[joshik]

Hi

is it ok to wire 120v porch lights in a series instead of parallel?

The reason i'm asking is because my 3 porch lights are currently wired in parallel. I want to install a motion sensor but i dont want to run the wires all they way back to the switch... instead i want to wire it in the middle of the series of lights.

thoughts?

thx

 

[Jim Port]

Series wiring is not used in houses. If the bulb went out the circuit would not work.

 

[joshik]

yeh, that i dont mind bc its just porch lights and i can replace them as they break.... but would the lights get dimmer the more bulbs i add in?

thx

 

[joed]

The lights would get dimmer the more you added. And if you did not use all of the exact same bulbs some of them would brighter than others. There is no reason to wire lights in series. It never happens in 120 volt circuits except those old Christmas lights where one goes out and thewhole string goes dead.
Please explain in detail exactly what you are attempting to do.

 

[dmxtothemax]

Hi

is it ok to wire 120v porch lights in a series instead of parallel?

The reason i'm asking is because my 3 porch lights are currently wired in parallel. I want to install a motion sensor but i dont want to run the wires all they way back to the switch... instead i want to wire it in the middle of the series of lights.

thoughts?

thx

Do you fully understand the concept of series and parrallel ?

Where will you find the 40v light bulbs ?

Cause if you want three on a 120v circuit thats what you will need !

 

[AllanJ]

Yes you can daisy chain the light fixtures with just one cable to feed all of them going back to the motion detector or switch.

This is actually still a parallel circuit. At each light fixture all the black wires are connected together and, in a separate bundle, all the white wires are connected together.

In a real series circuit, the white from one light fixture connects to the black of the next with just two wires in a bundle. This is never seen in 120 volt building wiring.