Another lighting question please

W

white1

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
6 foot pool table white sheet rock walls. I rent so don’t want to alter structure much.
Table to be centered under a traditional ceiling fan with light. Not happy with what’s there.
I can hang a traditional two lamp something another or most any type. Question is-your opinions on
Type length wattage height above table?
I’ve tried a lot of stuff in the past in a similar setup and never really found the right amount of light but not too bright.
I’m a 60 year old hobby player.
I can build most anything and have over 40 years in facilities maintenance. But I don’t want to build. I want to play pool😂 I want to buy it. Hang it. Wire it. Not looking for fancy. But functional.
Appreciate your help and understand if you wanna pass and I’m ok with a link to a great thread already there. Peace.
 
white1 said:
6 foot pool table white sheet rock walls. I rent so don’t want to alter structure much.
Table to be centered under a traditional ceiling fan with light. Not happy with what’s there.
I can hang a traditional two lamp something another or most any type. Question is-your opinions on
Type length wattage height above table?
I’ve tried a lot of stuff in the past in a similar setup and never really found the right amount of light but not too bright.
I’m a 60 year old hobby player.
I can build most anything and have over 40 years in facilities maintenance. But I don’t want to build. I want to play pool😂 I want to buy it. Hang it. Wire it. Not looking for fancy. But functional.
Appreciate your help and understand if you wanna pass and I’m ok with a link to a great thread already there. Peace.
Click to expand...
I installed this at my house, the whole light weighs about 3lbs, unbelievably bright, integrated bulbs you won't have to change, don't have to worry about finding studs, all the hardware to hang it........https://www.homedepot.com/p/Feit-Electric-4-ft-130-Watt-Equivalent-High-Output-Integrated-LED-Utility-White-Shop-Light-with-Pull-Chain-5000K-Daylight-SHOP-4-HO-850/315197990
 
I hung a pretty standard 3 light pool light, it should probably be 4 for a 9 foot table.. then I screw in LED bulbs. I had a couple that came with free pool tables , just sold one for 50 bucks.. gave away a 8 foot slate brunswick from 1970..

the strip lights are probably brighter if you want that.. or if you just use a flourescent you can change to LED tubes easy enough..

if there is a fan , there should be a standard light pot under it.. you might remove the fan.. then use the pot.

be careful if you play with the wiring because it is common to find a white wire that is actually a hot, this is because the wire to the light switch is usually a 2 wire rommex wire and so that run to and from the light switch is a hot even though it will be a black and a white.. a good electrician will mark it with colored tape,, it is also common to use light pots as junction boxes for other unrelated wire runs.

make sure you turn off the breaker and not just the light.. if it confuses you get an electrician. if you are in a commercial space also be very careful its common to find higher voltages like 247V and not just 110 like a house .. i don't think this is the case here but it's something to be aware of.

if the panel is susceptible to someone else accessing it you can put a lock on the breaker, that's more correct than just switching it off.

you can pick up one of these little sniffers for about 10 bucks at a hardware store. if you hold them near a wire they beep if it is hot. of course you can use a voltmeter but they are handy. lots of electricians will carry one and use it before touching wires in a box as a preventative measure, after switching the breaker off..

Understanding Voltage Tester Pens | Fluke

Learn how voltage tester pens work and how to use them, and when you should use a voltage tester pen vs multimeter.
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many won't hire an electrician just to hook up a light , probably you should, but if you don't just be sure what you are doing is safe and correct.
these plug in testers are good too, and not expensive,, if you plug one in and just read the LEDs, it tells you if the plug is wired correctly or if things are wrong like no ground or swapped hot and neutral. easy to use even for a homeowner with limited electrical knowledge..

here's a pack with both
 
Here's how I like to do it in my shop overhead lights and this could be a solution if the pot itself isn't necessary to take the weight.
I add a duplex outlet and a round cover, like this :
www.homedepot.com

Southwire 4 in. W Steel Gray 1-Gang Flat Blank Duplex Receptacle (1-Pack) 54C40-UPC - The Home Depot

Provide a sleek look to your traditional outdoor space with Southwire W Steel Gray Flat Blank Duplex Receptacle.
www.homedepot.com

then you can plug in what you like and if you want to change anything after its easy.
you can run 2 without needing to daisy chain them or do any other fancy wiring.

in my room I had no pots at all , its a vintage house and never had them so when I rewired the house I did not install any..

The fixture I used does have a little ( bare) ground wire meant to be connected to the pot so I wired the fixture for a grounded plug and ran a 3 wire cord, just a bit safer being actually grounded.. a bit less neat than using a pot, since it is a "temporary" extension cable up and across on cup hooks.

This ground is mainly so that if something does short to the metal lamp itself it will blow the breaker rather than becoming live and going unnoticed until touched.

i like plugging them in like that, then you aren't as dependent on the location of the pot , you can relocate the fixture as you choose. If I have any issues with a fixture, I can unplug it and work on it on a table or replace it easy.

If you have an electrician do that ( install outlets instead) then you won't have to worry when removing it. I believe it will be ok with code but there is a maximum of outlets per breaker, I am not an electrician and its always best to be safest and have a qualified person to do electrical work. lots of homeowners don't hire out for this and also dont know what they are doing.

Some who are quite familiar wouldn't feel it to be particularly dangerous.

Electrical codes also vary by area, technically any changes likely do require permit , qualified ticket, and inspection, It's not my job to be a safety cop..

there are rules about the number of wires and wire nuts used in a box ( here anyway) its so you dont overcomplicate a box, part of that calculation is the number of quare nches of space inside the box and there are many different boxes. you can get deeper pots or extensions.

I thnk one reason light pots are comonly used for daisy chaining is because they are normally a bit larger than wall outlets. Just be aware there is code on all that and if a box is too crowded it may be a code violation.

trying to be helpful is ok in my opinion, I just don't want to give my 2 bit unqualified advice and and then see any accident or problem result.
 
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Thx guys. Got me in the right direction. I’m a 40 year facilities guy so I’m good with the electrical. Thx.
 
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