I live in an old house, and I have three overhead lights in the basement. One operates on a wall switch, and the other two are pull-string. Is there any way I can connect a wire from the wall switch light to the other two so they will also operate on the wall switch? The ceiling is open joists, and I have plenty of room to run wires.
Convert overhead lights to switch
- Thread starter house92
- Start date
Help Support House Repair Talk:
Yes you can. You could disconnect the two fixtures with the pull chains and tie them into the one that is switched trace their wires back and remove them, or you could just buy a couple new boxes and fixtures and add them in where you wanted them and connected to the switched light and leave the pull chain ones alone and use them if you are down there and need additional light. Putting a couple new lights might even be easier.
The light at one end of the basement below the steps is on a switch, and there was another one at the other end of the basement on a pull switch. At some point, another light on a pull switch was put in the middle of the basement and connected to the other light on a pull switch. Can I disconnect the one pull switch from the breaker box and connect those two directly to the light on the switch?
You can but there might be other things on that breaker. Follow the wires and see where they go and disconnect them at the first point of connection you find. Then take the wire down reuse it if its good wire and long enough.
I looked more closely as duct work is on the ceiling, and the pull-string light is connected to the light that is on a switch, bit it still only works on the pull string regardless if the the switch is on or off. Is this just a matter of connecting some wires from the other light differently to allow it to work on the switch?
Yes, you likely have a switch leg going to the switch with power coming into the light.
Scroll down for a diagram. http://www.electrical-online.com/adding-an-outlet-or-a-receptacle-from-a-switch-box/
Scroll down for a diagram. http://www.electrical-online.com/adding-an-outlet-or-a-receptacle-from-a-switch-box/
nealtw
Contractor retired
How many cables go into each light box and how many cables go into the switch box? See if you can figure out witch cable is coming from the breaker box. Turn off the breaker and make sure they are all on the same breaker.
