Wiring a fluorescent fixture??

loveisallyouneed

Well-Known Member
I plan on growing outdoor but wanted to get my plants started under some fluorecent light before putting them outside and I have never done this before. I foolishly bought a fluorescent fixture not knowing what I was getting myself into, only to discover a white, black and green wire and not plug. Although I'm sure this is a rather simple question, I'm far from an electrician. How do I make it so that I can plus the fixture into the wall? Thanks
 

funkdabassman

Active Member
sorry broken link. it is called "Coleman Cable
3 Ft. Black 16/3 Disposer Pigtail" so go to the site and look under extension cords for this. it is like $3 and they have pigtails at any hardware store.
 

warmboe

Well-Known Member
I plan on growing outdoor but wanted to get my plants started under some fluorecent light before putting them outside and I have never done this before. I foolishly bought a fluorescent fixture not knowing what I was getting myself into, only to discover a white, black and green wire and not plug. Although I'm sure this is a rather simple question, I'm far from an electrician. How do I make it so that I can plus the fixture into the wall? Thanks
The most common "spare" cord (cut the zip cord off an old something) will work as your plug. There will be two wires that can be seperated by cutting down the center, or sometimes even can be ripped apart. Now that you have two seperate wires, strip them both. One wire usualy has a solid or broken white line. That is your neutral, and you want to wire nut those neutrals (white wire to white line wire.) Then the other one is the hot. So hook the black to the black, and then wrap the green wire (ground) around any screw in the fixture. It will be fine. Lights don't usualy require a ground, and zip cords only have a hot and nuetral, so just forget about it.
Oh yeah, wait to plug it in till after the wires are conected. hehehe.
Don't let the bare metal in the wires be exposed or touch each other, you will cause an arch, and short your circut.
Good luck.:blsmoke:
 

Humdinger

Member
Trying to hard wire a fluorescent fixture that has red, black, White and green wires, but cord only has black, White and green. I wired red/black to black, White to White, green to green, but only 1 lamp will light up. Left red unconnected and no lamps light up, left black off and only connected red to black and still only 1 lamp lit up. I checked all bulbs and they are good. Anyone have any suggestions or tricks?
 

Demacross

Member
Those fixtures had the lamps wired in a series and more than likely from my experience the red should be connected with another red that goes to the tombstones on the end
 
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