# Re-Wiring garage lighting



## celesteblanca10 (Jan 27, 2017)

Hello - I am new to this forum, so I apologize if this question has already been answered in a different thread.

We moved into our new house, and the Garage is filled with many fluorescent lamps all over the ceiling. The problem is that all of them are connected using a normal plug to outlets, and because of that, the previous owner filled the ceiling with extension cords to hook these up. And of course, the only way to turn them on is by going one by one and pulling their string.

I would want to know how difficult it is to hook all these into a single switch. The switch already exist, so I just wanted to know what would it take for me to hook it up with all the lamps (3 or 4 of them).

Thanks in advance.

CB


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## bud16415 (Jan 27, 2017)

Thing to do is put an outlet near each lamp and run all the outlets off your switch or a new switch just for them. pull the chains to the on position and leave it there. Plug them in and you are done.


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## nealtw (Jan 27, 2017)

So what is the switch for now and do you want to wire this permanently.
Is the garage finished or do you have access to the walls?


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## afjes_2016 (Jan 28, 2017)

celesteblanca10 said:


> Hello - I am new to this forum, so I apologize if this question has already been answered in a different thread.
> 
> We moved into our new house, and the Garage is filled with many fluorescent lamps all over the ceiling. The problem is that all of them are connected using a normal plug to outlets, and because of that, the previous owner filled the ceiling with extension cords to hook these up. And of course, the only way to turn them on is by going one by one and pulling their string.
> 
> ...



First off welcome to the forum.

Although the answer may be in another thread sometimes things may be just a slight bit different in scenario and the DIYer may not realize and may cause a problem to their particular issue not knowing it. So posting with your specific issue is sometime more efficient.

You objective is to run several of these lights off a switch instead of having to pull the plug on each one. Of course a switch would be perfect for that. You state you have a switch but don't tell us much about it. What does it now control? Is your garage attached? Yes, we may be able to get the switch to control the lights but if we don't know if there is something else is further down line on that circuit then you may end up shutting off something else (if attached to house, maybe receptacles/lights in the house). So we have to know what the circuit does and maybe isolate it.

Maybe you should explain with a little more detail. Is there a sub panel in the garage. Where is the circuit coming from in the garage before the first receptacle (light receptacle) and where is it going after the last receptacle for the lights. What does the switch control now? Does the switch even do anything.


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## beachguy005 (Jan 28, 2017)

In simplest terms...if all the lights were on the same circuit you could locate the line side of the circuit and install a switch to control power feeding the load side....the fixtures.
It's probably not that simple so you need to determine if the fixtures are on multiple circuits and what the total loads are for those circuits, along with where the power is coming from.


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## slownsteady (Jan 29, 2017)

I would hope the ceiling is open because otherwise there would be no way of knowing there are extension cords...unless they are below the ceiling :hide:. We could coach the OP into installing permanent lighting without too much difficulty, but then what to do with all the flor. fixtures?


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## WyrTwister (Jan 29, 2017)

The existing switch you speak of , is it a traditional wall switch ?  Any wiring connected to the load side of it ?  Where does that wire go ?

God bless
Wyr

PS   Photos are nice .


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## afjes_2016 (Jan 29, 2017)

celesteblanca10: is all the wiring accessible so that you can see what cables are going where? The switch you speak of at this time we don't even know if that switch did in fact control any lights. Are the cables/romexs at the switch visable where you can see what is going into the switch box. 


Something brought up also is while we are doing this we need to know if those lights that are presently in the ceiling of the garage are on the same circuit and of course as important if we put those lights on a switch if they are on the same circuit we need to know if that circuit continues on down the line from the last light on the circuit to be sure you are not turning something else off without knowing it especially if it is an attached garage.


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