Wiring Instructions for Wiring One Switch to
Control Two Lights
By Mark J. Donovan
A common residential wiring circuit
found in many homes is two lights controlled from one switch. There are a
variety of ways to wire this type of circuit, however I will focus on the case
where power is fed from the main circuit panel into the single pole switch
electrical box.
Warning –
Household electricity can injure and even kill you if you come in contact with
it. It is imperative that power be first turned off at the circuit breaker, and
then tested at the switch and light fixtures to make sure they are indeed off
prior to performing any electrical work on them.
Typically either 14-2 or 12-2
Romex cable is used in these types of circuits. 14-2 Romex cable is used for
15 amp circuits and 12-2 Romex cable is used for 20 amp circuits.
Roughing in
the Electrical Wiring
To rough in a circuit where two
lights are controlled from one switch a Romex cable should first be fed from
the panel into the light switch electrical box. This is your feed cable. A
second Romex cable should be fed from the light switch to one of the light
electrical boxes.
Two Lights Operated off 1 Switch
Figure by Mark Donovan
A third Romex cable should be fed
between the two light electrical boxes.
Wiring up the
Switch Electrical Box
Connect the black wire from the feed
cable to the brass screw on the single pole light switch.
Connect the black wire coming from
the light electrical box to the silver screw on the single pole light switch.
Use a wire nut to connect the two
white wires (return lines) together.
Finally, twist the two bare ground
wires together using a “Greeny” wire nut. Note that one of the wires should
protrude out the end of the “Greeny”. Fasten this bare ground wire to the green
screw on the switch. Make sure that when attaching wires to screws that the
wires are bent into a curved shape that are mounted in a clockwise position
around the screws.
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Wiring up the
First Light Electrical Box
Using a wire nut, twist and connect
the black wires from the two Romex cables together, along with a 5-6” pig tail
(using just a length of black shielded wire extracted from a small length of
spare Romex cable).
Attach the black pigtail to one side
of the light circuit. (Note that the pig tail may not be necessary if you are
directly wiring in a light fixture. In this particular situation the black light
fixture wire should be twisted and connected together, via a wire nut, with the
two black wires associated with the Romex cables.)
Repeat the process for the White
wires (return wires). Using a wire nut, twist and connect the white wires from
the two Romex cables together, along with a 5-6” pig tail (using just a length
of white shielded wire extracted from a small length of spare Romex cable).
Attach the white pigtail wire to the
other side of the light circuit. (Note that the white wire pig tail may not be
necessary if you are directly wiring in a light fixture. In this particular
situation the white light fixture wire should be twisted and connected together,
via a wire nut, with the two white wires associated with the Romex cables.)
Finally, twist the two bare ground
wires together using a “Greeny” wire nut. Again, one of the wires should
protrude out the end of the “Greeny”. Fasten this bare ground wire to the green
screw on the light fixture or onto the metal light chassis.
Wiring up the
Second Light Electrical Box
The second light electrical box is
very easy to wire. Simply connect the black wire associated with the Romex cable
to one side of the light fixture, and then the white wire associated with the
Romex cable to the other side of the light fixture.
Next, twist the two bare ground wires
together using a “Greeny” wire nut. Again, one of the wires should protrude out
the end of the “Greeny”. Fasten this bare ground wire to the green screw on the
light fixture or onto the metal light chassis.
Once the electrical boxes and light
fixtures have been wired up, fasten them into their respective electrical boxes
and attach the switch cover plate to the electrical switch box.
Finally, install light bulbs into the
light fixtures and then turn the power on to the new light circuit at the main
circuit panel.
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- How to Wire Two Lights
Controlled from One Switch -
