# connecting multiple wires to one



## AllanJ (Nov 24, 2007)

Use wire nuts.

Twist together the five gold wire ends and the hot or black wire of the power cord and twist a wire nut over the twisted bundle. Similarly connect the five silver wires to the neutral or white wire of the power cord.

On many lamp grade power cords the two wires are the same color but the jacket has a ridge or groove running lengthwise along the edge with the neutral wire.


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## jbfan (Jul 1, 2004)

AllanJ said:


> Use wire nuts.
> 
> Connect the five gold wire ends to the hot or black wire of the power cord and connect the five silver wires to the neutral or white wire of the power cord.
> 
> On many lamp grade power cords the two wires are the same color but the jacket has a ridge or groove running lengthwise along the edge with the neutral wire.


And how is he going to meet code with the splices?


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## sparks1032 (Nov 19, 2011)

They also make special clips to connect the light to the grid NOT the tile portion.


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## brric (Mar 5, 2010)

Looks like a UL approved luminaire to me.


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## Missouri Bound (Apr 9, 2011)

brric said:


> Looks like a UL approved luminaire to me.


I doubt that a lamp hanging from a wire without a secure device for supporting the fixture would be UL approved. A pigtail is approved for temporary lighting.....doesn't look temporary to me.


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## brric (Mar 5, 2010)

Missouri Bound said:


> I doubt that a lamp hanging from a wire without a secure device for supporting the fixture would be UL approved. A pigtail is approved for temporary lighting.....doesn't look temporary to me.


In case you couldn't tell, I was being sarcastic.


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## Missouri Bound (Apr 9, 2011)

brric said:


> In case you couldn't tell, I was being sarcastic.


 
You are correct...I couldn't tell....it was a long day and I missed the obvious :laughing: besides I think sarcasm loses it's bite in written words....oh well....as sarcastic as* I* tend to be I should have caught it.


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## Jim Port (Sep 21, 2007)

I was going to ask about the UL listing also. Sorry Brric, i missed the sarcasm too.


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## domino87 (Mar 25, 2012)

jbfan said:


> And how is he going to meet code with the splices?


She!

So, sounds like this isn't a good idea? I am clearly missing the sarcasm. For you guys that say this wouldn't meet UL code, do you have suggestions for how it could? Or other ideas?


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## Jim Port (Sep 21, 2007)

Lighting fixtures are tested by recognized testing agencies to ensure that they are safe to use. The testing fees are probably hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.


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## k_buz (Mar 22, 2012)

Yeah, I see that "light fixture" being a problem. All the heat will be trapped at the lids making the wire susceptible to melting or cracking.


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## domino87 (Mar 25, 2012)

I would drill extra holes in the lid to let the heat escape. 

These lights are for sale all over the place, like on Etsy where its all DIYers selling their stuff. Are you guys saying that all the lights are unsafe? This picture shows all the lights connected to a box, what is this box called and what does it do?









here is a link to all the lights for sale http://www.etsy.com/search/handmade?search_submit=&ref=auto&q=mason+jar+chandelier&view_type=list&ship_to=US


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## jbfan (Jul 1, 2004)

Sorry Ma'am!

Tha box is called a handy box, and it is used to contain the wire splices.

That is what you need to hide all the wire nuts for the lamp.
You can find a hanger that mounts to the ceiling grid.

I would use a 3 wire feed to ground the box to the receptacle.


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## Jim Port (Sep 21, 2007)

That box is called a junction box and contains the splices from all the cords.

As a minimum the connector used at the bottom of that box is being used incorrectly. It also has 22 conductors of an unknown size in it. Using a typical zip cord size it should be sized for 38.5 cubic inches. It is probably less than 12 cubic inches, more likely around 8-10.

The metallic parts are not grounded either.

Now tell me if you think this is safe or would pass inspection.


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## Ravenworks (Oct 31, 2010)

Sorry but the last picture is nothing but scary,maybe you would want to try "low voltage" for you light project,sure seems like it would be safer.
The first thing that came into my mind was heat.


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## domino87 (Mar 25, 2012)

I hate to give up but it seems that this project is not feasible. I'll probably just end up attaching one to my swag light kit. It will just be a dimly lit corner! Thanks for the help everyone.


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## AllanJ (Nov 24, 2007)

jbfan said:


> And how is he going to meet code with the splices?


That is a separate program. All he asked was how to connect wires together.

I did forget to add that when the fixture is ready to hang, that the wire nuts must not be subjected to tugging from the weight of fixture components like the Mason jars.

Now I thought that it did not violate code to hang a non-Underwriters Labs approved light fixture on the wall or ceiling and plug its power cord (not stapled to the wall) into a nearby receptacle.


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