An electrician may be needed to wire a clothes closet.
Wiring a clothes closet is a job that can be simple and straightforward --- or it can turn into a nightmare for a homeowner. If you're tackling this task, be prepared to call an electrician at the first sign that things are not simple and straightforward. A house fire will cost much more than a single service call, and not just in financial terms. If you have replaced an electrical outlet or light switch, or have installed a ceiling fan, you should be able to wire a clothes closet light fixture. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Turn off the breaker to the circuits that supply the room. Do this by finding the house's electrical breaker box and reading the label. If the circuit breaker switches are not labeled, find it by trial and error. Have someone turn on a light in the room and watch for it to go off when you get to that breaker. Turn off breakers one at a time, and wait for your partner to tell you the light is no longer operating. That's the one. If you are unsure, for any reason, that you've found the right breaker switch, turn off the main breaker switch. That's the power to the entire house, and turning that off will ensure that you don't get shocked while wiring the closet.
2. A junction box houses electrical connections.
Go into the attic or access the ceiling crawlspace. Check for asbestos or lead. If any is present, stop and call a professional to handle this project. If none is present, locate existing wiring. Follow it to the closest junction box. If there is an electrical outlet close to the closet, you might be able to find a junction box above it. If you have the blueprints or other plans for the building, you can find that information there. If you cannot locate a junction box, stop and call an electrician.
3. Strip the insulation from the last 3 inches of the new electrical wiring cable, and separate the wires a bit. Begin with the white wires. Using the wire strippers, strip the insulation from the last inch of the new white wire. Remove the wire nut from the existing wiring, and add the white wire from the new cable to it. Do this by placing the new wire alongside the existing wire, so that they are running the same direction and both ends are pointing out away from your body. Position them so that one sticks out 1/16 of an inch farther than the other. Replace the wire nut, and twist it clockwise to tighten. Repeat with the black wires and the ground wire, and push all the wires back into the junction box.
4. Use a utility knife to cut cable for wiring a closet.
Run wiring from the junction box to the area in the closet where you're going to place the light, leaving an extra 12 inches on the end of the electrical cable, to give you plenty of room to work with the wiring. Use the utility knife to cut away the excess cable. Fold the cable over the knife, and move the knife down and away from your body to cut the cable. Set aside the excess cable and close the utility knife.
5. Use the staple gun to staple the wiring to the joists every 3 feet from the junction box to the area close to the location of the closet light. Be sure to staple around the wiring and not through it.
6. Return to the closet. Place the template from the new light fixture on the ceiling where you're going to place the new light fixture, and trace the template with the pencil. Remove the template, and use the cordless drill and 1/4-inch drill bit to drill a few holes around the circle, inside the line. This will help you cut away the drywall inside the hole with the drywall saw.
7. Use the drywall saw to cut a hole in the ceiling, starting at one of the holes you drilled. Try to make a smooth cut by making smooth, rapid strokes with light to medium pressure. Pressing too hard in an attempt to go too quickly leads to gouges and tears in the drywall. Remove the drywall from inside the circle. Brush away any dust. Cut away any insulation within 3 inches of the hole, unless your fixture is IC rated, which means it's safe for insulation contact.
8. Install the mounting frame for the new light fixture. Use the screwdriver to press the support clips on the frame in to make a 90-degree angle. Place the frame in the opening, then bend the retaining tabs out at a 90-degree angle to rest on top of the drywall.
9. Remove the screws that hold the splice box to detach it from the new light fixture. Remove one knockout from the splice box by pushing on it and prying it out carefully with the screwdriver.
10. Connect the wires, just as you connected the new wiring cable to the junction box. Strip the wiring as needed to expose the wire, place the white wire from the cable with the white wire from the new fixture, and twist on the wire nut. Repeat with the black wires, and then the ground wire.
11. Check to make sure your light is working properly.
Reattach the splice box. Push the wires up into the ceiling and set the fixture in place. Push it straight up into the mounting frame to secure it. Check all the connections, and have your helper throw the breaker switch. Check to be sure the light is working properly. Call to have an electrician check your work.
Tags: light fixture, white wire, wire from, breaker switch, clothes closet