[Bond.Bug]

All the ceiling plasterboard in my kitchen has been ripped out. Have now fitted new recessed ceiling light housings ready for all new kitchen. The old kitchen had six 75w spots/floods track light. I have taken these out and connected the cable to four floods, all work fine. The old hanging light I have swopped for a fan/light, this works fine. However I have fitted three pendant lights over the new breakfast bar. Five floods around the dining end of the kitchen. These I assume will need two separate cables ( one for each set of lights ) to the fuse box. The current cables go along the kitchen ceiling through a wall into a hallway. I assume from here they go into the next room ceiling then into the garage ceiling before dropping down the wall to the fuse box. I do know of fish wires but I see no way of using one over this distance /angles, surely it would snag? I hope I have made myself clear!

Thanking you in anticipation.

[ma0641]

Measure all the lighting loads by counting bulbs and see what the total is. If you use CFL's, the load will be light. Simplest way would be the use a large ceiling box as a junction box and run the new wires from there to the other lights and use a switch loop circuit to control them. Unless you are going for very high wattage lighting fixtures, you may be OK with the existing power lead into the kitchen. You can run 1800 watts in a 15 AMP circuit.

[Bond.Bug]

Measure all the lighting loads by counting bulbs and see what the total is. If you use CFL's, the load will be light. Simplest way would be the use a large ceiling box as a junction box and run the new wires from there to the other lights and use a switch loop circuit to control them. Unless you are going for very high wattage lighting fixtures, you may be OK with the existing power lead into the kitchen. You can run 1800 watts in a 15 AMP circuit.

I had six 75watt lamps ( 450 watt combined ) in the kitchen on one circuit before. Now I have four recessed lamps at one end of the kitchen and five at the other. I would like the five and four lamps to switch on/off independent of each other. From what I gather, you are saying this is possible on the same lamp circuit. As I am using CFL lamps now ( 25watt max each ) the nine lamps would still be less than 250 watts. The new pendant lamps probably could go on the fan/light circuit. Am I correct in this statement?

Thank you

[ma0641]

I had six 75watt lamps ( 450 watt combined ) in the kitchen on one circuit before. Now I have four recessed lamps at one end of the kitchen and five at the other. I would like the five and four lamps to switch on/off independent of each other. From what I gather, you are saying this is possible on the same lamp circuit. As I am using CFL lamps now ( 25watt max each ) the nine lamps would still be less than 250 watts. The new pendant lamps probably could go on the fan/light circuit. Am I correct in this statement?

Thank you

Yes. You would use large capacity ceiling boxes as a junction box. The oncoming power is pigtailed with 3 black, 3 white and 3 grounds total. Then run the two circuits off running the power from light to light and a switch loop at the end. 250 watts is a very low load. The only potential drawback is that if the breaker trips you will lose all the lighting.

[Bond.Bug]

Yes. You would use large capacity ceiling boxes as a junction box. The oncoming power is pigtailed with 3 black, 3 white and 3 grounds total. Then run the two circuits off running the power from light to light and a switch loop at the end. 250 watts is a very low load. The only potential drawback is that if the breaker trips you will lose all the lighting.

Just so that I know what I THINK you are saying, IS what you are saying. So just to recap I have one cable that now powers four recessed ceiling lamps. I will name them 'A1.2.3.4.' I also have another cable that powered an old hanging lamp, now fitted with a fan/light , I will call this 'F'. The five new recessed ceiling lamps near the window, I will call 'W1.2.3.4.5.' The new pendant lamps I will call 'P1.2.3.'I think you are saying I can put a cable from box 'A' to lamps 'W' and a cable from box 'A' to lamps 'P'? I actually did this just to make sure all the lamps/wiring worked. The switch loop, is this something that will make 'A' 'F' 'W' and 'P' work independent of each other? Sorry for being such a numpty, I just want to make sure I understand you.

Thank you

[ma0641]

Sounds like F is on it's own. Yes, what you have proposed is correct. The power for A comes into a ceiling box-Correct? How is it switched? Anytime you can directly tap a hot, neutral and ground, you can add on. A switch loop works when you don't have direct power to the switch. The 2 hot leads from A would have switch loop so that it interrupts the power at the connection. Google switch loops to see how they are connected. Basically they allow current to be run on a white wire that is marked with black tape or a magic marker. The white goes to all the lights. The black power in is connected to a white side of a 14/2, run to a switch box and then the black goes out to the black of the light . White and black are on the switch and the white is considered "retasked", colored black. I just wired a basement with 2 light circuits run the same way as you plan. 2 switch loops installed in a duplex box.

[Bond.Bug]

Sounds like F is on it's own. Yes, what you have proposed is correct. The power for A comes into a ceiling box-Correct? How is it switched? Anytime you can directly tap a hot, neutral and ground, you can add on. A switch loop works when you don't have direct power to the switch. The 2 hot leads from A would have switch loop so that it interrupts the power at the connection. Google switch loops to see how they are connected. Basically they allow current to be run on a white wire that is marked with black tape or a magic marker. The white goes to all the lights. The black power in is connected to a white side of a 14/2, run to a switch box and then the black goes out to the black of the light . White and black are on the switch and the white is considered "retasked", colored black. I just wired a basement with 2 light circuits run the same way as you plan. 2 switch loops installed in a duplex box.

The power from the fuse box using old cable to 'A' is direct into first lamp housing. As the ceiling is all open , I planned fit a junction box ( JB1 ) before 'A' lamp housings. I just wanted to check lights worked first. After that I can run cable from junction box ( I will call it JB1 ) to lamp 'P' and a separate cable to lamps 'W' I will look online for a schematic on 'Switch loops' Once this is done, can I switch on 'P' and 'W' lamps without lamps 'A' being switched on?

Thank you for all the info.

[ma0641]

The power from the fuse box using old cable to 'A' is direct into first lamp housing. As the ceiling is all open , I planned fit a junction box ( JB1 ) before 'A' lamp housings. I just wanted to check lights worked first. After that I can run cable from junction box ( I will call it JB1 ) to lamp 'P' and a separate cable to lamps 'W' I will look online for a schematic on 'Switch loops' Once this is done, can I switch on 'P' and 'W' lamps without lamps 'A' being switched on?

thank you for all the info.

If you have power at your box with A off then yes. If no power you will need yo have another hot.

[shuntripper]

Measure all the lighting loads by counting bulbs and see what the total is. If you use CFL's, the load will be light. Simplest way would be the use a large ceiling box as a junction box and run the new wires from there to the other lights and use a switch loop circuit to control them. Unless you are going for very high wattage lighting fixtures, you may be OK with the existing power lead into the kitchen. You can run 1800 watts in a 15 AMP circuit.

Check and make sure that the kitchen light circuit doesn't share with something else, would be unusual for a kitchen light to be on it's own circuit.