and pull the insulation from the wire strand's core.
4. Push each end of the wire set into its respective light fixture. Most light fixtures have a wire clamp that holds the wire-set in place. If so, loosen the wire clamp's retaining screws with a flat-head screwdriver. Push the wire-set into the light fixture, then tighten the wire clamp.
5. Wrap the uninsulated wires in the first light fixture together. If the light fixture has a green-colored wire, then secure it to the uninsulated wires with a wire nut. Push the uninsulated wires to the back of the light fixture.
6. Remove and discard the wire nut holding the white wire from the three-way switches to the first light fixture's white wire. Add the wire-set's white wire, then secure the three white wires together with a new wire nut.
7. Remove and discard the wire nut holding the first light fixture's black wire to the black wire from the three-way switches. Add the wire-set's black wire, then secure the three black wires together with a new wire nut.
8. Attach the uninsulated wire to the second light fixture's ground. If the light fixture has a green wire, twist the green wire around the uninsulated wire and secure them with a wire nut. If the light fixture uses a green screw as ground, wrap the uninsulated wire around the screw and tighten the screw.
9. Combine the wire-set's white wire with the light fixture's white wire. Twirl a wire nut onto this pair of wires.
10. Wrap the light fixture's black wire around the wire-set's black wire. Lock them together with a wire nut.
Tags: light fixture, with wire, black wire, first light, first light fixture, white wire, three-way switches