[GoneForNow]

My garage has one standard light bulb (single socket fixture) (100 watt) attached to the ceiling in the middle of the garage. To say that the light is inadequate would be the understatement of the year. There is only one switch for the light, next to the door which leads into the house.

How hard is it to replace the standard fixture with a four bulb florescent fixture? In essence, is the wiring coming out of a florescent fixture going to match what is currently there? Would it be possible to put in two 4 bulb florescent fixtures?

[buck52]

Howdy gbrumb

It should be quite easy. The florescent fixture should have a black and white wire the same as the exisiting one as well as a bare ground wire. Usually there will be a green screw supplied with the florescent unit that the bare ground wire connects to.

The wires in the box for the old fixture will be, of course, to short to connect directly to the new florescent fixture so you will need some wire and a few wirenuts etc: to make the job look good.... my bosses favorite line..." don't care if it works as long as it looks good"... of course I'd be fired if it didn't work also...

To add a second fixture just jumper the wires from the first fixture to the second matching the colors...

There are code issues that vary from place to place but no need to go into them other than don't bury/conseal the old box that will have connections in it... that's pretty universal, can't bury a juction box...

buck

[iltos]

bucks right, gb....a 4 bulb flourescent fixture is just a BIG light fixture....same wiring rules apply

[GoneForNow]

Gracias los caballeros

[Guyzer]

Gettin' on your wifes nerves are you? May your timeouts in the garage be filled with much light.

[johnpost]

in adding one or two fixtures:

run the cable from the new fixture(s) to the light socket box.
mount this cable to the sides of ceiling joists, not the top
or bottom where they are likely to get bumped, poked
or something laid on it. the cable needs to be kept
out of harms way, exposed is fine just not where
can get knocked around.

put a cover plate on box which used to hold
light socket.

i would have two lights in the garage, an
incandescent one for quick on and off
so you don't trip over stuff. the fluorescent
lighting for working. fluorescents are
slow to come on and will wear out with
frequent on/off. so i would have the
flourescents on pull chain switches,
it can be wired up parallel to the existing light
in the center. if the incandescent light
in the center doesn't have a pull chain
socket then you could put one on and
be able to switch that light off while
the fluorescents were on.

[GoneForNow]

Originally Posted by Wimpy369

Gettin' on your wifes nerves are you? May your timeouts in the garage be filled with much light.

Its were I got the beer and the 60" plasma.

[wacor]

Originally Posted by gbrumb

My garage has one standard light bulb (single socket fixture) (100 watt) attached to the ceiling in the middle of the garage. To say that the light is inadequate would be the understatement of the year. There is only one switch for the light, next to the door which leads into the house.

How hard is it to replace the standard fixture with a four bulb florescent fixture? In essence, is the wiring coming out of a florescent fixture going to match what is currently there? Would it be possible to put in two 4 bulb florescent fixtures?

Good lord with the amount of wealth you have amassed you are going to do this yourself rather than hire an electrician??

You cheap SOB !!

Actually it is a piece of cake. Even something a lawyer could do !!

[GoneForNow]

Originally Posted by wacor

Good lord with the amount of wealth you have amassed you are going to do this yourself rather than hire an electrician??

You cheap SOB !!

Actually it is a piece of cake. Even something a lawyer could do !!

Actually the wife is making me do it. I think she thinks she'll collect on the life insurance.

[wacor]

Originally Posted by gbrumb

Actually the wife is making me do it. I think she thinks she'll collect on the life insurance.

You might have something there !!

[hewee]

Originally Posted by gbrumb

Actually the wife is making me do it. I think she thinks she'll collect on the life insurance.

Well that is why you want to turn the power off out at the panel and pad lock it so your wife can't collect.

[GoneForNow]

Originally Posted by hewee

Well that is why you want to turn the power off out at the panel and pad lock it so your wife can't collect.

Good idea Hewee!

[hewee]

Plus your know your safer too gbrumb if turning the power off to where your working effects other parts of the house and then some other person without knowing your doing work goes out and turns the power on. With it locked they can not do that.

[johnpost]

residential equipment rarely has lockouts

putting a piece of tape over a breaker handle
on the off position or over the empty fuse
socket will work.

taping a sign saying you are working on
that circuit on the front of the box is also
good. that is done even if the circuit
has been locked out.

plus telling people in the household what you are doing
also is important to be extra safe and they won't
be surprised when some circuit may not work. also
they know to check on you periodically to see if you
shocked yourself on a still energized circuit (that
you didn't really turn off or when going into
junction boxes you could have 2 or 3 circuits
in them and the others still be live) or you
might have fallen off a ladder.