Adding lights inside closet with switch...

[Flyingbuffalo]

I'd like to add a couple of lights in a closet beneath the stairs. There is a receptacle at the base of the wall that I can tap for power. It has two neutrals and two hots attached to it now.

I have wired a few things in the past, so I'm not a complete novice, but I'm not an electrician, either.

The lights have a neutral and a hot each.

Can someone walk me through how to wire these together so that the switch I'll install turns the lights on/off in tandem?

Thank you for your time and patience.

- MN

 

[nealtw]

By receptacle you mean outlet. Do you have a ground in there too?
You would run a new cable to the switch and the to one light and then from light to light.
In the switch box 2 whites are tied together with wire nuts the 2 blacks go to the two screws on the switch.
In the first light box the 2 whites and the wire from the silver screw get tied together. the 2 blacks get tied together with a wire going to the gold screw.
The second light the white goes to silver and the black goes to gold screw.

 

[beachguy005]

You'll need to remove the wires from the screws on the receptacle, which should be power in and power out. Given that you can't just stack wires for the power to the switch, with the existing wires, you'll need to wirenut them together with a feed to the new switch, in the receptacle box and add a pigtail feeding the receptacle. Here's a diagram you want. Scroll down to the "Add a Light from a Receptacle, Switch First".

http://www.do-it-yourself-help.com/adding-new-light-fixture.html

 

[jeffmattero76]

Please be careful with the type of light and it's placement. Code specifies how far away from shelves a light must be. I am notvan electrician and only have a basic knowledge of the code, but I believe the logic is that you do NOT want an incandescent bulb near a shelf where things on the shelf could catch fire from the heat produced by the bulb.

 

[beachguy005]

The fixture needs to have a lens or globe on it. Not an exposed bulb.

 

[Flyingbuffalo]

Thanks all! The receptacle box is metal and has a ground. The lights I'm using are led's so won't be pulling too much current. It's a strip light with a cover.

 

[bud16415]

They make surface mounted wire raceway with different boxes and connectors to turn corners. In a closet that is a great way to do it without having to poke holes in the walls and stringing wires. You start at the outlet with a box extender thing and that allows you to run the race on the surface of the wall. if you use some kind of plug in LED light strip all you would need to do is run a switched outlet and then plug in your strip.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRducG5V4Uc[/ame]

 

[nealtw]

A motion sensor switch is handy too.