2023 Author: Philip Bishop | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-24 22:24
- How to connect the wires to the ceiling chandelier correctly
- How to connect a chandelier with a remote control, on a remote control.
- Remote controllers.
A ceiling-mounted luminaire called a chandelier is the primary source of illumination in many living spaces. See the article on how to choose the right wall lamp. A chandelier is located, as a rule, in the very middle of the ceiling, so that the flow of light is distributed as evenly as possible. The chandeliers are fixed either by hanging on a hook, or using special dowels by the method of rigid fastening, and in this case there are two options for how to install the chandelier:
1. Fix a special bar, which would be a part of the chandelier structure, to the place where the supply wires are supplied on the ceiling. This strip must be made so that it can be removed by unscrewing two screws with decorative heads. After attaching the strip to the ceiling, connect the supply wires, put on the chandelier body and tighten the screws.
Old-style apartments often have large openings on the ceilings, into which a hook for a hanging chandelier was previously installed. In this case, we just slightly shift the place of attachment of the special strip so that the hole for the hook is covered by the chandelier body after its installation.
This is how the installation of today's popular budget options is performed. It is advisable to install the chandelier not alone, but together, using a stable step-ladder.
2. Heavy chandeliers are mounted somewhat differently, into which a step-down transformer can often be inserted. How to install a ceiling chandelier of this design correctly, we will also figure it out now. The design of such chandeliers consists of two parts - an external panel with a different number of decoratively decorated electrical cartridges and a massive base with control gear (which, however, is not so common in recent years) and a step-down transformer. First, using three or four dowels, we fix the base to the ceiling.
Then we connect two supply wires. The supply wires are connected to the terminals of the terminal block connected to the transformer (or rather, to its primary winding). Such contacts are easily identified visually, since they are much thinner than the wires of the secondary winding. If there is a third grounding wire, you must connect it to the chandelier. Then we put the outer panel on the base and fix it with special screws with decorative heads.
In both cases, before installation, it is imperative to remove all fragile parts - electric lamps, diffusers, crystal reflectors. After installing and connecting the chandelier, you can safely screw or insert electric lamps to check their performance in all existing operating modes. Last but not least, install all fragile and fragile parts.
It will probably be easiest to install and connect a chandelier that is hung on a hook. After the chandeliers are installed on the hook, you only need to connect the supply wires to it, lift the decorative cap that hides the electrical connection and the hook and firmly fix the cap in this position. Then you can freely screw in the electric lamps and check their performance. Finally, fragile and breakable parts are also installed here.
How to connect the wires to the ceiling chandelier correctly
In rooms designed in the good old Soviet era - be it "Leningrad", "Stalin", "Khrushchev" or other types of apartments - chandeliers, as a rule, are connected much easier than in the premises of modern new buildings. When you finish dismantling an old chandelier, there is usually a hole in the middle of the ceiling for a hook, and a few wires stick out from or near it. If we remove the cover of the two-button switch, which is usually located on the wall, we also see that it is connected to the same number of wires that sticks out of the hole in the ceiling (most often these are three wires). See our article on how to install and connect an open and hidden wiring switch.
If there is a one-button switch on the wall, the third wire should still be somewhere nearby, being simply laid aside and insulated. Most likely, this means that the dismantled chandelier had only one lighting mode and it was connected from three wires that stick out from the ceiling, only to two. In old apartments, often in the hallway, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and toilet, only two wires can stick out of the ceiling. It only means that there are no options and you will have to connect a single-mode chandelier.
However, most of the chandeliers made in the Soviet Union worked with three lighting modes:
- Low light mode - when only the central lamp is on. If there is no central lamp in the luminaire, a smaller part of the side lamp is lit.
- Mode of bright moderate lighting - when the central lamp does not work, but the side ones are on. In the absence of a central lamp in the luminaire, most of the side lamp is lit.
- Full brightness mode - when all lamps are working at full power.
A chandelier operating in three modes basically consists of two electrical connections, each of which contains a group of electrical lamps that are connected in parallel with each other. By the way, one of the three wires coming out of the chandelier is common to the rest. In the event of a voltage between any of the other two wires and the common wire, both groups begin to work.
If the network is single-phase, the voltage occurs between the working zero and the phase. In the case of a permanent connection of the common wire of the chandelier to the working zero and supplying a phase through a double switch to the other two wires, the connection made in this way can be considered correct. If there is a constant connection of the common wire of the chandelier to the phase, despite the fact that a working zero is supplied to the other two wires through the switch, the chandelier will also work with such a connection, however, such a connection cannot be called correct, since it is possible that a person will be electrocuted when necessary replacement of burnt out lamps, as well as from the switch in an inoperative state.
Therefore, the main thing is the need to find a common wire from three wires that stick out from the ceiling. How to do it? The most effective ways can be considered:
The easiest way is to carefully spread the wires to the sides, and then turn both keys of the switch to the "on" state. Taking an indicator screwdriver in your hands, alternately touch the bare ends of each of the three wires. If the light in the screwdriver lights up on two wires and the third one is absent, it can be assumed that the wiring is done correctly, and the third wire, from touching which the light on the indicator screwdriver did not light up, is common.
For final certainty, the administration of the site do-it-yourself apartment renovation in a new building recommends turning off both switch keys and re-checking the presence of voltage by touching the ends of the wires. If everything is in order, the indicator should not light anywhere, since the switch swells a phase and opens the electrical circuit.
The indicator can also light up when touching the end of a bare wire with the switch off and on. This may mean that the wiring is not entirely correct, and that the wire is common.
If you already have similar problems, it is best to use other common ground finding methods, which may seem a little more difficult, but will be more reliable. For example, you can use a multimeter, a special measuring device. It is necessary to put the device in the position at which the alternating voltage is measured and switch to the operating position at least one of the switch keys.
Then, with the probes of the multimeter, touch the bare ends of the wires one by one. We bend to the side two wires without bridging them, transfer the switch key to the “off” state, and the other to the “on” state. The voltage between the two wires that were bent back should disappear.
We touch the third remaining wire with one of the probes of the device, and with the other probe, alternately touch the ends of the two bent wires. Where there will be voltage when touched and will be a common wire. It must be marked in a special way.
Now all that remains is to find a common conductor on the chandelier. To do this, you need to screw in the bulbs and alternately measure the resistance between the ends of the three wires that come out of the chandelier with a multimeter. Thus, you need to find two wires, between which there will be the most resistance. None of them can be common, since the third wire in this case is the common wire.
After identifying the common wire, you can connect the chandelier correctly. Beforehand, completely disconnect the voltage in the apartment and connect the chandelier wires with power ends that stick out from the ceiling with a terminal connector (see our article on how to connect electrical wires).
If the chandelier has an additional fourth wire (it usually has yellow-green insulation and it is ground), such a wire does not connect anywhere and is simply isolated. We check the operation of the lamp after energizing. If everything was done without mistakes, the chandelier should work fine.
In modern rooms, not three, but four wires stick out from the ceiling, and the fourth wire is the ground wire. This yellow-green wire is connected to the luminaire body through a wire of the same color that comes out of it. Problems can arise if all four wires sticking out of the ceiling are the same color - then you also need to find a ground wire.
To do this, you first need to turn off the introductory machine on the panel. Then a rather long piece of wire, one of the ends of which is stripped and freed from insulation, is connected to the probe of the multimeter, while the other end, stripped and freed from insulation, is wound on the valve of the unpainted part of the battery. We put the multimeter in the resistance measurement mode and alternately check all four wires with a probe. Where the multimeter will show resistance (which will still be very small), there is a ground wire.
How to connect a chandelier with a remote control, on a remote control
Perhaps the most modern household lighting devices are chandeliers, which are equipped with a remote control. The design of such a chandelier, as a rule, consists of several lamps (often LED) and a controller, which is a control device. Such lamps, by the way, can perform not only a lighting function, but can serve as a timer or a multi-programmed color music device. A remote control is specially attached to them for control. However, for some forgetful people such a seemingly indisputable advantage can turn into a disadvantage, since they constantly forget and lose remote controls when they move from room to room.
Therefore, some chandeliers are equipped with two remote control panels - in fact, a remote control and a stationary base, which performs the search function. A stationary basic control panel is installed and connected on the wall instead of a switch. It is worth using the search function and the "lost" remote control will be quickly found thanks to the sound buzzer inserted into its structure.
Now let's take a closer look at how to connect a chandelier with a remote control to the wires and switch correctly, and then let's see how to install a ceiling chandelier. Chandeliers with only one remote control are easily connected to the network in old apartments. You do not need to connect the grounding, you just need to connect the common and any and two other wires. The wire that is not connected must be bent to the side and securely insulated.
New apartments with four wires sticking out of the ceiling also require a ground connection for the luminaire body. The wall switch can be left in its place if it is constantly on, or removed altogether. If removed, then the two wires at the switch site must be connected to each other.
However, if there is also a stationary remote control, everything is also not so difficult. For normal operation, a stationary console requires a voltage of two hundred and twenty volts, so it is necessary to provide it with such power. First you need to turn off the power in the switchboard, dismantle the switch on the wall, carefully spread the ends of the wires to which this switch was connected to the sides.
On the ceiling, then a common is connected to one of the two remaining wires (of course, only not to the ground one) and the power is turned on. A small voltage should appear between the bare ends of the connected wires, which can be measured with a multimeter.
The wires between which voltage occurs are connected to the N and L terminals on the stationary console, and the remaining wire is connected to the “output” terminal (however, it can be designated differently, for this you need to read the instructions that come with the chandelier). If there is a PE terminal, there is no need to connect it anywhere. One of the wires is connected to the double supply ceiling wire, the second is connected to the single one, and the third grounding wire is connected to the grounding wire, if, of course, it is available.
Remote controllers
All remote control chandeliers contain an electronic controller device. This device helps to enumerate different lighting modes, including and disabling the groups included in the chandelier. Electronic controllers are sometimes sold with remote controls at retail and are relatively inexpensive and can be purchased separately from the chandelier itself.
If you change the wiring diagram of the chandeliers so as to connect them through a controller, in addition to making it possible to achieve remote control of the connection modes, you can improve the functionality of such a circuit due to the fact that the number of its modes will increase. If a two-key switch allows you to control two branches of an electrical circuit, then the controller will be able to control up to six branches on average (with an increasing number of them!). As an example, below is an electrical diagram of the process of connecting a chandelier, which consists of five lamps.
Since the dimensions of the chandelier body are small, it can be easily hidden during installation, at least in the same hole in the ceiling, which is intended for attaching the hook. Now you know how to install a ceiling chandelier correctly and how to connect a chandelier with and without a remote control is also correct. Remember:
All work, during which it is necessary to touch the bare end of the wire, is carried out in the complete absence of voltage!
