| Track Lighting |
From "Ask DIY"
episode ADI-506 |
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Q: I love my newly painted burgundy walls, but the old lighting makes the room seem so dark. Do you have suggestions that can help me with my lighting problem? A: (from DIY electrical specialist James Young) In a situation like the one you describe, you may want to consider track lighting. This versatile and stylistic variation on room lighting can be used to selectively illuminate particular areas of a room, and to highlight wall art or other elements of your decora. Use flood bulbs to light a large area, and spot bulbs to provide a focused beam that highlights a particular spot for a more dramatic effect. If you follow proper safety precautions, track lighting is actually fairly easy to install -- particularly if there is already an existing light fixture installed in the ceiling. The steps, as presented in our demonstration, are outlined below. Safety Precaution: Keep in mind that working with electricity can be dangerous if you don't take the necessary safety precautions. If you're not comfortable working with electricity and electrical wiring, consider enlisting the services of a professional for this installation.
Materials:
Track lighting kit (figure A) including:
-Light fixtures
-Mounting bracket and cover
-Track-light strip
-Mounting and connecting hardware
Wire strippers
Screwdriver
Cordless drill Steps: - Important: The first step in any electrical project is to turn off the power to the circuit where you'll be working. At the circuit box, turn off the circuit-breaker switch that controls the circuit you'll be working on (figure B). As an extra precaution -- to be certain that someone else doesn't inadvertently restore to the circuit where you're working -- tape the switch in the "off" position using masking tape, and post a "Do Not Touch" sign on the door of the circuit box (figure C).
- With the power turned off, remove the mounting screws and disassemble the old light fixture to expose the wires, mounting bracket and light box (figure D). (For our demonstration, a fixture mock-up was used on a display table for better viewing.)
- Before disconnecting any wires, use a circuit tester to double-check them, making certain that no current is being supplied to the fixture.
- Remove the wire connectors from the old wires. Disconnect the fixture wires from the power-supply wires.
- On the mounting-bracket assembly that comes in the track-light kit, strip the insulation from the ends of the new fixture's wires using wire strippers (figure E). Leave about 1/2-inch of bare wire on each wire.
- Twist the appropriate wires together, following the instructions that come with the kit. The wires should be color-coded. In most cases, the white wire is the neutral wire, the black wire is the hot wire, and the ground wire is either green or bare copper. Connect white to white, black to black and ground to ground. Secure the twisted ends of the wires using the wire connectors (figure F) that are provided with the light kit.
- With the connections all made, carefully feed the wires into the light box, and secure the assembly using the mounting bracket and supplied fasteners (figure G), following the instructions and diagrams that come with your kit.
- Tighten down the mounting screws to secure the bracket in place.
- With the wiring in place, the next step is to install the track. Fasten the track to the ceiling according to your instructions. The track is mounted so that it aligns inside the mounting bracket (figure H). With the track aligned properly, secure it to the ceiling using the provided mounting screws. Depending on where you'll be mounting the track, you may need to use screw anchors to secure the track to the ceiling.
- With the mounting bracket and track in place, tighten the screws that hold the track secure against the mounting bracket (figure I).
- Connect the live in component (figure J) to the appropriate wires, following the instructions that come with your kit.
- Once the connections are made, insert and twist the live-in component (figure K) in the track to secure it in place.
- The track-light fixtures themselves are also connected to the track by inserting their base connections and twisting (figure L).
- With all the connections made, and the fixtures installed, you can now restore power to the circuit and flip the switch to test the new lights.
- The final step is to install the cover plate over the mounting bracket. Turn the power off, and install the cover plate (figure M) according to your instructions.
RESOURCES :
The Art of Illumination: Residential Lighting Design
Model: 0070329591
Author: Glenn M. Johnson
$49.95
Paperback - 224 pages 70 edition (November 20, 1998)
McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing
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