How to rewire a floor lamp? 2022 Best Guide

How to rewire a floor lamp? In order for do-it-yourselfers to see the light, it is important to keep track of the tangle of cables when connecting lamps. The following instructions provide step-by-step tips for assembly.

The challenge of connecting the lamp: Three, sometimes just two cables are hanging from the ceiling – these must be connected to the lamp wires via a luster terminal. The following instructions show the best order in which to proceed.

How to rewire a floor lamp?

There are usually three wires protruding from the lamp or from the ceiling: On the one hand, the protective conductor (PE), also known as grounding: a yellow-green, sometimes also red wire. This is the most important protective device of electrical equipment, especially when the lamp is made of an electrically conductive material such as metal.

The phase (L), usually a brown or black cable, provides the power for the lamp. The third cable is the neutral conductor (N), which is usually blue, but also gray in older buildings. To put it simply, this cable conducts the current away from the lamp.

 

How to rewire a floor lamp? Especially in old buildings, there are often only two wires coming out of the ceiling: the live phase and the neutral conductor.

In order to mount a lamp correctly, a luster terminal is required, which connects the lamp cable to the lamp. If the cable is too long, it is advisable to shorten it with a cable knife.

When connecting the lamp, the following steps must then be observed:

Step 1: Unscrew the fuse

How to rewire a floor lamp? First, the fuse must be unscrewed so that there is no longer any voltage on the cable or circuit. Simply turning off the light switch is not enough. With the phase tester, which is also often included in the screwdriver, you can check whether current is still flowing. If there is still power on the line, a red light usually lights up.

Step 2: Loosen the screws on the luster terminal

If no luster terminal is attached, a luster terminal must now be attached. It serves to connect the different cables to each other. On the luster terminal, the screws should only be loosened enough for the individual wires to fit in easily. Caution: Do not unscrew the small screws too far or they will fall out.

Step 3: Connect Wires Together

Now the cables need to be connected to each other. Usually the wires sticking out of the wall are the same color as on the lamp. These wires are now connected to each other via the luster terminal. The following applies: color must go with color. For lamps with a plastic socket, the yellow-green ground can be omitted.

• First, the protective conductor (yellow-green) is plugged into the connection point of the terminal block.
• This is followed by the neutral conductor (blue or gray) .
• In the third step, the phase (black or brown) is plugged into the luster terminal.

If more than three cables come out of the ceiling, there may be other phases (black, gray or brown) . Additional phases do not need to be connected.

 Connect lamp: How to rewire a floor lamp?

Caution: In old buildings, only two cables often protrude from the ceiling: the phase and the neutral conductor, the protective conductor is missing. In this case, no lamps should be connected that are not themselves protectively insulated. If in doubt, please hire an electrician.

How to rewire a floor lamp? When all the wires are connected to each other, the screws of the luster terminal must be tightened again.

Step 4: Attach lamp and screw in fuse

If there is a cable cover, this is pushed towards the ceiling in the last step. You should try to hide the lamp cable in it as well as possible. If it is a ceiling spotlight, it must be screwed tight. Often there is also a hook on the ceiling to which the lamp can be hung. The fuse must then be switched on again.

Dismantling a lamp

If you want to remove a lamp, the reverse order applies: first disconnect the black (or brown) wire, then the blue (or grey) wire and finally the yellow-green wire.

Switch off the fuse when connecting the lamp

The classic: After you have connected the new lamp and screwed the illuminant into the socket, the light suddenly goes on. Oops, wasn’t the power off?

How to rewire a floor lamp? It is a mistake that can end badly with the mains voltage of 230 volts, which is usual in Germany. What is harmlessly called “wiper” in technical jargon can result in life-threatening cardiac arrhythmia and respiratory disorders as well as cramping muscles and, in the worst case, even be fatal. There are also secondary accidents, for example if you fall off a ladder after being electrocuted.

Before you want to connect a lamp, you should always first switch off the power and check that the circuit of the cables is actually voltage-free.

Therefore our tip: Observe the safety rules when connecting the lamp, then you play it safe:

These are the rewire a floor lamp safety rules for electrical work

Safety rule: Turns off either the residual current device (GFCI) or the circuit breaker. Alternatively, you can turn off the main switch – but then you won’t have any electricity in the apartment at all.

Safety Rule: Make sure the switch doesn’t turn back on while you’re plugging in the lamp.

Energy Efficiency: Produces more light (lumens) per watt consumed, leading to energy savings – from 50% to 80% – when compared to traditional technologies, resulting in cost and carbon emissions reduction. How to rewire a floor lamp?

In incandescent lamps, more than 90% of electrical energy is wasted as heat (infrared radiation) (US DOE, 2012a).

Cost savings: reduced energy demand, protection against price increases, lower maintenance and inspection costs. With this, the total cost of ownership, total ownership cost (TOC), is reduced.

Controllability: Dynamic adjustment (dimming) on ​​the light’s color spectrum, intensity and direction allows new designs of lighting systems.

Safety: LEDs offer superior visibility in environments as well as reduce visual pollution.

Lifespan: LEDs are built to last for up to 100,000 hours of use.

Safety rule: Determines that there is no voltage on all poles, i.e. on each individual conductor. You use a voltage tester for this. Simple phase testers are unsuitable for this.