When it comes to lighting, many people might think wiring a fixture is too involved for their level of experience. Just because you have never wired a fixture before, doesn’t mean you should be too intimated to try it out. It is actually a simple task. While there are wiring tasks that might be more advanced and should be done by a professional, a relatively easy task is high bay sensor wiring. Adding a sensor to your fixture is a great way to save money and energy while extending the life of the fixture. A sensor means the light will only be on when there are occupants or illumination is needed.
Here are a few basic steps to help you try high bay sensor wiring for yourself. These suggestions are made based on adding a high bay passive infrared occupancy sensor to a standard high bay fixture. You can use these guidelines for adding other types of sensors as well.
- Open the fixture by removing the screws and locate your existing wires on the fixture.
- Find your leads and disconnect the power from the quick disconnect.
- Pop open the sides of the fixture to get better access to your wiring system.
- If you are working with a three-wire layout, as most fixtures tend to operate on, you need to remember that two wires need to be set up as two power wires and one load wire to get it to work properly without overpowering your system.
- Most wires are sold in lengths that are extra-long just in case. Trim your wires to be slightly more than what you need. A good rule of thumb for most fixture wiring jobs is to cut it down by about two feet.
- Use three different color wires since you are working a three-wire layout. This will help you keep the three components of neutral, ground, and power wires.
- Strip your wires. You want to strip the leads about an inch or so for the best results.
- Fish the wires through the fixture through wherever the wiring components are in your particular fixture.
- Connect your power leads. Remember, one wire for load bearing, and two for power bearing.
- Connect your sensor wires and fixture wires in accordance with the setup you have chosen. For example, make sure your power wires on the fixture are connected to the power wires in the sensors and not the load bearing.
- Connect it to the switch leg and lamps.
- Trim down any extra wiring.
Of course, when it comes to something that seems as involved as wiring a fixture, it is always great to have a visual representation of the steps to follow. Here is a great video walking you through it in more details step by step.
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