The chandelier is an integral part of the interior and a source of artificial lighting, which is necessary for the full functioning of any premises in the evening or at night.
The modern market offers a huge number of different models of lighting structures. Having chosen and bought a lamp, many people ask themselves: "How to install a chandelier on the ceiling and connect it to the electrical network?" At first glance, the installation work seems very complicated and impossible, but it is not. Starting the procedure, it is necessary to assemble the elements of the device into a single design and correctly determine the circuit and its connection option.
It is very important to remember that when installing and connecting lighting fixtures, the main safety rule should be strictly observed - completely de-energize the room.
Features of structures and their types
Before moving on to the question of how to install a chandelier, it is worth considering the types of such lighting fixtures. Lighting structures are divided into two types, differing in the way they are attached.
- Ceiling chandeliers. This type of lighting device is attached to the ceiling plane using strips. Often, lamps of this type are made in a form that has a visual similarity with a plate. They can be presented as a one-piece design, and with the presence of several segments. To scatter light, shades are used that have a variety of geometric shapes. They are made from glass or plastic materials. The level of light transmission will depend on the transparency of the ceiling. Very often, the product is equipped with a mirror reflector, as a result of which its lighting functions are enhanced. In the plane of the plafond, both one and several electric lighting elements can be located. This type is the best solution for spaces with low ceilings.
- Suspended lighting fixtures. A feature of this type is the method of fastening the structure, mounted on a mounting hook built into the ceiling surface using chains and strings. The junctions of the fastener and wires are masked with a decorative plate. Various materials are used in the manufacture: metal and crystal, glass, textiles and wood. They can have different geometric shapes. Suspension-type models are made with one segment of light diffusion or in the form of a structuralsystems with the arrangement of several segments of light. A distinctive feature of chandeliers that have several shades in their design is their adjustable directionality.
Method for identifying wires and marking them
Before you install the chandelier, it is important to understand the wires.
The wire contacts on the lighting fixture, which are intended for connection to electrical wiring, are marked:
- L - phase wire;
- N – neutral conductor;
- PE - grounding conductor, standard color - yellow-green.
Please note: the color coding of electrical wires may vary, as there are no uniform international standards.
Before you install the chandelier on the ceiling with your own hands, you should correctly determine the voltage of the wire: phase and zero. The phase is a current conductor to the lighting fixtures, and zero is the reverse current conductor coming out of the lighting fixture. To complete this task, you must have an indicator screwdriver.
Determination method: touch the tip of the indicator to the bare part of the end of the wire. If the indicator lights up, this is a phase, and if the indicator does not light up, it is a neutral wire.
How to install a ceiling chandelier?
In apartment buildings built several decades ago, reinforced concrete floors are the ceiling of the rooms in the apartments. Builders installed hooks andwires came out. Therefore, when replacing a chandelier, there should not be any difficulties with its installation, since the fastening element has already been prepared.
During the initial arrangement of the lighting device on the ceiling in a private house, you should check for electrical wiring and perform a certain algorithm of actions.
Step-by-step instructions for installing a chandelier in the house
Those who carry out installation work in a private house on their own should follow the following instructions:
- Ceiling beam. Before installing the chandelier on the ceiling, you should prepare the mounting structure to eliminate the risk of breaking the structure. This may be a wooden beam, which is located in the attic of the building in the place where the chandelier will be equipped.
- Determination of the installation location of the chandelier. It is necessary to determine the center point on the ceiling plane and mark it. Drill a small hole in the marked place to bring the wire out and install the hook. The length of the protrusion of the mounting hook is adjusted by a threaded device in its upper part.
- Junction box and switch. Their place of formation is the plane of the wall. The electrical wires must be brought out from the location of the chandelier to the box where the wires from the switch should be connected. They must have a margin of at least 10 cm.
- Wiring options: masking inside the surface or location on the surface. If a camouflage method is used, it is necessary to prepare a groove on the wall. After themlaying the groove is sealed with a special mixture. The use of another option involves the presence of special plastic profiles, in the inner plane of which the wires will be hidden. The connection of current conductors must comply with the connection diagrams of the lighting device. The connection points should be isolated with PVC tape and placed in the plane of the junction box, excluding their intersection. Close the box with a lid and secure with a fastener.
- Mounting bracket. Today, chandeliers are sold complete with fasteners and a terminal block. Designs provided with one lamp are supplied with a mounting bracket with two bolts. The bracket is installed near the wire outlet on the ceiling.
How to install a chandelier on a stretch ceiling?
To carry out the installation of the lighting device, you must first prepare the structural system. It must be equipped before installing the false ceiling, as well as wiring to it.
It is very important to correctly determine the distance between the main ceiling plane and the false ceiling, since the fastening should not interfere with the installation of the suspended structure.
Materials and tools:
- electric drill;
- drill for concrete and wood;
- pendants;
- plywood plate, minimum 10mm thick;
- self-tapping screws;
- screwdriver or screwdriver with nozzles;
- bolt and hammer;
- hook;
- anchors.
Step by stepinstructions on how to install a chandelier on a stretch ceiling:
- Mark holes for fixing anchors on the base of the ceiling in accordance with the dimensions of the plywood board. There is no need to use a large slab, a 35 x 35cm piece will suffice.
- To install anchors, drill holes (4 pcs.) in the ceiling with an electric drill using a concrete drill.
- Prepare blanks using hangers. They need to be bent, giving a U-shape.
- Find a center point on the plywood and drill a hole with a drill using a wood drill bit. This hole is necessary to fix the hook and lead the electrical wires to the switch.
- It is required to screw plumb lines onto the corner parts of the mounting structure using wood screws. It is necessary to pay attention to the length of the self-tapping screw in order to exclude protrusions of the sharp ends from the plywood.
- Insert the anchors into the holes formed in the concrete.
- Fix the structural system by screwing the screw into the anchor.
- After the installation of the false ceiling is completed, you can install and connect the lighting product.
If drywall is used when installing a suspended ceiling, a hole should be prepared in its sheet, which should correspond to the hole of the built-in structure. If the ceiling in the room is equipped with a PVC stretch film, it is necessary to stick the limiting rings, cut a hole.
Required tools
To installchandelier at home, you will need the following tools:
- PVC tape.
- Terminal block, the quantitative indicator of this element depends on the structural system of the lighting fixture.
- Indicator screwdriver or voltage indicator device.
- Electrical pliers.
- Knife.
- Universal multimeter.
Variations for connecting an artificial lighting device
There are few options on how to properly install a chandelier on the ceiling. They depend on the number of wires of the device and on the type of switch.
- Two wires on the ceiling and the same number on the chandelier. In this option, when the number of wires on the product and the plane of the ceiling correspond, it is necessary to determine the phase and zero of the wires with a screwdriver and connect them. Connect the phase of the chandelier wire to the phase wire on the ceiling using the twisting method. Connect neutral wires in the same way. If the chandelier is installed on previously used wires on the ceiling, the best option would be to use a terminal block, which will prevent the wire from breaking.
- How to install a chandelier if there are two wires on it and three wires on the ceiling. In this case, it is necessary to install phase conductors and zero on the ceiling wires. If it is a three-core wire, then only one core will be zero. To verify this, you should check with an indicator screwdriver and make a mark on the neutral wire. De-energize the room, isolate one core of the phase. The wiring diagram is no different from the first option.
If there are not three, but four wires coming out of the hole in the ceiling, do not panic. This is a ground wire with yellow-green insulation. It must be connected by twisting with a chandelier wire of the same color. It is possible that all four wires have the same color, then you need to use a screwdriver with an indicator to determine.
Connect to a single switch
In the process of work it is necessary:
- Turn on the switch and determine the phase and neutral wires on the ceiling plane using an indicator device.
- Make marks on the conductors with a marker, which will allow you not to confuse them when connecting.
- De-energize a building or apartment. You should turn off the machine in the switchboard and set the switch to the “off” position.
- Check that there is no electric current in the phase wire. If the indicator light is off, you can proceed to the process of attaching the lighting chandelier.
- Connect the bare ends of the neutral conductor of the lighting element and the neutral wire that goes to the distribution box, and combine the phase wire going to the switch with another wire of the chandelier. This connection can be made with or without the terminal block.
- If this block is missing, then the stripped wires within 2 centimeters should be twisted. Their connecting sections must be soldered with a soldering iron and insulated with PVC tape.
Connecting wiresluminaire to switch with two keys
To mount the electrical wiring of the premises, an electric three-core cable is most often used. It can be either copper or aluminum cable. Using this wire will make it much easier to connect the instrument to the disconnect device.
The middle core of the cable is connected to the zero core in the junction box, and the other two are connected to the core of the switch phase. You should pay attention to such a factor: the flow of current (phase) must be parallel to the first and second terminals of the switch.
The process of connecting a luminaire to a switch with two plates is similar to the algorithm for connecting to a switch with a single plate. This connection option is acceptable for products where the equipped lamps are divided into two sections. This separation makes it possible to light up certain lamps when one of the switch keys is pressed, and when two keys are turned on at the same time, all lamps will light up.
Connecting a chandelier equipped with remote control
At the present time, LED products that operate by remote control are in great demand. Therefore, consumers are increasingly asking the question of how to install a chandelier with a remote control. These are modern products, the installation process of which practically does not differ from conventional structures.
How to install a LED chandelier with remote control? Attention should be paid to the position of the switch plates if it is not dismantled. His keysset to the permanent "on" position. The assembly process of the control system depends on the correct location of the controller that receives the signal from the remote control. Sequence of actions:
- Start with the definition of current conductors: ground, phase, zero.
- Complete blackout of the electrical circuit of the room.
- Connection is made depending on the number of wires on the lamp and ceiling.
- Turn on the machine in the electrical panel.
- Use the remote control to make sure the chandelier is functioning.
Advice and recommendations from experts
- When connecting any device to the electrical network, you must follow the safety rules and precautions.
- The entire cycle of work is performed with a complete de-energization of the room. De-energizing the room with a switch in this case is unacceptable. It is necessary to turn off the power supply of the entire apartment. In addition, when installing a new lighting structure, it is often necessary to replace and install a chandelier switch.
- When purchasing a lighting device, you should also clarify its power in the store. It should not exceed the allowable power of the room wiring.
- Before you install the chandelier, be sure to check the wires. The procedure is mandatory even if the wiring has a different color of insulation.
- Before starting work, you must read the manufacturer's instructions, as a rule, many indicate how to properly install the chandelier. Most often in the passportdevice, you can find wiring diagrams and recommendations for performing work.
Installing a chandelier with your own hands is quite realistic, it is only important to strictly follow the instructions and follow the safety rules for installation work.
