anthony wrote:
I took down an old fixture in the kitchen that had a globe and was
hanging by a chain. I bought something similiar and was reading the
instructions, although I was just going to do it, until a part in the
instruction that took me for a loop. It has 2 wires and a very thin
copper wire, obviously a ground. It takes a 60w bulb max, but I plan
on getting one of those energy type of bulb that is low in wattage,
but bright as a 100w bulb. Is that okay?
Yes. The reason for the 60W max. rating on the fixture may be for
current reasons or heat reasons, but either way, a 25W device physically
can't put off as much heat as or use any more current than a 60W light bulb.
The other problem is the old
ceiling fixture does not show a ground, nor does the switch. So how
does one know?
Know what? If it's grounded? Check it with a meter or test light (see
below.)
It is on other circuit for various part of the house,
( neat eh? ) and naturally has a circuit breaker. When I check the 2
wires that are in the ceiling i get no reaction. ..but when I go to
the switch on the wall that handles this, I do. How does one know when
the ceiling wires are safe to handle?
If the black wire in the ceiling is dead, i.e. shows no voltage between
it and the white wire, it should be safe to handle. However, if there's
a possibility that someone may flip the switch while you're working on
it, it's best to turn off the breaker.
With the switch *on* and the wires carefully arranged so that they're
not touching anything or each other, check for voltage between the black
wire and the metal box. DO NOT TOUCH THE BLACK WIRE UNDER ANY
CIRCUMSTANCES WITH THE POWER ON. If you see voltage, the box is
grounded and you should simply tie the ground wire to the box with a
grounding screw. If it is not grounded, by code you should not install
a metal light fixture without providing a ground for it. I'll leave it
up to you to determine how you would want to handle that situation.
nate
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