ceilingelectricallight-fixturelighting
I have a simple self-made ceiling light fixture, but it currently lacks two things:
I'd like to use something similar to what's used on this fixture to hide the wires in the ceiling, but I'm not sure what it's called or where I should look for it.
I also need to figure out how to hide the wires between the ceiling and the fixture itself.
What types of ready-made products should I use for this type of project?
The power (from the breaker) is likely at the light fixture. When you hook black to black and white to white, the light is powered directly from the breaker. In this configuration, when you flip the switch on you create a short through the switch.
What you need to do is hook it up like this.
Notice the white wire that runs between the switch and the light has a black stripe on it (in above image), that lets anybody that works on this light in the future know that the wire is switched. You can mark the wire using a bit of electrical tape, or a marker.
Figuring out which wires come from the breaker, and which go to the switch will require some tools. First Turn off the breaker, and verify the power is off using a non-contact voltage tester. Now pick one set of wires to work with first (one black and one white from the same cable). Turn the switch to the on position, and use a multimeter to check continuity between the two wires. If the wires are connected (low resistance), these are the switched wires. If not (infinite resistance), check the other set of wires. If neither pair pass the test, contact an electrician.
If at any time you don't feel comfortable doing this work, or you don't have the proper tools to complete the task. Contact a local licensed electrician.
If you pulled the wire from the socket then the best way to repair this is to replace the socket unless it happens to have screw terminals on it (I doubt it). If you mistakenly removed a wire nut then you can easily correct this. Wire all black wires together, all whites together, and the grounds together with wire nuts (often they are supplied with the fixture).
The lights should be wired in parallel (white-to-white, etc.), not series. Do not wire black-to-white and black-to-white.
If you are unsure of how to make this repair then the safest thing to do is replace the fixture and/or consult an electrician.
Best Answer
You can get a condiment cup or similar and just drill a hole in the middle of the bottom. Here's one, that runs $1.50, but there will likely be about a billion to choose from, so you can surely find the right diameter somewhere.