Exterior Light Installation
- 1). Turn off the main circuit breaker inside the electrical panel. Punch out one of the knockout holes on top an electrical junction box, using diagonal pliers. Hold the outlet box against the wall on the spot where you wish to mount an exterior light. Draw the outline of the box on the wall with a pencil and cut the outline with a jigsaw. Locate the spot where you wish to mount the light switch and perform the same procedure. Mount both boxes onto each wall, using a screwdriver.
- 2). Unscrew the cover of the electrical panel. Find an available slot on the panel board and plug a 120-volt circuit breaker into the slot. Run an electrical cable from the circuit breaker inside the electrical panel to the outlet box where you will install the light switch. Run another cable from the light switch outlet box to the outlet box where you will mount the exterior light. Allow an extra 6 inches at both ends of the wire and cut the wires with diagonal pliers.
- 3). Remove 2 inches of outer covering from the tip of each wire at both ends, using diagonal pliers. Strip off 1/2 inch of insulation from the tip of all wires with a wire stripper. Inside the electrical panel, attach the black wire to the terminal screw at the end of the circuit breaker. Attach the white wire to the the terminal screw on the neutral bar. Plug the green wire into the terminal screw on the ground bar. Tighten each terminal screw to secure each connection.
- 4). Hold the black wires dangling out of the light switch outlet box. Hook the black wire coming from the circuit breaker clockwise around the brass terminal screw on one end of the 120-volt toggle switch. Hook the black wire leading to the light fixture clockwise around the brass terminal screw on the other end of the toggle switch. Tighten each screw securely with a screwdriver.
- 5). Hold the white wires coming out of the light switch outlet box. Hold the white wire coming from the circuit breaker beside the white wire leading to the light fixture, twist both wires with pliers to intertwine or splice the wires, and screw a wire nut tightly onto the spliced wires.
- 6). Cut about six inches of green wire and strip 1/2-inch of insulation at both ends of the wire. Hook one end clockwise around the grounding screw on the outlet box and tighten the connection. Gather the green wires -- one from the circuit breaker, one from the light fixture and one from the grounding screw -- and splice all three wires together. Twist a wire nut tightly onto the spliced green wires. Push all wires (black, green, white) carefully into the outlet box, and fasten the switch onto the outlet box. Attach the faceplate of the toggle switch, using screws supplied with the faceplate.
- 7). Splice the wires coming from the light fixture to the wires coming from the light switch in the following manner: black (hot) to black, white (neutral) to white. Insert the spliced wires into wire nuts and screw the wire nuts tightly onto the wires. Hook the green wire coming from the switch and the green wire attached to the light fixture clockwise around the grounding screw on the junction box. Tighten the screw with a screwdriver.
- 8). Mount the light fixture over the junction box, using the screws supplied with the fixture. Tighten the screws with a screwdriver. Check the rubber seal to make sure that it is in place. Turn on the main circuit breaker and flip the light switch to its "On" position to test the exterior light.