The Way to Install a Fluorescent Light Fixture Underneath Cabinets
Lights create work and accent surface lighting for kitchen counters. In addition to incorporating a focal point to a darkened area of a space, the long ballast layout of fluorescent light fixtures ensures a vast majority of the counter area beneath the cupboard is fully illuminated. Fluorescent light fixtures are simple to install and eliminate shadows created by cabinets.
Find an electric outlet or light fixture near the cupboard where you want to install the light fixture, to use as a power source.
Put on rubber insulating electrician gloves and rubber bands to prevent electrocution. At the primary circuit breaker box, then find the circuit breaker for this area of the home. Open the circuit breaker panel with a screwdriver. Find the circuit breaker that is connected to the electrical outlet or light fixture near the cupboard where you’re going to install the fluorescent light. The circuit breaker is under using a multimeter. Twist the red lead of the multimeter. Twist the black lead into the metallic floor bar on the side of the circuit breaker box to floor it and have a reading of this circuit breaker amperage. Insert the amperage rating of this fluorescent light fixture into the circuit breaker amperage measurement to find the total amperage. If the total amperage is equal to or less than 80 percent of the circuit breaker’s amperage rating, the light can be wired into an electric outlet or light fixture connected to this circuit breaker.
Turn off the power in the primary circuit breaker into the space which you are going to be installing the light. Twist the black lead to a neon tester into the twist on the face plate of the electric outlet to floor it and insert the red neon tester lead into the right slot of an electrical plug opening on the outlet. If the neon tester doesn’t light up when you touch the tester leads to the electric outlet, the power is off and it is safe for you to install the light.
Find an area on the wall, either under or near the cupboard which you are going to install the light fixture, to place the light switch. Run a finder along this area of the wall. Use the finder to find an stud if you find a stud. Studs generally are spaced 16 inches to 24 inches apart from each other in the wall. Make a mark on the wall beneath or near the cupboard that is halfway involving the two studs in the switch height that is desirable or 44 inches upward from the ground using a pencil. Put the switch box that is light on the wall, based over the pen mark and trace around it with a pencil. Cut on the reflective line using a keyhole saw and remove the drywall. Slide the switch box into the hole you just cut together with the open side facing you to make sure that it matches and then set it aside.
Hold the light fixture up from the underside of the cabinet base and use it to ascertain where you have to drill a hole to the cable. If you can align the cupboard hole position together with the light switch hole place it’ll make feeding the electric cable through the walls simpler for you.
Remove the screws and gently pull it. Route a span of the cable in the change hole through the wall into light fixture or the electric outlet. If the electric outlet or light fixture is positioned higher in the space than the light switch hole, then begin routing the cable through the wall or ceiling from that place instead. Pull the cable out of this light switch opening with fish tape. Cut the cable with cable cutters, leaving a surplus of 6 inches of electric cable.
Route a length of electric cable in the fluorescent light hole in the cupboard to the light switch hole in the wall. Pull the cable so there is just 6 inches of cable then cut the cable using cable cutters.
Strip 3 inches away from the exterior insulation jacket of every end cable with cable strippers to show the colour. Strip 3/4 inch of the insulating coat from the end of every cable.
Drill pilot holes to the light fixture mounting screws. Have a helper hold the fixture since you drive the screws into the cupboard using a screwdriver. Route the cable through the cable opening in the light fixture home.
Hold the wire end of this fluorescent light fixture together with the cable end of the cable and twist them together. Screw an electrical wire nut onto the ends of the wires and fully cover the exposed metal of the cables together with the cable nut. Twist together the black cable end of this fluorescent light fixture using the black cable end of the cable and cover the connection by screwing on a wire nut. Wrap the bare copper ground wire of the cable clockwise around the green grounding screw on the light fixture. The grounding screw to secure the grounding cable.
Cut a piece of electrical cord. Remove of this cord and separate the wire, the wire that is black and the bare grounding cable. Cut the black and white wires in to two 6-inch pieces. Strip off 3/4 inch off the insulation of the cables.
Attach the electric wire resulting in the fluorescent light fixture along with the power source (electrical outlet or light fixture) cables into the light switch making a”pigtail” together with the wires. Hold the cable end leading the cable end resulting in one conclusion of a piece of black cable and the power source together, to the light fixture. As necessary with cable cutters to make them even the wire ends and cut. Twist the cable ends. Twist a cable nut to link them. No bare stripped cable will be observable beneath the cable nut when done properly. Wrap the free end of this black wire that is 6-inch clockwise around the positive terminal twist on the light switch and tighten the screw to secure the wire. Pigtail the wires in the identical way to attach them to the neutral terminal twist of this switch.
Strip 3/4 inch the insulating coat of this green floor wire pigtail with twist from. Hold the ground wires of the cable resulting in the light fixture along with the power source cables into the light switch with the ground cable pigtail and twist them together. Screw the grounding cable nut onto the twisted ends of floor cable. Add the screw end of the ground cable pigtail into a hole on the box and tighten it with a screwdriver. Gently push all of the cable pigtail connections into the box and insert the light switch. Screw the light switch into the box and put in the light switch cover.
Attach to the electrical outlet power source. Electrical sockets have a pair of terminal screws on the right and left side to permit for the outlet to be connected to a primary power source and to”string” the power along to another electric outlet or light switch. The outlet will have a grounding, white and black cable already attached to one pair of terminal screws; leave these wires in place. Wrap the wire clockwise round the unused twist terminal of the electric outlet and tighten the screw. Wrap the wire clockwise around the impartial screw terminal and tighten the screw. Pigtail the ground cables as before. Gently push the wires into the box and reattach the outlet then reinstall the outlet cover. Pigtail the black and white wires as before using a piece of color coded wire When the outlet has cables attached to all of its terminal screws. If you’re attaching wires into a light fixture rather than an electric socket, then twist screw on a wire nut and the cable ends of the light switch and light fixture together. Do the same with the wires of light fixture and the light switch. Twist together the floor wire leading to the light switch, the light fixture along with the 6 inch’s ground wire ground wire pigtail using twist. Gently push the wires up into this fixture’s electric box and then reinstall the light fixture cover.