Adding an additional light to a circuit is an easy DIY project.
Installing a second ceiling light fixture to an existing circuit with a fixture already in place is a project well within reach of most do-it-yourselfers with basic wiring and carpentry experience. Plan on an hour to run the cable and a half-hour to make the connections at the fixture boxes.
Instructions
1. Turn off the power to the circuit.
2. Make the cut in the ceiling for the new fixture. Follow the manufacturer's instructions, but make sure the hole is at least 6 inches in diameter to allow you to work above the ceiling.
3. Install the new fixture's brace bar if the instructions require it, attaching the bar to the two adjacent joists with screws. If no brace bar is required, us an octagonal junction box that attaches to a joist.
4. Detach the existing fixture from its fixture box and disconnect its wiring.
5. Run the two-wire cable from the first light to the new fixture, passing the wiring through the knockout holes in each fixture box. Leave about 6 inches of wire exposed at each box. The existing box will now have two sets of black and white wires.
6. Connect all of the white wires, including the one leading to the fixture, together at both boxes. Do the same for the black wires. The original box will have three wires connected together, while the second fixture two wires.
7. Hang the fixtures according to the manufacturer's instructions and restore power.
Tags: will have, light fixture, manufacturer instructions, white wires