How to wire a chandelier. Wiring diagrams for spotlights. Two-gang switch - chandelier

In this material, we will consider the specifics of connecting a chandelier to five lamps, how to do it simply and independently. After all, connecting any chandelier to five lamps is currently an important component of any repair.

The implementation of any work with wiring always requires compliance with certain technical standards, as well as safety rules for electrical wiring devices. Still, if you have not previously connected any lighting devices, it is advisable to invite an electrician, or a person who understands this. To do everything safely, you should de-energize the room. To do this, completely turn off the fuses, which, as a rule, are located in the input electrical panel. You will need to get to it and turn off the traffic jams. If the fuses installed in the shield are fusible, you can simply unscrew them, after which all the electricity in the room will be turned off.

Before starting the lighting setup, it is necessary to ensure that the electricians have colored all the wires. Zero-conductor blue, protective yellow-green. It is necessary to understand the principle of operation of the light bulb: the chandelier will burn when two wires are connected to it: zero and phase.

You have a 5 light crystal chandelier, wires and a double switch. What should you start with? As we have already learned, first you need to turn off the electricity. At this moment, your main task is to turn on two lamps when the first key is turned on, and when the second key is turned on, the remaining three (first option). Although you can make it so that the entire chandelier lights up from only one switch (second option).

The principle of operation of lighting a chandelier with five horns has been demonstrated above, where all the lamps are connected in parallel. Some pins are brought together, they are connected to the ceiling phase. The blue conclusions are also assembled together and they are connected to the ceiling zero N.

To connect this chandelier, the wires from the bulb holders should be connected in full accordance with the special scheme. From each cartridge you need to take a wire and connect them. This will be the same connection point that is connected to the supply neutral wire.

Errors when connecting a five-arm chandelier

The most popular errors when connecting a chandelier in Gus-Khrustalny with five lamps:

• Only one wire should go to the box switch.
• Lamps must not be connected in series, but must be connected in parallel.
• Do not confuse which wires go from the chandelier box to the switch (phase, ground or zero).

There can be many situations when you need to connect two lamps to the same power supply using just one switch. Most often, single-key and two-key switches are used, less often - cross switches. If, as a rule, there are no difficulties with connecting one light bulb, then the presence of 2 light sources makes home craftsmen think about their correct connection to the network. However, I would like to list all of the possible ways, based not only on the type of switch, but also on the types of light bulbs and how they are connected. Next, we will describe in detail how to connect two light bulbs to one switch, providing all the necessary wiring diagrams.

Types of lamps and switches

Before proceeding directly to the installation, you need to clearly understand that there are several types of light bulbs that are connected to the network both directly and through ballast or rectifier-step-down equipment. In any case, each of them has its own operating voltage and power, on which the current also depends, respectively.

Types of artificial light sources often used in everyday life:

• Incandescent and halogen, the principle of operation is the same, only in some there is a vacuum, and in others there are special halogen vapors that increase the service life.
• Luminescent, as well as their variety, the so-called housekeeper and sodium.
• LED, working on LED systems and on the features of a semiconductor diode to emit a luminous flux.

Connecting a ceiling chandelier can be done in two main ways:

• through the switch (two, three-gang)

• via dimmer

And in one and in the other case, you get the most important thing from the lamp. Either the chandelier shines at maximum brightness using all the bulbs, or the lamp works with partial output, creating a pleasant illumination that does not hit the eyes.

Let's consider these methods step by step, starting from connecting the cable in the switchboard, and ending with connecting the wires in the chandelier itself. Special attention will be paid to the most common mistakes in the performance of these works.

How to connect a chandelier through a double switch

In order to make this connection, purchase the following materials:

First of all, take a three-core cable VVGnG-Ls 3 * 1.5mm2 and stretch it along the gate to the nearest junction box near the chandelier.

Leave a margin in it for cutting and connecting the ends.

In the electrical panel, remove the insulation from the cable and connect the phase conductor (let it be conditionally white) to a single-pole machine.

Run the yellow-green and blue wires to the appropriate places (grounding and zero busbars).

It is advisable to mark the stripped cable in the junction box so as not to confuse anything in the future.

• L - phase

• N - zero

• PE - earth

Now, with another 3-core cable from the junction box under the ceiling, to the mounting box below, where you will have a two-gang switch, you need to make a descent.

You immediately clean the veins and sign:

• L - power phase

• L1 - phase to the first group of lamps in the chandelier

• L2 - phase to the second group of lamps in the chandelier

You need to sign them both on the switch below and in the top box.

Peel off the insulation from both ends and mark:

• L1 - phase wire for connecting the first half of the chandelier

• L2 - phase wire for connecting the second half of the chandelier

• N - zero

• PE - earth

Now the most basic. It is necessary to correctly assemble all this and connect it together in the upper junction box.

In order not to confuse and not make mistakes, the inscriptions made earlier will come in handy. With them, all switching is much simpler.

Take the Wago terminals and simply join the cores with the same marking.

Then the box can be closed.

Connect the main power conductor L to the common terminal of the switch 1.

Usually it is separate, but not all manufacturers have such a design. Be careful!

L1 and L2 are connected to the lower terminals 3.4.

You mount protective and decorative strips and again rise up to the chandelier.

Here the question may arise, but how to find out which wires sticking out of the chandelier are phase and which are zero?

Especially if they are the same color. There can be 3,4,5 of them, depending on the type of lamp and the number of its horns.

This is where a multimeter comes in handy. You need to call the wires below, when the chandelier is not yet suspended from the ceiling.

Zero, according to the rules, should come to the threaded part of the cartridge and the light bulb (extreme contacts), and the phase to the central contact pin.

Switch the multimeter to the continuity or resistance measurement mode, and sequentially touch the wires and contact parts of the cartridges on each cover with the probes. You need to achieve a sound signal or find where the resistance is zero.

If there are several zero cores, twist them into one common one.

Go to direct connection. To facilitate the sequence, first connect the protective earth and the neutral conductor. To do this, use the connecting sleeves.

Although Vago terminals can also be used here.

After connecting the ground and zero, it remains to power two phases. Choose any of the cores and press the supply wires L1 and L2 with two phase wires on the lamp with sleeves.

All that remains is to fix the chandelier on the ceiling and check its performance.

How to connect a chandelier through a dimmer

Required material for installation:

• two-core cable VVGnG-Ls 2*1.5mm2

• three-core cable VVGnG-Ls 3*1.5mm2

• lamp

The initial stage for installing a 3-core power cable from the shield to the switch box is the same as in the previously considered option. The connection in the shield, again, is carried out to a single-pole machine.

The difference lies in the fact that not a three-core, but a two-core cable is now going down to the installation site of the dimmer. You need to mark it as follows:

• L - phase wire from the switchboard

• Chandelier - phase wire for connecting the chandelier itself

Put three inscriptions on its cores in the places of stripping the insulation:

• Chandelier (feeding phase)

• zero

• Earth

After that, in the box with the help of Vago clamps, you switch the cores according to all the inscriptions.

Connect the same marked cores to each other.

Go to the dimmer from below. The main power phase, which comes from the electrical panel (previously you signed it as L), is connected to the dimmer terminal labeled "L" or "phase".

Another core signed "Chandelier" is clamped under the screw with the dimmable load icon.

On the chandelier, connect the phase conductor signed “Chandelier” through a pressed sleeve to the supply wire of the lamp.

If you have several phase conductors coming out of the lamp (two, three, four carob chandeliers), then to connect the load through a dimmer, simply twist them into one common conductor.

It remains to connect zero and ground, apply voltage and check the operation of the entire structure.

Common connection errors

The main errors are related to connecting to a double switch. Three of them are the most common.

How does a normal chandelier connection scheme, for example, two or three arms, work? There is a phase that comes into the junction box.

In this case, zero comes only to the box and immediately goes to the chandelier, without going down to the switch.

This is where the first mistake lies. Many, unknowingly or having confused the markings, lower both the phase and zero down to the switch.

They lead to the terminals, after which they begin to turn on the key, and the machine knocks out from them.

Remember, zero should never enter the switch, but only phase. The zero core should immediately go to the ceiling.

The second error is again related to zero. Having mixed up the two wires, you can start zero through the switch, and not the phase.

It may even work for you, everything will work properly, but the voltage will be constantly present on the lamp. This is fraught with electric shock when you want to change light bulbs.

By turning off the key, you will break the zero core, and the phase will still go directly to the carob cartridges of the chandelier.

What else is dangerous such a connection? Through the filaments of the light bulb, the phase will come to the terminal clamps of the switch itself. If you remove the cover from it and start checking the glow on the contacts with an indicator screwdriver, you will be very surprised.

Even when the keys are off, the indicator will glow and show the presence of voltage, both on one and on the other terminal.

Moreover, if you make a similar measurement under the ceiling on a chandelier, then you will also find the presence of voltage on all three wires, except for the ground wire.

To make this effect disappear, it is enough to unscrew the bulbs themselves from the shades.

The third error occurs when connecting the phase supply wire on the switch, not to the main common contact, but to one of the outgoing ones. In this case, you will only have half of the chandelier glowing.

It is not necessary to call a professional electrician to your house to connect a new chandelier to the switch. One or two keys, it doesn't matter. This is a fairly simple job that can be done qualitatively and independently, while saving money. The main thing is to follow the step-by-step instructions, listen to the advice and clearly follow the recommendations given by the experts in the field of electrical installation.

Chandelier connection

Whatever the chandelier, the connection principle for such lighting fixtures is almost the same. And it's quite simple. Moreover, it does not matter - you need to connect the chandelier to a single switch or to a double one. Installation, of course, is different, but both are easy.

So, any light bulb is on if two mandatory wires are connected to it:

• phase;
• and zero.

And the chandelier is the same light bulb, and in order to connect it, one conductor from the junction box must be connected directly to the chandelier, and the second also to it, but with a gap, the role of which is played by the switch. And in no case should a zero conductor be allowed through this switch. Safety precautions strictly prescribe to conduct it exclusively directly - from the junction box to the lamp (chandelier). No breaks!

Before starting the connection activities, you should make sure that the electricians who installed the wiring initially correctly colored the wires:

• the working zero conductor must be blue or light blue;
• protective zero conductor - yellow-green.

To check whether the conductors were correctly designated by the masters, it is necessary, armed with an indicator screwdriver, to look where zero comes out of the junction box (or directly from the ceiling), and where is the phase.

Everything is simple here: if the indicator sensor lights up when you touch the wire, then this is a phase, no - zero. Before the procedure, the screwdriver indicator can be checked on any live object - in a socket or a floor shield, for example.

Wires can go from the ceiling in different ways:

How to connect a chandelier

Connection of various chandeliers is possible to various switches:

• single-key;
• and two-key.

Connection via one-button switch

The simplest chandelier connection scheme is when a wire pair comes out of a hole in the ceiling. The connection process is then extremely simple: the wires are connected to each other in pairs, and that's it. Even the sequence of such a connection is not important. That is, the blue zero wire in the junction box is directly connected to the zero wire, but already in the chandelier. And the brown phase-wire from the power source all in the same junction box goes first to the switch, and then to exactly the same phase-wire, but already in the lamp (chandelier).

Connect the wires using screw terminals. You can also twist a wired pair with pliers, but you will definitely need to isolate the ends of the wires using special caps. These are mandatory safety requirements.

But it is better not to use electrical tape (or PVC tape), which many people are used to "winding" wires. It will definitely dry out over time, and, naturally, the quality of the insulation performed will suffer.

In chandeliers of a certain design, there is no provision for pre-combining the lamps, and then the wire pairs come from each of the bulbs.

When the chandelier has more than one lamp, there are no problems with its connection. The zero wires of the chandelier are assembled, connected and then connected to the network zero wire. The same is with the phases, but they are connected from the switch to the phase wire.

The connection process is a twisting of single-color wires. And then the resulting twists are connected to the wires that go along the ceiling to the single-gang switch.

Video instruction for connecting a single-key switch is presented below:

Connection via switch with two buttons

Many today are interested in the variability of regulating the degree of illumination of different rooms in an apartment or a country house. Therefore, the question of how to connect the chandelier to a double switch, which allows you to turn on the chandelier lamps not only at once, but also in stages, can be especially relevant.

Let's start with the fact that almost all wiring in city apartments or country mansions is now carried out using a three-core cable, in which there are wires in multi-colored braids. And three multi-colored wires from a two-gang switch are also suitable for the mounting place of any chandelier. And first you need to determine what the purpose of each of these wires is.

It is clear that one is a zero wire, and it is common to the entire set of lamps. And the other two are phase, passing through different switch keys.

Today, unfortunately, there is no clear color scheme that all electricians would adhere to. Therefore, the wires of different companies are braided differently. So, before connecting the existing wires, you need to clearly find out their purpose. This can be done using a special indicator (or an indicator screwdriver is also a good tool). And be sure to turn on the switch keys. Where the indicator detects voltage, there will be a phase, where not - a neutral conductor.

If there is no indicator in the house, the process is slightly, but more complicated. You will have to de-energize the room completely, disassemble the switch. More precisely, it will be enough just to remove the cover from it to see what color and from which key the wire goes directly to the chandelier. The neutral conductor, of course, does not pass through any keys.

In principle, connecting a chandelier through a two-key switch is similar to the process of connecting it through a single-key switch. The only difference is that the phase lamp conductors are divided into 2 sections. And one twist from each lamp group is connected (together) to the zero conductor. The remaining pair of twists is connected (individually) to the remaining pair of wires.

Connecting the chandelier to a double switch gives the user the ability to control the amount of light in the room by lighting the lamps in steps.

A brief video instruction for connecting a two-gang switch is shown below:

Several chandeliers on one switch

This lighting option is also possible for residential and commercial premises. It is ideal where you have to turn on several lights at the same time in one or several rooms at once.

The connection is carried out as follows: chandeliers (or a group of LED / halogen lamps (if halogen, then with the installation of a step-down transformer)) are connected in parallel. In addition, each of the lamps:

• connected to the circuit breaker through a separate junction box;
• or placement occurs in a single junction box.

It all depends on which electrical wiring scheme will be chosen.

Connecting one chandelier to two switches at once

In order to put into practice the wiring diagram for connecting a chandelier or a group of halogen (with the installation of an additional step-down transformer) / LED lamps from 2 different switches, you will need special “pass-through” switches that are structurally different from the usual ones. In addition, there are three pins in their wiring diagram:

• common output to the phase wire or directly to the chandelier;
• a pair of auxiliary contacts for connecting switches to each other.

This option of power distribution must be carefully thought out in advance (and if there is a repair in an apartment or office, then even before the start of repair measures). Otherwise, it will take no more, no less than to lay one more wiring in the room. Well, and make subsequent cosmetic repairs, of course.

Safety precautions when installing chandeliers connected to switches

Those who are going to independently connect the chandelier to any of the above switches using any of the methods described above should once again be reminded that installation work on the installation of fixtures and the high-quality connection of switches must be carried out in compliance with safety regulations. And the following rules are binding:

1. Any electrical events are carried out only when the corresponding branch of the wiring is completely de-energized (and you don’t have to be content with the “off” position on the switch, it is better to switch the switchboard machines to the appropriate position).
2. Do not twist copper wires with aluminum wires. It is fraught with fire.
3. It is necessary to prevent contact of wires that are energized and open for testing.
4. It is required to carefully monitor the wire markings when you need to connect the chandelier to a single switch, and even more so to a two-gang one. The neutral wire is always marked with the letter "N", the phase with the letter "L".
5. To determine which of the wires is the phase, and which is zero, should be done using a special indicator screwdriver. And it is necessary to touch the bare ends of the wires strictly alternately.
6. For the period of testing the wires, electricity is connected, but immediately after the end of the process, it is necessary to de-energize the required installation area again.

Ignorant people may think that even a non-specialist can connect lighting fixtures. After all, in fact, here you have to deal with only a couple of wires coming out of the ceiling. But there are situations when the owner has difficulties with this, due to the presence of three wires in the chandelier instead of two. How to be in this case?

Required tool

In order for the chandelier to be connected without errors, you first need to prepare certain tools:

In addition to the above items, you must have a stepladder or a stable stand, a marker, a sheet of paper and a passport for the lighting device.

Determining the purpose of the wires in the chandelier

To eliminate the risk of errors during connection, it is desirable have a wiring diagram, which is usually present in the passport for the lighting device. From it, you can easily understand how to connect the chandelier correctly, since each wire has a designation and there is an order in which they should be connected. Based on current standards, they should have the following color codes:

• white or brown color - phase;
• blue color - zero;
• yellow-green color - protective grounding.

It happens that there is no passport for the chandelier and it is difficult to understand by the color of the wires which one corresponds to what. In this case, you can understand how to connect a chandelier if you have a multimeter - a special device that allows you to determine their purpose.

Connecting a double-circuit chandelier to the mains with two and three wires

If the task is to connect a chandelier with three wires, then the first step is to get more information about the switch and the wires sticking out of the ceiling. Most often you have to deal with a two-gang switch and three wires. In this situation, understand where is the phase and where is the neutral wire.

1. First you need to prepare an indicator screwdriver or voltage indicator.
2. Make sure each key is in the on position.
3. Take a voltage gauge and touch it to the stripped end of each wire. If we find a phase, then a burning light on the voltage indicator will be a hint about this.
4. After we have detected the phase, we mark it with a marker.
5. Turn off the two-gang switch and touch each wire again. In none of the cases should we see a burning light bulb.
6. It is time to connect the phase of the chandelier to the previously found electrical wires. We do the same with neutral wires. To create a contact, we you need a terminal block or the wires can be twisted with insulating caps or electrical tape.
7. In conclusion, you should make sure that the chandelier is working properly - just turn on the keys one after another.

Connection with two wires

For a chandelier that is connected to a single-gang switch, and only two cables protrude from the ceiling, you need to follow these steps. After making sure that the switch is turned on, you need to find out with the help of a voltage indicator where the phase and neutral cables are located. Having found the phase wire of the chandelier and electrical wiring, they should be connected to each other. Do the same with neutral wires. Next, you need to find out how the chandelier works with different positions of the switch keys.

Three-wire connection

For a chandelier, which is also connected through a single-gang switch and has three cables in the wiring, the first thing to do is to understand what purpose the third one is needed for. Need move the switch to the on position, and then find out which cables have voltage. If the test results showed that two wires are phase, then the correct solution would be to install a two-gang switch. In this case, the connection will be made in a three-wire circuit.

When only one cable shows the presence of a phase, while the third one has yellow-green insulation, the connection diagram will be similar with respect to the phase wires - they must be connected to each other. As for the cable, which is grounding, it should be removed after insulation.

Ground wire connection

You should think about grounding the chandelier if its design provides for a metal case. For new apartments, a mandatory requirement for electrical networks is presence of a grounding cable having a yellow-green color. If you live in just such an apartment, then the procedure for connecting the chandelier will be as follows: we look for cables that have the desired color, and then connect them together using a terminal block or by twisting.

Those who live in apartments with old networks, where there is no special color marking, will have to do otherwise:

At the very beginning, you need to study the cables that protrude from the ceiling and understand how many there are in total and what they are for. If, according to the results of the survey, it became clear that there are only two of them, then you need to turn the double switch to the on position, and then take the voltage indicator and find out where the phase and neutral wires are. After solving this problem, you need disable double switch, connect the phase wires of the electrical wiring to the phase wires of the chandelier, do the same with the neutral wires and isolate the ground.

For a chandelier with three wires, the procedure will be similar. If it turns out that the network is represented by two circuits, and the lighting fixture works with a two-gang switch, then the phase and neutral wires of the lighting fixture must be connected to the corresponding electrical wiring wires. Finally, the ground conductor is isolated.

What to do if there is not enough wire length?

Those owners who live in houses built several decades ago, where there is a double switch, should be prepared for the fact that it may be necessary to extend the existing wiring or increase the length of the wires coming from the chandelier. Although there are many connection options, it is best to use a terminal block for this purpose. In structural terms, this device has the form of a plastic pad, which has conductive plates. In turn, the data plates are equipped with screw terminals used to connect wires through a switch.

Having decided to use this option, you should make sure that access is provided to the terminal block. Frequent problems are loss of contact or excessive heat, creating a risk of fire, which are a consequence of the loosening of screw connections. In the event that there is no place to install such a block, the best solution is to place it, providing for laying one wire connecting the switch and the chandelier. But it is necessary to refuse to connect them by twisting, otherwise they will begin to oxidize, which will eventually lead to their heating.

Safety

Keep in mind that any work with electrical wiring is life threatening, and therefore they must be done very carefully. This also applies to connecting household electrical appliances through a double switch. Before connecting the device and connecting the wires, you need to make sure that the switch is off and the wiring is not energized. Where they were twisted need to insulate using special caps or electrical tape. If you have any uncertainty that you will be able to correctly connect a chandelier with three wires, then instead of taking risks in vain, it is better to invite experienced electricians to do this work.

Chandelier with remote control - luxury or convenience?

As technology improves, new products become available on the market. These are the lighting devices with a remote control. Their peculiarity lies in the presence of the design of control elements. If you install a similar chandelier in the apartment, then you will have the opportunity to turn off the light in the bedroom while in a warm bed, as well as you will not cause accidental injury, because in the dark on the way to the bed they did not see a corner or a wall.

Installation of such chandeliers can be performed even by a non-specialist: they are installed using the same technology as other light sources. Connecting such a chandelier is easy, just use one of the above schemes. Turning the light on and off becomes possible thanks to the built-in controller.

And even though such an advanced model of a chandelier has appeared in your house, it is still recommended to leave an ordinary wall switch in the room. He will be able to help you out in those situations when you lose the remote control from the chandelier or do not replace the batteries in a timely manner. After all, it will be extremely inconvenient for any owner not to be able to do ordinary things in the absence of light.

In general, connecting a chandelier does not seem to be such a difficult matter. If you have knowledge about the key nuances of this procedure, even a person who has not previously done this can easily cope with this task without seeking help from specialists. And subsequently, he will be able to correctly connect lighting devices of a more complex design.