How to connect a chandelier

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

In addition to the lamp itself, you will need a minimal set of tools and some free time.

1. Prepare tools and materials

The necessary equipment is almost always found in any home. Here's a complete list:

• chandelier;
• stripper or knife - for stripping wires;
• voltage indicator - to determine the phase;
• multimeter - to test the circuit;
• straight and Phillips screwdrivers - for mounting;
• self-clamping Wago terminals - for connecting wires;
• a piece of wire - to support the chandelier during connection;
• dowels or screws - for fixing the chandelier;
• hammer drill - for drilling holes in concrete;
• screwdriver or screwdriver - for driving screws.

2. Check the chandelier wires

If the luminaire has not been tested for operability in the store, before installation, it is imperative to make sure that there is no short circuit or breakdown to the case. Proceed like this:

• Set the continuity mode on the multimeter.
• There are two wires in a chandelier with one shade, touch them with the probes of a multimeter. If there is no sound signal, then everything is in order. If there is, there is a short circuit somewhere in the circuit. It is necessary to inspect in detail all contacts and eliminate the malfunction.
• A chandelier with several shades has a lot of wires. Divide them by color into two groups. Read these bundles as two separate wires and test them with a multimeter as described above.
• If the lamp has a metal case, attach one multimeter probe to it, and with the second, alternately touch each of the contacts inside the chandelier holders. There should be no signal. Otherwise, there is a breakdown and it is necessary to look for which of the terminals touches the case. If the malfunction is not eliminated, it may shock if you touch the chandelier during operation.

3. Find out the number of wires on the ceiling

Now you need to find out which cable goes to the installation site of the chandelier. The connection diagram will depend on this. In principle, the number of cores can be judged by the switch keys:

• One key - two wires.
• Two keys - three wires.
• Three keys - four wires.

Remove the old chandelier cover to make sure the number of wires is correct. Unscrew the decorative fastening nuts and, while holding the lamp, look at the cable. There can be two, three or four wires. If the chandelier has not yet been installed, their number will be immediately visible.

4. Determine the phase and zero on the ceiling

No matter how many wires there are, one will always be zero, and all the others will be phase. Exception - if there is grounding, in this case one more wire is added.

If everything is connected in accordance with the marking, then blue is zero, brown, red or white is a phase, and yellow-green is ground. But it's better not to rely on colors, but to check the phase with an indicator screwdriver.

• Turn on all keys on the switch.
• Touch each wire with a tip one at a time. On the phase, the indicator lights up, on the zero one - no.
• Label the wires or remember which colors correspond to phase and which to zero.

If there are two wires, then everything is simple here: phase and zero. If three - one is exactly zero, but the rest are either two phases, or phase and ground. The latter option is rare. If there are four wires, as in the previous case, one of the cores is exactly zero, the rest are either three phases, or two phases and ground.

5. Select the switching scheme

Depending on the number of phase conductors on the ceiling, one or more groups of lamps can be controlled. A separate key on the switch is responsible for each circuit.

Typically, the following types of switching are selected.

• One phase wire - you can connect a single luminaire. Or a chandelier with several shades, but all of them will turn on at the same time.
• Two phase wires - you can connect a chandelier with several arms. The lamps are divided into two equal groups or in such a way that the first switch key controls one lamp, and the second controls all the others. For example, if there are five plafonds, then it is convenient to divide them into groups 1 + 4 or 2 + 3.
• Three phase wires - the same principle as in the previous diagram. Lamps can be divided into three groups in any proportions and controlled with the appropriate switch keys. For example, if a chandelier has six arms, then it is convenient to divide by 2 + 2 + 2 or 1 + 2 + 3.

6. Connect the wires inside the chandelier

To begin with, remove 1 cm of insulation from all wires with a stripper or knife. Be careful not to damage them.

If you have the first circuit, then the wires are connected directly to the cable on the ceiling using self-clamping terminals: phase conductor with phase, zero - with zero.

In the second and third schemes, when the lamps are divided into several groups, the connection is carried out a little differently, but according to the same principle:

• Using self-clamping terminals, connect the neutral wires of all lamps into one group. Depending on the number of cores, a two- or three-slot connector may be needed. Keep one of them free to connect to the cable on the ceiling, insert the wires from the chandelier into the rest.
• In the same way, connect the phase wires of the first group of lamps together.
• Repeat the same for the remaining groups.

7. Turn off the electricity

De-energize the room with a breaker in the electrical panel on the staircase or in the apartment. To do this, move the handles of the circuit breakers down. The icons will change from red to green or from one to zero. Using an indicator screwdriver, make sure that there is no voltage in the mains.

8. Install the mounting plate

There are two screws on a special metal strip from the chandelier kit. The lamp will be fixed on them.

The mounting plate must be securely fastened.

• In the concrete floor - drill holes with a hammer drill, drive in the dowels and fix the plank.
• In drywall - screw the plank screws into the profile right through the slab.
• In stretch ceilings - screw the mounting plate to the foundation beam.

9. Connect the chandelier to the ceiling wiring

First remove the plafonds from the lamp so as not to break them. For ease of installation, temporarily wire the chandelier from the ceiling hook or bracket.

How to connect a luminaire with one shade

• Connect the phase wires on the ceiling and in the chandelier to each other using a self-clamping terminal.
• Connect the neutral wires on the ceiling and chandelier in the same way.

How to connect a chandelier with multiple shades

• Insert the neutral wire on the ceiling into the remaining socket of the zero conductor terminal of the chandelier.
• Connect one of the phase conductors to the terminal of the phase conductors of the first group.
• Repeat the previous step for the rest of the lamp groups.
• If the chandelier is metal and has a clamping contact for grounding, connect the yellow-green core to it (if there is one on the ceiling).

10. Fix the chandelier

It remains to remove the wire for temporary fastening and install the lamp. Proceed like this:

• Tuck the wires neatly inside the case.
• Align the mounting holes with the screws on the mounting plate.
• Install the decorative nuts on the screws.
• Install the shades on the chandelier if you removed them earlier.

11. Turn on the electricity

Apply voltage by turning on the switch in the electrical panel on the staircase or in the apartment.

Press all the keys of the switch one by one. If everything is done correctly, the corresponding lamps in the chandelier will light up.