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A seemingly simple operation – installing a new chandelier – can confuse a person unfamiliar with electrics: a bunch of wires and it is not clear what to connect with. How to connect a chandelier with a different number of horns (and wires) to the switch and we will discuss.
Preparation: continuity and phase detection on the ceiling
Those who have at least a little icon with electrical networks will not need it, the rest will be useful. It can be difficult for a person who does not constantly deal with electricity to navigate. In order not to get confused, we will tell you everything in order: how to find the phase (or phases) and zero in the wires on the ceiling, what to do with grounding. And then, like a whole bunch of wires on a chandelier, connect to those that stick out at the top. As a result, connecting a chandelier with your own hands will be an easy task for you.
Ground wire
If the wiring is already done, two, three or four wires stick out on the ceiling. One of them is exactly “zero”, the rest are phase, there may still be grounding.
There is not always a ground wire, only in new-built houses or after major repairs with the replacement of electrical wiring. According to the standard, it has a yellow-green color and is connected to the same wire on the chandelier. If it is not on your chandelier, we carefully isolate the bare wire and leave it in this form. You can’t leave it uninsulated – you can accidentally short it out.
We are looking for phases and zero
You need to deal with the rest of the wires: where is the “phase” and where is “zero”. In old houses, all the wires are usually the same color. Most often black. New buildings can be black and blue, or brown and blue. Sometimes there is red. In order not to guess by the colors, it is easier to ring them.
If you have three wires on the ceiling, and a two-gang switch on the wall, you should have two “phases” – for each of the keys and one “zero” – a common wire. You can call with a multimeter (tester) or an indicator screwdriver (this is a special screwdriver with a light that lights up when there is voltage). When working, turn the switch key to the “on” position (the input machine on the shield is also turned on). After dialing, turn the switch keys to the “off” position. If possible, it is better to cut down the machine on the shield and connect the chandelier with the power off.
How to ring and determine the wires with a tester is shown in the photo. Set the switch to the “volts” position, select the scale (more than 220 V). Alternately touch the probe pairs of wires (probes, hold the handles, do not touch the bare conductors). Two phases do not “ring” with each other – there will be no changes on the indicator. If you find such a pair, most likely, these are two phases. The third wire is most likely “zero”. Now connect each of the proposed phases with probes to zero. The indicator should be 220 V. You found zero – in the international specification it is denoted by the letter N – and two phases – are denoted by L. If all the wires are of the same color, mark them somehow: with paint, a colored marker, a piece of adhesive tape. Phases – in one color, zero – in another.
It is easier to work with an indicator screwdriver: just touch the bare conductor with its end. Lights up – phase, no – zero. Very simple.
If there are only two wires sticking out, then one of them is a phase, the other is zero. There is only one button on the switch. There are no other options.
Read about the rules and methods for connecting wires in a junction box here.
Wires on a chandelier
Connecting a chandelier with 2 wires is simple: you screw one of them to the phase, the other to zero. Which one, it doesn’t matter. If there are two phases on the ceiling, and a two-gang switch on the wall, there are options:
- Twist the phases together, and connect one of the wires from the chandelier to them. In this case, to turn off, you will have to move both keys to the “off” position, and the lighting will turn on from any of them.
- Connect the wire to one of the phases, insulate the second. Then only one key will work. The second one is empty.
How to connect a chandelier if it has only two wires? To the same wires on the ceiling in random order
On multi-track chandeliers, there are definitely more than two wires. We decided on the appointment of yellow-green. This is grounding. If the same wire is on the ceiling, connect to it. The rest also need to be dealt with.
A chandelier with 3 wires is not much more difficult to connect. If one of them is ground (yellow-green), you can:
- ignore – if there are no wires of this color (or similar) on the ceiling,
- connect to the same color.
Actually, there are no other options. Three wires are mainly for lamps with one light bulb. With two – this is an outdated design, with three – more modern, in line with current recommendations.
Connecting to a double switch
Connect a five-, four-, three-arm chandelier to a two-gang switch according to the same principle. From each of the horns there are two multi-colored wires. Most often these are blue and brown wires, but there are other variations. To connect to a double switch, all of them must be divided into three groups: two phases and one zero.
First, all the blue wires are combined with each other and twisted well. This is zero. In principle, you can take wires of a different color – this does not matter for lighting fixtures. But according to the standard, it is “zero” that is indicated in blue. It is only important that conductors painted in a different color do not get into the twist. In the photo below, you can see that all blue conductors are combined into one group. This is “zero”.
Now divide the rest into two groups. The breakdown is optional. One group of bulbs will turn on from one key, the second – from another. In a five-horned chandelier, usually 2 + 3 are combined, but 1 + 4 is also possible. There are also two options in the four-horn one – 2 + 2 or 1 + 3. But with three bulbs without options: 1 + 2. Twist the separated wires together. We got two groups that connect to the “phases” on the ceiling.
How to connect a chandelier to a single switch
If there are only two wires on the ceiling, and there are a lot of wires on the chandelier, but only two colors, everything is simple. All conductors of the same color are twisted with bare parts and connected to one of the wires on the ceiling (it doesn’t matter which one). Collect all conductors of the second color in one bundle and attach to the second ceiling. The connection diagram of the chandelier in this case is shown in the figure below.
When this is turned on, all the lights will light up at the same time.
Wire Connection Rules
When working with electricity, there are no trifles. Therefore, we connect the wires in the chandelier according to all the rules. When combined into one group, it is not enough just to twist them and screw on the protective cap.
Such a twist will sooner or later oxidize and begin to warm up. It is highly desirable to solder such connections. If you know how to handle a soldering iron and tin, be sure to do it. This will guarantee normal contact and the connection will not heat up.
Now about how to connect the wires from the chandelier to the wires from the switch (which are on the ceiling). According to the latest rules, twisting is not allowed. Terminal boxes must be used. Most modern chandeliers are equipped with them. If not, buy at any hardware or lighting store.
When using such a terminal box, a problem arises: a twist from a large number of wires simply does not fit into the hole. Output: solder a conductor to the connection (copper, solid or stranded, with a cross section of at least 0,5 mm2). It is good to insulate this connection, and insert the free end of the soldered conductor into the terminal box (the long one is not needed – cm 10 is more than enough).
Inserting all the wires from the chandelier into the terminal block and tightening the screws, the entire structure is raised to the ceiling. There it is pre-fixed, after which the wires are connected to the terminal block in the right order. In this case, it is important to set “zeros” one opposite the other. Phases are connected to phases in any order.
The correct connection of the wires in the junction box is described here.
How to separate the wires on the chandelier, how to connect the conductor and the chandelier to the terminal block – all this is in the video.
Connecting a Chinese chandelier
Most of the relatively inexpensive chandeliers on the market come from China. What they are good for is a large assortment, but there are problems with the quality of the electrical assembly. Therefore, before connecting the chandelier, you need to check its electrical characteristics.
First check the integrity of the insulation. They can be assembled into one bundle and shorted to the body. The tester should not show anything. If there is any indication, you have two options: look for and replace the damaged wire or take it for an exchange.
The second stage of verification is the verification of each horn. There are two wires coming from the horn. They are soldered to two contacts in the cartridge. Each wire is called with the corresponding contact. The device should show a short circuit (short circuit or infinity sign, depending on the model).
After checking, start grouping the wires as described above.
Connecting a halogen chandelier (with and without remote control)
Halogen lamps do not work from 220 V, but from 12 V or 24 V. Therefore, step-down transformers are installed in each of them and the whole circuit is assembled and ready for installation. Only two conductors remain free, which must be connected to the wires sticking out on the ceiling. Connected in random order, “phase” and “zero” – do not matter.
If the chandelier is equipped with a remote control, another control unit is added to the transformers. The connection is similar: there are two conductors that need to be connected to the one on the ceiling. The third conductor coming from the other side (it is thin) is an antenna, with the help of which the remote control and the control unit “communicate”. This conductor remains inside the glass in the form in which it is.
How to connect a chandelier with a remote control, see the following video.