wiring up two strip lights Ask questions and find answers to many subjects relating to electrics and electrical work

[alchris]

I need to wire up two strip lights to come on at the same time. So far I have the L feed from the fuse box to a switch. In connecting up the strip lights do I wire them in series or in parallel? For me this means do I run the L from the switch to the L of the first light, a wire from the N of the first light to the L of the second light, and then a wire from the N of the second light back to the N on the fuse box (Series)? OR do I run the L from the switch and N from the fusebox to the L & N terminals on the first light, and then L & N wires from the first light to the L & N teminal of the second light (parallel)?

[sparx]

Hi, slightly worried that you are wiring mains supplies with so little basic knowledge.....
All lights must be in parallel so they have 230v at each, otherwise would only have 115v (ish) each.
There is a drawing on this site showing connections under 'projects-wiring lights' .
Usual method is to run from consumer unit to first light, run cable from 1st to 2nd light and run from first light to your switch (this should be in 'twin Brown & earth') but can be in standard brown & Blue as long as the blue core is oversleeved in brown at each end to show it is a switched live not a Neutral!
This is known as 3 plate method.

[ericmark]

Humm not the way I was thinking. I was thinking of two lamps to illuminate an event which sounded quite appealing. But alas seems I was wrong. Yes all 230 lamps wired in parallel in fact even 110 lamps if florescent will not work in series. There are special control gear that will power two lamps but in that case it's a case of follow the diagram on the ballast/inverter. About the only lamps wired in series are Christmas tree lights and even those are today more likely parallel and powered from a transformer/inverter.