Connecting the luminaire to the wiring. Connection diagrams for spotlights

After reading the title of the article, surely someone will definitely say - “why about e something write, any landlord will be able to cope with this kind of work ”. Yes, of course, the installation and connection of the chandelier does not belong to the work of the highest category of complexity, however, and these processes have specific nuances, on which, by the way, the safety of living in the apartment depends.

The chandelier is connected to electricity, and all electrical appliances, if they are incorrect installation become a source of danger - electric shock or even fire. In addition, this lighting fixture is often quite massive, and can cause a lot of trouble if it is not securely fixed to the ceiling. Thus, the whole complex of problems related to how to connect a chandelier with your own hands is conditionally divided into two directions - ensuring its correct connection to the mains and its reliable and most beautiful placement on the ceiling plane.

Find out useful information from our new article.

What to consider when choosing a chandelier

It is clear that the overwhelming majority of apartment owners choose this lighting fixture, relying primarily on its external design, so that it matches the overall interior design of the room. However, at the same time, one should not forget about some other aspects of the choice.

The total light output of the chandelier must correspond to the size and type of room for which it is intended. There are certain standards for illumination, which can be summarized as follows:

- For rooms where soft, diffused, dim light is required (a typical example is a bedroom), one should proceed from 10 ÷ 12 W / m2 of area.

- For rooms with an average level of general illumination (kitchen, bath, bathroom) or where it is planned to install additional lighting for specific workplaces (office or nursery) the norm will be from 15 to 20 W / m².

- For rooms with bright illumination (living room), this indicator is taken equal to 20 W / m².

In accordance with the calculated power, a lighting device with the required number of horns should be selected. An important nuance - in no case should the overall illumination be raised using more powerful lamps than allowed by the manufacturer. The material of the shades, cartridges, the cross-section of the internal wiring may not be designed for increased loads, and this will lead to damage to the device or even a fire hazard.

The dimensions of the lighting fixture must be in harmony with the overall dimensions of the room. A huge chandelier will look ridiculous in a rather cramped room, or, on the contrary, too small will simply be lost on the plane of the ceiling of a large hall. Designers recommend proceeding from the following considerations:

- The optimal diameter of the chandelier can be roughly determined by the formula:

D = ( L + S) × 10

D - chandelier diameter in centimeters

L and S - the length and width of the room, respectively, in meters.

So, for example, for a room measuring 5 × 3 m, the best option would be a chandelier with a diameter of 80 cm.

The type of chandelier chosen depends on the height of the room. If the ceilings in the room are low, about 2.5 m, then it is better to give preference to the ceiling version of the lighting device, so that from the floor to it there is at least 2.0 ÷ 2.2 m. The suspended version will be appropriate in a room with high ceilings, and here the length of the suspension will be determined only by considerations of aesthetics.
It is imperative to compare the type and material of the ceiling with the weight of the chandelier and the method of hanging it - this will be discussed below.
Chandeliers are most often sold disassembled, therefore, special attention is paid to completeness, conformity of the thread on all dismountable parts, the integrity of decorative elements. Be sure to check that there are clear and understandable installation instructions for the product.
Unfortunately, the lighting market is literally oversaturated with cheap and low-quality goods and outright imitations of well-known brands. Such products can be fitted with cartridges made of low-grade plastic, which is not designed for high temperatures. They will give out counterfeit poor-quality installation of the electrical part, twisted wires, lack of terminal connections, etc. Often you have to independently carry out the re-wiring of the wires, their wiring and insulation according to all the rules. This is especially true for "sophisticated" chandeliers with LED additional circuits, power supplies or current transformation, remote control devices, etc. In order not to take on these unnecessary troubles, it is better to choose a product with a really high-quality cable and electrical "stuffing", to demand assembly and testing of the product in the store.

Chandelier and ceiling lamp prices

Chandeliers and ceiling lights

We deal with the wires on the chandelier and on the ceiling

In this article, we will not consider especially complex options with chandeliers stuffed with electronics - their installation in most cases will definitely require the services of an appropriately qualified specialist. But everyone should be able to connect an ordinary chandelier on their own.

First of all, a few theoretical questions in the field of home wiring. As you know, power supply in our area is organized with a standard voltage of 220 V and a frequency of 50 Hz. Household wiring is carried out on two wires - phase and zero. If a ground loop is provided in the house (in modern housing this becomes a necessity and most often, in new buildings this issue is foreseen in advance), then a third wire connected to the ground bus is included in the wiring.

There is a generally accepted color marking of wires for a single-phase electrical network:

A characteristic nuance - if the neutral wire always has a blue or blue color, and the grounding contact is yellow-green, then the color of the phase wire can vary:

Often, several phase wires of one or more colors can be collected in one cable - this is used, among other things, when connecting lighting devices, to switch different modes of their operation:

Ideally, both the chandelier and the house wiring should use this color coding. However, practice shows that in either case this rule is not always observed. For example, in old buildings, aluminum or copper wires in single-color insulation were used for wiring. In this case, you will have to deal with them yourself.

Special attention should be paid to safety measures when working with electrical wiring. It is strictly forbidden to touch bare wires with bare hands, unless the general power supply is turned off. You must wear rubber-soled shoes. For work under the ceiling, you need to provide a reliable foundation - an unstable stool or bedside table can lead to loss of balance, fall and injury. For these purposes, the best option would be a stepladder mounted on a rubber mat.

1. So, the simplest option is a cable with two wires coming out of the hole in the ceiling. It is clear that one of them is phase, and the other is zero. According to existing rules, the zero must go directly to the junction box, and the phase one must be interrupted at the switch. Nevertheless, it does not interfere with checking - very often electricians "did not bother" with these questions.

To check, you must have a special device - a phase indicator. Most often, it is made in the form of a screwdriver with a transparent body, although modern models can have a different design, including even with indication of the phase voltage value.
First of all, it is necessary to completely de-energize the room or the entire apartment on the switchboard. This is necessary in order to thoroughly strip the wires from insulation and oxides to a length of 5 ÷ 8 mm. After stripping, the wires are bent as far as possible to prevent them from shorting. After that, turn on the machine on the dashboard.
Then, with the switch off position, both wires are sequentially checked. None should show the presence of a phase. If there is a phase on one wire, then the wiring in the house is done incorrectly - the switch, apparently, interrupts "zero". In this case, it is very difficult to change anything - it just should be borne in mind, taking special care in further work.

The phase is checked in the same way when the switch is on. As a result, a phase wire will be identified, which can be marked in a certain way (with a marker or colored tape).

2. If a switch with two or more keys is installed in the room, then from the ceiling the holes should be the appropriate number phase wires. The check is carried out in the same way as described above, marking each phase separately, in accordance with the location of the switch keys.

A similar check should be carried out even if color-coded wiring is installed - simply to exclude errors of the electrician who once installed it.

3. Now - about the cable part of the chandelier itself.

The easiest way is when the chandelier is one- or two-three-arm, without dividing them into groups. All wires from the cartridges are collected in two contact groups - zero and phase. If there is a ground wire, it is usually connected to the metal body of the luminaire.

In the case when it is required to divide the horns with cartridges into two or more groups, then all the blue "zero" wires are connected into one bundle, and the phase wires are divided into several, according to the number of keys on the switch.

Very often on chandeliers, this can be seen quite clearly, and such switching will not be difficult.

The simplest case: all the wires - at a glance

In both cases, the bundles of twisted wires should be carefully soldered and placed in a screw terminal block or separate spring terminals.

It is somewhat more difficult to understand when the chandelier design does not make it possible to visually understand its internal wiring. However, here you can figure it out by ringing out all the outgoing wires using a multitester. To do this, you can sequentially screw an incandescent lamp into the sockets (an energy-saving fluorescent lamp will not help in this case), and experimentally find out which horn is powered from which wire. After that, it will be already easy to distribute the horns into groups.

To "ring" hidden wires, you need a multitester

There are other methods for determining the internal wiring of a chandelier, based on calculating the resistance of a circuit with lamps of the same rating screwed into all the sockets, but in practice it is probably easier to just ring each horn.

So, the result of checking the chandelier circuits and stationary wiring in the room should be a clear understanding of the circuit, prepared for switching and marked wires on the ceiling and groups of contacts on the lighting device itself.

Video: wiring diagram of a five-arm chandelier to a two-button switch

Fixing the chandelier to the ceiling of the room

If everything became clear with the electrical part, it is necessary to ensure reliable fastening of the chandelier to the ceiling. The technology of work depends both on the design of the chandelier and on the type of ceiling covering.

Hanging the chandelier on the hook

This is an old and proven method of mounting chandeliers, which have a special loop, ring or hook for this purpose.

In older multi-storey buildings, hanging hooks were installed in the ceiling holes during the construction phase. If it costs, then the problem is less, however, it does not hurt to test it for strength. To do this, it is necessary to suspend a load with a total mass that is twice the weight of the chandelier planned for installation. If such a load can be easily sustained, then there should be no particular fears.

But what if the old hook is unreliable or its condition does not inspire confidence that it will withstand the load? It's okay, you can install it yourself.

In principle, there should be no problems with a wooden ceiling - a screw hook is easily screwed into it.

There are various solutions with a concrete floor slab:

- It is possible to hang the hook on a transverse steel bar, which is inserted into the cable duct of the slab. In doing so, be careful not to damage the wiring with the rod.

- Another option with an old hole in the ceiling is to insert a hook with a butterfly lock. Having passed into the cable channel, the "wings" of this attachment will straighten and create the necessary support, and all that remains is to fix the entire suspension with a washer and a nut.

Spring-loaded butterfly hook

- If this option is not possible, for example, in the case when there is no “standard” opening for the hook, it will be necessary to drill a hole in the concrete ceiling for a plastic dowel, but it is still better for a metal anchor with a ring or hook.

Before drilling, it will be useful to evaluate the direction of the wiring from the junction box to the outlet on the ceiling, so as not to accidentally break the cable or break its insulation with a drill.

If the internal cavity of the slab is caught during drilling, use a special metal dowel for hollow structures - with screwing it in, a "skirt" is formed that reliably holds the fastening element in the overlap.

After installing any type of hook, it should be tested for loading - as described above. After that, it is recommended to insulate the protruding metal part by wrapping it with electrical tape or putting a heat-shrinkable tube of the appropriate diameter on it, followed by heating.

If the hook is secure, you can hang the chandelier using the standard mount. It is imperative to turn off the general power supply of the room in order to connect the contact part. The wires are connected by terminal connectors - twists are not allowed, as sparks can occur on them with melting of the insulation. The connection is carried out in full accordance with the wiring diagram described above.

The place of the contact connection of the wires and the suspension on the hook is usually covered with a decorative glass (cap).

After completing the installation, turn on the power supply on the panel, then on the switch to immediately make sure that there are no short circuits. It does not hurt to check the absence of a phase on the metal body of the chandelier with the indicator. If everything is normal, then when the switch keys are off, the necessary lamps are screwed in or inserted into the socket and the practical functionality of all the chandelier arms is checked in all switching modes.

After checking, you can proceed to the final installation of the chandelier - installation of shades, suspension of all removable decorative parts, etc., according to the assembly instructions attached to the product.

Installing the chandelier on the mounting plate

Many manufactured chandeliers, especially those designed for low-rise rooms, are not hung on hooks, but are installed using screw fasteners on a special mounting strip fixed to the ceiling. This greatly improves the reliability of the overall installation, as the load is evenly distributed over several attachment points.

The design of the mounting plate can be different - it all depends on the specific model of the chandelier and its weight. The bar can be straight or curved, with brackets for fixing the luminaire body, or with protruding studs or screws.

A set with especially weighty chandeliers can include cross-shaped strips or in the form of a reinforced I-profile.

The strip may have a hole with the edges covered with an insulating sleeve for the passage of wires coming out of the ceiling. You can also place the bar in the immediate vicinity of the cable exit - the body of the installed chandelier will hide both the hole in the ceiling and the wiring.

The mounting plate is fixed to the ceiling plane in different ways, depending on the specific conditions. In fact, this is described above, with the only difference that instead of dowels with a ring or hook, ordinary ones are used, with a clamping head "under sweep».

Just as with the use of a hook, the reliability of the fastening under load must be checked.

The fastening must be checked under load - in order to prevent such situations.

Quite often, there is a situation when an excessively close position of the dowels from the old hole in the ceiling does not ensure the reliability of installation - the edge of the concrete may crack or crumble. So the optimal choice of fasteners and installation location still remains with the immediate performer of the work.

Attaching the chandelier itself to the mounting plate can also have its own characteristics. Perhaps, in this case, you will need help - the luminaire will have to be kept suspended while the cable part is being switched. After the wires are connected, the chandelier body is attached to the bar with decorative nuts or screws.

Further work on performance control and final installation is no different from what was stated above.

Features of fixing the chandelier to the plasterboard ceiling

By and large, planning the placement of the chandelier should be done even before its installation. In this case, no problems are foreseen - one or more additional metal profiles are provided in advance for attaching the mounting plate, or is established hook, which will then be easy to build up with a chain or bar. In the drywall sheet, a hole is immediately marked and drilled in the right place for the wires and hook to exit.

But what if this question of hanging the chandelier arose later?

In the case when the lighting device is of a suspended type, it is impossible to install the hook directly into the GVL - its strength is unlikely to be enough for a point load. You can do the following:

A hole is drilled in the ceiling with a diameter smaller than the decorative cap of the luminaire.

Exactly in the center of this opening with a long drill installed in a perforator, a hole is drilled in the floor slab along the anchorage.

An anchor with a long threaded rod is inserted and fixed to the limit in the hole made, so that the hairpin goes out, beyond the plane of the drywall.

An eye nut is screwed onto the protruding end of the hairpin, to which the chandelier itself will be suspended later. The excess hairpin is carefully cut off with a hacksaw.

Spring butterfly with hairpin

If there is a void in the floor or an old hole - everything same way, as in the case of work on a normal ceiling, only the fasteners do not have a ring, but a long threaded part, so that it protrudes outward.

If the chandelier is of the console type, that is, it is installed on a mounting plate, then much depends on its mass.

- In the case when the total weight from the lamp does not exceed 3 - 5 kg, you can fix the bar directly to the sheet of gypsum fiber board. To do this, use special dowels for drywall - "butterflies" or snails.

Dowels "butterfly" and "snail" for fixing parts on drywall

The first are held as a result of the expansion of the plastic structure under a sheet of drywall when screwing in a self-tapping screw. In the latter, the principle of operation is different - a very high and sharp thread with a large contact plane with the sheet material creates a reliable connection when screwing in. The "snail" is screwed in completely, flush with the surface of the gypsum fiber board, in the right place, and a hole remains in its center, into which an ordinary self-tapping screw can easily enter.

- If the chandelier is heavier, then you will have to resort to the stud anchor method to fix the mounting plate. - - as described above. The protruding threaded portions of two or more studs become rack and pinion or cruciform mountings.

All further actions are no different from mounting a chandelier on a regular ceiling.

Video: a variant of fixing a chandelier to a plasterboard ceiling

Prices for various types of anchorage

Anchoring

Mounting the chandelier on a heavy ceiling

No practical advice on self-installation of the chandelier on a heavy ceiling will not be given - this should be done only by craftsmen and exclusively before hanging the ceiling sheet.

Read the detailed information about what is important to know in our new article.

To install the chandelier, a mounting platform is prepared in advance and suspended from the floor slab, the lower cut of which should fall on the planned height of the stretched canvas. Based on the location of this embedded platform, the craftsmen themselves must cut and properly process the holes, strengthening their edges through which the wires and fasteners will pass.

Attempts to independently cut holes in order to hang the chandelier on an already installed stretch ceiling, using methods of working like a plasterboard ceiling, will not lead to anything good. With a probability close to 100%, they are doomed to fail. The deplorable, but natural result of such an amateur performance will be the need for a complete replacement of the canvas.

After the “ceiling” masters finish their work, leaving the necessary holes for the chandelier and fasteners, reinforced with special eyelets, the installation of the lamp is carried out with the utmost care in order to in no case allow a break or puncture of the surface.

On a heavy ceiling, it is preferable to use a suspended one so that the lamps are not in the immediate vicinity of the canvas. In addition, conventional incandescent lamps, "halogens" or luminescent "housekeepers" will not work for these purposes - they will quickly spoil the decorative effect of the ceiling covering. Therefore, in order for the ceiling to retain its attractiveness as long as possible, only LED models are needed.

Video: an example of mounting a chandelier on a heavy ceiling

The general wiring diagram of the two-rocker switch is shown in the image below. On it:

Zero conductor (blue or white-blue wire), goes to the chandelier directly from the junction box, without going into the switch. It is common to all lamps in the chandelier and is connected to each of them.

Phase conductor (white wire) from the junction box it goes to a two-button switch, where it is divided into two independent phase wires, the voltage supply to each of which is regulated by its own key.

Grounding conductor (yellow-green wire) connects directly to the chandelier body.

This is where the 4 wires on the ceiling are taken from to connect the chandelier - this is zero, two independent phase and grounding. If the electrical wiring of an apartment or house is old, you may have only three wires, in this case there is simply no grounding, the rest of the conductors are the same.

The chandelier has two available wires for connection - these are phase and neutral conductors, respectively, the protective ground is most often connected directly to the conductive part of the case, it is simply attracted by a screw.

So, we have 3 or 4 wires coming out of the ceiling and two 2 wires from the chandelier, in which case we have two main connection options.

1. We connect as is.

In this case, the chandelier will turn on all at once, one of the keys of the two-button switch, while the second will not be used in any way.

You can choose this connection option if there is only one lamp in the chandelier and you cannot physically make a dual-mode out of it, or if you are not afraid of a non-working one of the switch keys.

The connection procedure will be as follows:

One of the chandelier wires is connected to the neutral wire coming out of the ceiling (blue or white-blue), and the second (white) to one of the two phase wires.

It looks like this:

But do not rush to connect like this, there is another installation option.

2. We remake the chandelier for a two-button switch

The second option, although more laborious, will still be preferable. We remake the chandelier for a two-key switch, in other words we divide the lamps in the lamp into 2 groups, each of which is turned on by its own key switch. Sounds intimidating, but it's actually pretty easy to do.

For the operation of any lamp, power is required, which is usually supplied through two wires, in the case of lamps for alternating current of a household apartment network of 230 Volts, this is a phase conductor and a zero conductor.

In any chandelier, all the wiring from the lamps / shades comes to one place, where the phase and neutral wires are combined, and only two wires already come to the place where the power cable is connected.

Our task:

1. Find the junction of all wires in the chandelier

2. Divide the chandelier lamps into two groups

Knowing that somewhere all the wires from the chandelier lamps are connected, you can easily find the place where the connection is. Usually it is located either at the base of the chandelier, option 1 in the image, or in one of their structural elements, which is often accessible even on a suspended chandelier, option 2.

Now we need to divide all the lamps of the chandelier into 2 groups, this can be done as follows:

- Neutral wires remain connected to each other, they do not need to be touched

- We disconnect the phase wires and form two groups of them, instead of one. The principle of separation is selected individually, for example, you can make one half of the lamps in the first mode, and the second in the second, or connect the lamps alternating through one, i.e. the first group is 1, 3 and 5 llamas, and 2, 4 and 6 are the second in a six-arm chandelier, it all depends on your imagination.

If we consider the scheme for dividing lamps into groups, using the example of a two-arm chandelier, it should look something like this:

Instead of two connections, you get three - (two connections of phase wires and one zero), for this, another wire must be inserted into the place where the chandelier is connected to the wiring from the two-button switch for the circuit to work. Usually, there are no problems with this, all elements of the chandeliers are usually hollow and require wiring.

Now everything fits together, 3 wires from the switch with 2 buttons on the ceiling (+ ground) and three at the chandelier (ground is connected to the body). By connecting them according to this scheme, we get a fully working two-button switch and a two-mode chandelier. As you can see, everything is pretty simple.

If you are faced with any difficulties while connecting a chandelier with 2 wires to a two-button switch, or you just have questions or additions to the article, be sure to write in the comments!

It is not necessary to call a professional electrician to your home to connect your new chandelier to the light switch. One- or two-key - does not matter. This is a fairly simple work that you can do on your own with high quality, while saving money. The main thing is to adhere to step-by-step instructions, listen to advice and clearly follow the recommendations given by experts in the field of electrical installation.

Chandelier connection

Whatever the chandelier, the connection principle for such lighting fixtures is practically the same. And it's simple enough. Moreover, it doesn't matter - you need to connect the chandelier to a single switch or to a double one. Installation, of course, is different, but both are not difficult.

So, any light is on if two obligatory wires are connected to it:

phase;
and zero.

And the chandelier is the same light bulb, and in order to connect it, one conductor from the junction box must be connected directly to the chandelier, and the second also to it, but with a break, the role of which is played by the switch. And in no case should a zero conductor be allowed through this switch. Safety precautions are strictly prescribed to lead it exclusively directly - from the junction box to the lamp (chandelier). Without any breaks!

Before starting the connection activities, you should make sure that the electricians who installed the wiring initially correctly colored the wires:

working zero-conductor should be blue or light blue;
protective zero-conductor - yellow-green.

To check whether the conductors were correctly designated by the masters, it is necessary, armed with an indicator screwdriver, to look where zero comes out of the junction box (or directly from the ceiling), and where is the phase.

Everything is simple here: if, when touching the wire, the indicator sensor lights up, then this is a phase, no - zero. Before the procedure, the screwdriver indicator can be checked on any energized object - in an outlet or a floor panel, for example.

The wires can run in different ways from the ceiling:

How to connect a chandelier

Connection of different chandeliers is possible to different switches:

one-key;
and two-key.

Connection via one key switch

The simplest chandelier connection scheme is when a wire pair comes out of the hole in the ceiling. The connection process is then extremely simple: the wires are connected in pairs, and that's it. Even the sequence of such a connection is not important. That is, the blue zero-wire in the junction box is directly connected to the zero-wire, but already in the chandelier. And the brown phase-wire from the power source in the same junction box goes first to the switch, and then to exactly the same phase-wire, but already in the lamp (chandelier).

The wires must be connected using screw terminal clamps. You can also twist a wire pair with pliers, but you will definitely need to insulate the ends of the wires using special caps. These are the mandatory safety requirements.

But insulating tape (or PVC tape), which many are accustomed to "winding" the wires, is better not to use. It will definitely dry out over time, and, naturally, the quality of the insulation performed will suffer.

In chandeliers of a certain design, there is no provision for a preliminary combination of lamps, and then wire pairs come from each of the lamps.

When the chandelier is more than one lamp, there are no problems with its connection. Chandelier zero-wires are assembled, connected and then connected to the network zero-wire. The same is with the phases, but they are connected from the switch to the phase-wire.

The connection process is twisting solid-colored wires. And then the resulting twists are connected to wires heading along the ceiling to the one-button switch.

Video instructions for connecting a one-button switch are presented below:

Connection via switch with two buttons

Many people today are interested in the variability of the regulation of the degree of illumination of different rooms in an apartment or a country house. Therefore, the question of how to connect a chandelier to a double switch, which allows you to turn on the chandelier lamps not only at once, but also in stages, can be especially relevant.

To begin with, almost all wiring in city apartments or country houses is now performed using a three-core cable, in which there are wires in multi-colored braids. And three multi-colored wires from a two-button switch are also suitable for the mounting place of any chandelier. And first you need to determine what is the purpose of each of these wires.

It is clear that one is a zero-wire, and it is common for the entire set of lighting lamps. And the other two are phase, passing through different switch keys.

Today, unfortunately, there is no clear color wiring diagram that all electricians would adhere to. Therefore, the wires of different companies are braided in different ways. This means that before connecting the existing wires, you need to clearly find out their purpose. This can be done using a special indicator (or an indicator screwdriver is also a good tool). And it is obligatory when the switch keys are on. Where the indicator detects voltage, there will be a phase, where not - a neutral conductor.

If there is no indicator in the house, the process is insignificant, but complicated. We'll have to de-energize the room completely, disassemble the switch. More precisely, it will be enough just to remove the cover from it to see what color and from which key the wire goes directly to the chandelier. The zero conductor, of course, does not pass through any keys.

In principle, connecting a chandelier through a two-button switch is similar to the process of connecting it through a one-button switch. The only difference is that the phase tube conductors are divided into 2 sections. And one twist from each lamp group is connected (together) to a zero-conductor. The remaining pair of twists is connected (individually) to the remaining pair of wires.

Connecting the chandelier to a double switch gives the user the ability to regulate the illumination of the room by lighting the lamps of the luminaire in steps.

A short video instruction on how to connect a two-button switch is shown below:

Several chandeliers on one switch

This option is also possible for lighting residential and commercial premises. It is ideal where you have to turn on several lighting fixtures at the same time in one or several rooms at once.

The connection is carried out as follows: the chandeliers (or a group of LED / halogen lamps (if halogen, then with the installation of a step-down transformer)) are connected in parallel. Moreover, each of the lamps:

connected to the breaker through a separate junction box;
or placement takes place in a single junction box.

It all depends on which wiring diagram will be chosen.

Connecting one chandelier to two switches at once

To put into practice the wiring diagram for connecting a chandelier or a group of halogen (with the installation of an additional step-down transformer) / LED lamps from 2 different switches, you will need special "pass-through" switches that are structurally different from the usual ones. In addition, there are three pins in their wiring diagram:

common output to the phase wire or directly to the chandelier;
a pair of auxiliary contacts for connecting the switches to each other.

This option of electrical distribution must be carefully thought out in advance (and if there is a repair in an apartment or office, then even before the start of repair measures). Otherwise, it will take no more, no less than to lay one more wiring in the room. Well, and the subsequent cosmetic repairs to do, of course.

Safety when installing chandeliers with connection to switches

For those who are going to independently connect the chandelier to any of the above switches in any of the above ways, it is worth reminding once again that the installation work on the installation of lamps and the high-quality connection of the switches should be carried out in compliance with safety regulations. And the following rules are binding:

Any electrical activities are carried out only when the corresponding branch of the wiring is completely de-energized (and you do not need to be content with the "off" position on the switch, it is better to put the switchboard circuit breakers in the appropriate position).
Do not twist copper to aluminum wires. It is fraught with fire.
Avoid touching live and open test leads.
It is required to carefully monitor the wire marking when you need to connect the chandelier to a single switch, and even more so to a two-key. The zero wire is always marked with the letter "N", the phase - with the letter "L".
Determine on which of the wires the phase is located, and on which zero, using a special indicator screwdriver. And it is necessary to touch the bare ends of the wires with it strictly one by one.
For the period of testing the wires, the electricity is connected, but immediately after the end of the process, it is imperative to de-energize the required installation area again.

At first glance, connecting a chandelier at home seems to be a matter that even a beginner can do. In reality, this is a very difficult electrical operation, requiring knowledge of electrical circuits and the ability to handle the tool. The installation of a room lighting device is noticeably complicated in cases where several bulbs are connected at once through a two-button switch.

The need for continuity of wires

In order to correctly connect the chandelier, the first step is to determine the phase and neutral conductors coming out of the ceiling. To do this, be sure to ring the wires with a voltage indicator or a voltmeter.

First of all, you need to check the correct connection of the switch. In the on position of the two switch keys, the indicator screwdriver should show the presence of a phase on the two wires coming out of the ceiling.

There should be no voltage on one of the wires. By turning off the keys of the light switch in turn, you can determine which wire corresponds to a particular key.

Connecting a 2-light chandelier to a double switch

The simplest possible option is to connect the chandelier to a double switch with two arms.

According to the diagram, in this case, 3 conductors are connected to the switch, one of which goes from the junction box (phase input), and two outputs return to the box and, together with the neutral wire, come to the chandelier.

Additional Information: If only one phase wire is laid from the ceiling to the place where the chandelier is attached from the switch (in red or white insulation), the second will have to be laid independently.

This connection allows you to select the following lighting states:

Only one light is on when the second is extinguished (the first of the keys is in the on position, and the second in the off).
All fixtures are on (both keys are on).
All lamps are extinguished (the device is completely off).

In this case, the total number of parallel-connected lamps in each of the two switched groups can be arbitrary.

How to connect a 3-light chandelier to a double switch

If it is necessary to switch three lamps through the same double switch at once, you will need to do the following:

Make connections to the double switch in the same way as in the previous case.
Then connect one of the phase wires outgoing from it to one lamp.
The second conductor must be connected to two parallel-connected lamps.

With this method of organizing the switching, the set of possible options for the formation of illumination expands. At the same time, the possibility of energy savings remains.

Wiring diagram for a chandelier with a double switch for 4 bulbs

With four lamps, the situation with switching through a two-key device is noticeably complicated, since in this case the number of possible combinations of connecting the illuminators increases to two.

The first of the options involves dividing 4 lamps into two groups of two illuminators each. Similarly to all previous cases, a corresponding wire is connected to them from the switch. When you turn on one key, only two lights are lit, and when you press two at once, all four horns light up.

In the second case, the lamps are broken as follows: 3 pieces are combined into a separate group, and the fourth remains as it is. With this switching on, one key switches three lamps at once, and the second only one.

According to the scheme, you can arbitrarily select a set of lamps in each of the switched groups, which depends on the preferences of the owner of the apartment. Since the number of wires in this case increases significantly, you will need to describe the order of their installation, which is done as follows:

First of all, in the bundle of wires supplied to the chandelier, a common or neutral wire is found, which should have blue insulation.
There you should also find two wires in red insulation, which are phase (they are laid from the two output contacts of the two-button switch).
The first one is connected to one group of bulbs, and the second one to another.

If one phase wire in red insulation is brought from the ceiling to the place where the chandelier is attached, the other, intended for the second group, is laid independently

When one key is pressed in this case, two or three lamps initially light up, and after switching the second one, the remaining horns are added to them. In the case when strong lighting is not required, it is enough to keep one key on.

Important! If you want to save on electricity, you should use the second switching option (4 + 1).

In this case, you can turn on one lamp, leaving the other four off. The considered scheme allows you to control the lighting in the room in the entire range of possible options.

Connecting the chandelier to a 6-light double switch

Connecting a chandelier through a 2-key switch with a large number of horns is possible in a situation where the apartment has a suitable electrical wiring for this. If this condition is met, it will be possible to use various options for lighting modes.

Additional Information: The old eyeliner can only be dispensed with if an illuminator of a similar design (with several horns) has been previously used.

As in the previous version, for this it is necessary that at the point of the cable outlet from the ceiling hole two phase wires and one zero wire come out.

The bulbs included in the lighting fixture can be divided as follows:

One group consists of two lamps, and the second group consists of 4.
Each of these groups contains 3 lighting units (photo on the right).

It makes no sense to break the horns in a ratio of 5 to one in this situation, since the difference when 6 or only 5 lamps are lit is almost imperceptible.

As in the previous cases, the wiring of neutral and phase conductors along the horns should be organized in the chandelier body (usually this is done during production during its manufacture).

The user only needs to connect the wires in the insulation of the same color through a special connector, observing the selected switching order. If the colors of the wires on the chandelier are not indicated, you will have to ring them with a multimeter and find out where is the earth conductor that goes to the base, and where is the phase conductor, supplied to the central spots of the lamps.

Wiring diagram for 8 arm chandeliers through a double switch

To connect a lighting fixture with eight horns, you will need to proceed in the same way as in all previous cases. In this situation, you will have to use the following options for dividing light bulbs into groups:

Note: The 7 + 1 option does not make sense, as well as the 5 + 1 breakdown scheme in the previous case.

The choice of possible options for the luminous flux in this situation increases significantly, which guarantees the possibility of economical consumption of electricity. Economy mode is usually selected in a situation where maximum illumination is not required.

How does the chandelier split power work?

To understand the sequence in which to connect the wires in the switch, you need to understand how electricity runs through the chandelier, powering the lamps. In this chapter, we are with you and will deal with this issue.

No matter how complex the electrical part of the device is, it will always end with leads from two, three or four wires. The simplest ones can only be connected with 2 wires. The number of terminals does not tell us anything about their purpose. Let's take a closer look at this topic.

In the photo above, you can see the classic terminal block with two colored wires coming out of it.

Advice! Color coding of conductors helps to further orientate when organizing the connection of electrical devices. Do not trust her completely, since you cannot know how the connections in the junction box are made without looking into it.

So one wire is working phase, indicated by the Latin letter L(black wire, although it can be any other), and the second is zero - the letter N(in all circuits, blue wires are used for it). In fact, the lamp does not care which contact to apply the phase to, it is much more important which of the wires goes to the switch

Carefully study the presented diagram - we are interested in gray lines indicating phase. It immediately becomes clear that it is they who are drawn to the two-button switch. This is a very important point, since some electricians do not follow this rule and let zero go there.

What can happen with such a connection? If you have incandescent lamps and the like in your chandelier, then there will be no difference, however, if you use LED and fluorescent lamps with their own built-in electrical part, they begin to flicker in the off state, as they are constantly energized. This moment is terribly annoying, but it's not bad. More importantly, the lamp resource, which depends on a limited number of on-off times, begins to be intensively depleted.

We return again to our chandelier with two wires. To connect it, you need a one-button switch that will break the phase wire coming from the junction box. In this case, the zero will stretch straight into the box - it does not need a switch, where it will be connected to the common zero of the house network. Everything is extremely simple and straightforward.

Junction boxes have a very important function. It is they who provide the distribution of electrical wires between points of consumption, i.e. switches, lighting fixtures and sockets. Have you decided to install the above devices yourself? Then you need to thoroughly understand the features and procedure for connecting cables, as well as the basic methods of connecting them. You will learn about the basic methods of connecting cables and the features of the box disconnection.

The photo shows the base of the sconce, but this does not matter at all, the principle of operation and connection for other lamps with chandeliers is the same. Here we see that three wires come out of the device case. We already know blue - this is zero, with black everything is also clear, but there was no yellow-green before.

note that it does not come out of the inner tube, but is screwed onto the metal body of the luminaire. Before you is the most real grounding. It is required in order to avoid electric shock during breakdowns on the case - the current will always flow along the path of least resistance.

We can connect the grounding only if it is provided in the house electrical network. A common ground will be brought out in the junction box, to which yellow-green wires from all electrical points of the house will converge.

In fact, the connection diagram of such a chandelier is no different from that described earlier, and it requires a one-button switch.

The photo shows a chandelier for several candles. Since there are two wires from each base, all their leads will stretch to the base of the device, although in good chandeliers the manufacturer makes the entire power circuit himself and often hides it in a hidden part of the case.

Now look at how the wires are twisted together - they are connected together by color. In fact, they form the same two wires that we wrote about above. That is, with such a connection, you also need only a one-button switch.

Interesting to know! When buying cheap electrics made in China, you come across models in which the wires have single-color insulation. There we either show all our attentiveness, or we ourselves mark everything. The latter is especially recommended if the device will be connected to a two-button switch.

The last option, when three wires come out of the chandelier, not counting the grounding, or you yourself make such a twist - its example is shown in the photo above. Let's take a closer look at it. We see that all neutral wires are connected together and connected to one Vago terminal. Here's a prime example of how color coding is not respected. The phase wires are separated in a specific order, most likely one after another, and connected to two terminals. Such a scheme tells us that two separate phases must be brought to the chandelier to light all the candles. This is exactly what can be done with a two-button switch.

Interesting to know! You can break the turning on of the light by at least one bulb. For this all, it is necessary that the required number of wires and switch keys.

The structure of a two-button switch

We turn to the second important component of our circuit - a two-button switch. In this chapter, we will analyze how it works, which will allow you to accurately connect it to the chandelier. They are usually installed in rather large rooms, where the lighting must be controlled separately, for example, during an evening vigil, the user has enough 3 lamps at the TV, and for some work he lights 6. Not only chandeliers are connected to them, but also separately installed lamps and even their groups - it all depends on the planned lighting scheme.

Let's compare the two-button and one-button switches in order to understand their fundamental difference. The photo below shows the second option. We see that two wires are connected to it. Do not think that this is a plus and a minus. In fact, this is one wire, just the switch can "break" and "connect" it. These wires are connected to terminals that are not connected to each other. In the middle is a dielectric (plastic) pendulum switch, which, when pressed, pushes a movable spring contact connecting the contact pads in this position. As a result, the circuit is closed, and the current begins to run.

When this device is connected, the phase wire from the chandelier is connected to one contact, and from the second - the wire pulls to the common phase in the junction box.

A two-rocker switch works in a similar way. A phase wire from the junction box is inserted into it. It must be connected to a fixed contact, which will be common to the two keys. For each key, you need to connect another wire, which will go to the chandelier and connect there with those separate twists that we wrote about earlier. That is, we have three wires and they are all phase, just one is the input, and the rest are outputs.

The movable contacts of the device are not connected with each other in any way. This will only happen if both keys are set to on. When pressed, they will connect the circuit separately along the circuits, which allows independent control of the lamps.

What will happen if you do not know which wire is the common phase, and connect it to one of the moving contacts? If we do this, then a wire from one of the twists in the chandelier will come to the fixed contact, which means that if we press this key, the lamps in it will light up. If you press the second key at the same time, all the lamps will light up, but if the first key is then turned off, everything will go out, since the common phase is cut off from the fixed contact, which should be common.

To prevent this from happening, you need to know exactly which wire, where it goes - for this, color coding is needed. But what if the electrician messed up the wires when connecting in the junction box? You need to call them, how to do it, we will tell you a little later.

Correct connection of the chandelier and the switch

All this sounded beautifully in words, but in fact, for sure, many readers still have questions, in particular, how to make such a connection in practice. Let's look at two methods, one is when we only see the pins, and the other is when we lay the wiring ourselves. Let's start with the second one, as it is more difficult to implement.

Let's say you're building your own home and it comes to wiring. How to do it correctly?

First, we prepare the necessary tool. You will need:

wire cutters for shortening wires;
a clerical knife or special pliers for cleaning wires from insulation;
terminals of any convenient type;
pliers;
indicator screwdriver;
tester;
puncher;
crosshead screwdriver;
insulating tape;
a chaser for organizing hidden wiring and some other devices, which we will mention along the way, if necessary.

Table 1. How to route the wiring correctly?

Steps, photo	Description
	With hidden wiring, you need to hide the base of the switches. They are installed in round plastic boxes, which must be built into the wall. The installation of the element differs depending on the wall material. If they are made of concrete or other hard materials, use a rotary hammer with a diamond core drill. We need to drill a 73mm hole. If you have a frame wall in front of you, then the installation of the boxes is carried out simultaneously with their assembly - the cable is passed from the back side and led out into the cut hole (here a wood crown is used). Then the box is placed, which is held by screw tightening. In the concrete wall, the boxes are held by plaster mortar.
	Next, you need to grind the channels that will lead to the junction box. For these purposes, it is best to use a chasing cutter - with it the strobe will be of the same depth and even - it will be much easier to cover it up later. The groove is led first vertically until it reaches the level of the junction box, and then horizontally, right up to it. Advice! If you have a suspended ceiling, then instead of a horizontal groove, you can run wires directly across the floor. Alternatively, you can use a grinder or a hammer drill. The last option is the worst, since there is a risk of chipping the plaster. If your wall is of a frame type, then, again, we make a broach during its assembly.
	Then the wiring is laid. We need a three-core wire with a cross section sufficient for the loads from the chandelier. The wires in the strobe must be fixed somehow. For this, special dowels with clamps, home-made clamps from pieces of wires or a plaster solution, which hardens very quickly, are used. The ends of the wires are brought out into boxes, where we will connect them.
	We clean the wires first from the general insulation, and then from the inner one, exposing the ends by 1-1.5 cm. The length of the leads should be enough to reach the required terminals in the switch. You can't leave a lot either, otherwise you won't be able to install the device. The contacts on the breaker will be labeled L, L1 and L2. The first is the common phase, we connect any wire of the three here and remember it (as an option, you can attach a tag on the other end). We connect the rest of the wires with moving contacts - mark everything too, so that later it will be easier to navigate. After connection, the switch is attached to its box. It keeps in it due to the expanding antennae, which, when the screw is tightened, wedge between the walls of the box, or on self-tapping screws. At the end, a front decorative panel is placed, and we do not return here any more.
	We pass to the junction box. In it, we need to find common zero and phase. This can be done by dialing, which we will discuss below. We remove the insulation from them, if they are used to connect the twists, having previously de-energized everything in the shield. The wire that we previously connected to the fixed terminal (let it be blue) is connected to the common phase.
	We take the same three-core wire and stretch it to the point where the chandelier will be installed. The easiest way to do it is surface mounting, as shown in the photo. The conductors are placed in a plastic corrugation and attached to the base using special clips. There is also an internal wiring, when wires are laid in the voids of floor slabs - such a scheme is extremely inconvenient when it is necessary to replace the wiring. When installing a wire inside a frame, for example, a drywall, it is very important not to associate it with it, since in the event of a short circuit, the corrugation walls may not withstand and the entire structure will be energized, which is fraught with accidents and electric shock. Laying is always carried out on non-combustible and non-conductive surfaces. If the ceiling is made of wood, the corrugation is used in stainless steel.
	We will connect three wires from the chandelier to the laid cable. We throw the zero twist on the blue wire. Phase - for the rest. The connections are best made through terminal blocks. If they are not there, you can twist it, just insulate everything well. Attention! If the chandelier provides for grounding, then you must throw a four-wire wire to it in order to connect the desired terminal to a common ground.
	We return to the junction box. Here we will have 4 free wires - 2 from the chandelier, 2 from the switch. They will be color-coded in pairs. All of them are phase. We combine them by color and lay them neatly.

This completes the connection, close the junction box, screw in the bulbs, apply voltage through the shield and make a test run. If you did everything right, then everything will work fine.

But what if the wires are already walled up in the wall, and even worse, do not have colored insulation? We need to ring everything, for which we use a tester and an indicator screwdriver. We act like this (we analyze the situation using the example of the stand).

Table 2. How to ring the wires?

Steps, photo	Description
	First of all, we need to find the phase of the main wire coming from the shield. We can roughly orient ourselves in the direction in which the wires go into the wall, but there is no guarantee that we will guess. Therefore, we turn off the switch in the dashboard, disconnect all the wires from each other and take them to the sides so that they do not touch each other.
	We take the indicator screwdriver and alternately touch the wires with it, applying a voltage to them in advance. When in contact with a phase, the lamp on the device will light up. We remember the wire and turn off the general switch again. We mark the phase with a marker. The second core will most likely be zero. If you want to check, then use a tester before turning off the light.
	Now we need to understand where the rest of the wires are coming from. Let's go, say, to the switch, and connect all three wires in its box with one twist.
	We take a tester and begin, sorting through, to look for the ends of the required wires. As soon as you find the first pair, a light on the device will light up. Label these wires. Then leave one probe on any of the wires you find and continue searching until you find the third wire. It's simple.

We will make such a dial for each electric point that goes into the box, including the chandelier. Having marked out all the wires, we can freely connect the chandelier to a two-button switch according to the previously described scheme.

That's all, we have analyzed the material in more detail. If you still don't understand something, we advise you not to mess with the electrician at all, but we think that if you read everything carefully, there should not be such people left. Take care of yourself, all the best!

Video - How to understand the wires in a junction box

Video - Connecting a chandelier to a double switch

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