Home security lighting can help keep your family safe.
Home security lighting is critical for helping to keep your family safe. Some people choose to add a whole seperate electrical circuit for powering home security lights. The only problem with that is that if that one circuit goes down, so do all of your security lights. Another option is to add each light to a different existing circuit. The challenge is where in the circuit to pull the power from because you want the security light to be powered at all times.
Instructions
1. Run ROMEX® electrical cable from the security light location to the fan junction box. At the security light, strip 1/2 inch of insulation off of the ends of the black and white wires located inside the ROMEX® cable.
2. Connect the black wire of the ROMEX® cable to the black wire of the security light. Then connect the white wire of the security light to the white wire of the ROMEX® cable. If the security light has a ground wire or terminal, connect it to the ground wire of the ROMEX® cable.
3. Cover each splice with a plastic twist cap. The cap will protect the splice and anyone who touches the splice. Now, shut off the power at the main power panel for the circuit that will provide power to the security light. Use the screwdriver to gain access to the junction box. You must first identify how power comes into the junction box. Power will either come into the junction box, go to the switch and then back to the junction box to get to the fan; or power will go to the switch first and then to the junction box to get to the fan.
4. Look at the black wire splices. If the black wire that connects to the fan is connected to a white wire that has black tape or a black marker mark on it, then power comes into the junction box first. In this situation there should be a second black wire splice in the junction box. That splice is the splice you want to connect your black ROMEX® wire to. After connecting that wire, connect the white wire to the existing white wire splice, which also has the white wire from the fan.
5. Connect the ground wires and place new plastic twist caps on all splices that were modified. Reintall the junction box cover and turn the power back on and check the light for proper operation. This article assumes that the outdoor security light has a motion sensor that must be powered at all times.
Tags: security light, white wire, black wire, ROMEX® cable, into junction