# Light fixture hard wiring question for enclosure...



## ashesc212 (Dec 30, 2008)

Hi folks, 
So we are building an enclosure for a bearded dragon in anticipation of building another one for the Tegu. 

We picked up a 48" flour. light fixture for the lighting, the thing is it is set up to be hardwired into a wall/a house's internal wiring.

The thing is we want to convert the 2 wire (black and white) flour light fixture into a regular 2 prong fixture that plugs into an outlet. Need help doing the conversion. I think its probbie basic wiring but I want to be sure.

Some questions:
-Which is the live wire the black or the white?
-What kind of wires can I use for the cord that goes out to the outlet?

Any other advice is appreciated.


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## DaveDragon (Dec 30, 2008)

I believe the Black wire is the HOT wire (just the opposite of DC wiring). Buy a 3 conductor (grounded) extension cord and cut off the female end.

Where we live Home Depot sells a (2) tube 48" T12 shop light for about $10. The only problem is the bulbs rest on the screen, if you put it on top of the enclosure, and the pressure tends to push the bulbs out of the contacts. So I made some spacers that slip on the ends of the fixtures that keep the bulbs off the screen. I also added a strip of 1/2" plywood on the back of the fixture because the fixture would twist when I moved it and the bulbs would loosen. I'll try to take a pic tomorrow, the Tegu's lights are out for the night.


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## Tux (Dec 30, 2008)

Red and Black are always hot, red being 1st leg black being 2nd with white being neutral, always assume black is hot. Their should be a uninsulated (or possibly green insulated) ground wire as well, if theirs not than chuck it as it's not up to code in the 1st place.


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## ashesc212 (Dec 31, 2008)

Tux said:


> Red and Black are always hot, red being 1st leg black being 2nd with white being neutral, always assume black is hot. Their should be a uninsulated (or possibly green insulated) ground wire as well, if theirs not than chuck it as it's not up to code in the 1st place.



There is no ground wire...

Dave, I bought mine from Home Depot the same way you did. Did you have a green wire in yours?


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## ashesc212 (Dec 31, 2008)

DaveDragon said:


> I believe the Black wire is the HOT wire (just the opposite of DC wiring). Buy a 3 conductor (grounded) extension cord and cut off the female end.
> 
> Where we live Home Depot sells a (2) tube 48" T12 shop light for about $10. The only problem is the bulbs rest on the screen, if you put it on top of the enclosure, and the pressure tends to push the bulbs out of the contacts. So I made some spacers that slip on the ends of the fixtures that keep the bulbs off the screen. I also added a strip of 1/2" plywood on the back of the fixture because the fixture would twist when I moved it and the bulbs would loosen. I'll try to take a pic tomorrow, the Tegu's lights are out for the night.



Chris made this post and he also picked out the extension cord. Home Depot only had the 2 conductor extension cord (if that's what it's called). Additionally, the wires in the extension cord are not colored so we used a volt meter and it seems like the small tip is the "white" wire.

The fixture I bought from Home Depot does not have a screen and the bulb doesn't rest on anything. Do you think that's too dangerous?

(...and my dad used to be an electrical engineer...HE SHOULD HAVE TAUGHT ME SOMETHING!!!!!! LOL!!!)


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## DaveDragon (Dec 31, 2008)

ashesc212 said:


> Dave, I bought mine from Home Depot the same way you did. Did you have a green wire in yours?


They are prewired Shop Lights. It looks like this but the wire comes out of the side and it's only about $10.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/[email protected]&ddkey=Search


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