[Bbliss]

I am so glad I found this site. Could someone please, please help me find out how to get this done?
I really need to find out how to wire two lights in succession on a closet ceiling. Both of which have a sensor.
Here is some info on my current status with this so called do-it-yourself lighting project I have started.
I have changed my outlet to a GFCI and ran a 14-2 wire to the ceiling in the closet, (just as it was with a regular outlet prior) and attached one florescent/sensored fixture and then ran an additional 14-2 line to a florescent/sensored fixtured further down. The problem I am having is the first light, directly off the GFCI outlet is running correctly, but the second light does not shut off at all. They both turn off when the GFCI is turn off.
The first in line comes on with the sensor but the second in line comes on immediately without the use of the sensor mechanism.
I have connected white/white, and black/black. There are no red wire to connect, since it is a self contained sensor light.
Do I have to have a light switch? Both lights have timers and light detection on them.
Do I have to switch the wires in the last light fixture to make the white to a hot wire? There are no other wires leading out in the line.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks a bunch,
Barb

[donf]

Good morning Barb,

A little help here, please.

If I understand you correctly, you installed a GFCI receptacle. From that receptacle, you ran a 14/2 (15 amp cable) w/ground to an outlet 1 (hole) in the closet ceiling. You than ran a second 14/2 cable w/ground to a second outlet 2 (hole).

Outlet 1 has a motion sensor activated light fixture. Outlet 2 also has a motion sensor activated light, correct?

You connect the black, white and ground at the GFCI correctly? At outlet 1, you connected the light outlet 1's black, outlet 2's black and the supply line's black together using a pigtail. You also connected all whites and grounds in the same fashion.

At outlet 2, you connected cable 2's black to the fixtures black, white to fixture white and ground to fixture ground, correct so far?

What you have is a parallel connection.

Now, are you attempting to power and each light fixture independently? Or are you expecting fixture 1 to feed and operate fixture 2? I would expect that you would provide primary power to fixture 1 and fixture 2 on independent supply lines (which is what you have provided) It sounds to me as though you have managed to connect the fixture 2 supply line and output supply line of fixture 1, therebye, causing fixture 2 to activte anytime fixture 1 turns on.

What I need to know is what the wiring instructions are for the fixtures themselves. Can you please give us the manufacturer's name, model number and web address? Or post the wiring diagram from the instructions to this item.

[Bbliss]

Thanks for the quick response Don. All that you have said seems to be what I have done, except for the lines coming out of the GFCI. I have one 14-2 line going into the first light and from that I ran a second line into light 2.
Could this be the problem? I did not use a switch at all, thinking the sensors did not need it.
Should I connect light one and light two off the power source separately and not through the wiring supplied by light 1?

Model # FM54 ACLR PIR Light Concepts: Essential Series, Circline T9 Flourenscent

http://www.acuitybrandslighting.com/...tionsensor.pdf

*power from circuit breaker to GFCI. Power from GFCI to Light 1. From there I connected the Line from light 1 to Light 2, connected through putting Line in(hot), Light 1, and Line out to Light 2, all black to black and white to white connected in Light 1's box, all together.

I hope I painted that visual correctly for you to understand what I have done.

Thank you again and I am sorry if I am confusing you in any way.
Barbara

[donf]

Barb,

Okay, try connecting the power cable, fixture 1 and fixture 2's cable together. Do not run the cable from the light to the second fixture.

At outlet 1, create three pigtails. One for the black wire, one for the white and one for the bare ground wires.

You will use the Black Wire from the supply line, the black wire from fixture 1 and the black wire leading to fixture 2.

Use the same process for White and ground. That should put both lights on independent power sources so they will operate independently of each other.