Whether you are buying a new Lamp or moving: If you want to connect your lamp to the ceiling or wall, you should pay attention to a few things. We show how it works correctly and safely.

The most important things at a glance

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• You need this tool
• Wall and ceiling: fix the lamp
• Distinguish cables, colors and abbreviations
• Connecting the lamp: step by step

“And God said: Let there be light! And there was light.” Who does not know the Bible quote. And really: If you want to connect a ceiling or wall lamp in the house or apartment, it’s not magic.

However, you shouldn’t actually do everything you dare to do yourself. Because: Laypeople are actually not allowed to connect a lamp. The so-called Low Voltage Connection Ordinance (NAV) stipulates this in paragraph 13.

It is true that no do-it-yourselfer is threatened with a fine if he attaches a lamp himself, because nobody will punish the “offence”. However, if damage is caused by the mistake of a layperson, you have to reckon with the fact that the insurance company will not pay.

Info
Although the term lamp is often used colloquially, in technical jargon it is actually called a lamp. Specialists only refer to lamps as light sources such as incandescent lamps, LEDs or halogen lamps.

You need this tool

If you still want to connect a lamp, you should have the following tools at hand:

• Screwdriver
  Also: screwdriver .
• Voltage tester
  Also: phase tester . An electrical test equipment used to check voltage. Sometimes already integrated in the screwdriver. Please note that the electrical conductivity can be affected, for example, by the respective substrate. If you stand on a non-conductive surface, the voltage tester ‘s lamp will not light up at all or only slightly – and will give an incorrect test result that can have dangerous consequences.
• Luster terminal
  The name comes from luster (chandelier). It connects the lamp cable to the connection cable that comes out of the ceiling or the wall. Important: The ends of the stranded wires (also: cable strands) should always be provided with ferrules. The reason: They are not damaged, for example by the rotating terminal screws of the luster terminal . Today, however, there are luster terminals with wire protection that do not require ferrules.

If you want to attach a ceiling light, you also need a stable ladder.

Wall and ceiling: fix the lamp

Regardless of whether you want to mount your lamp on the wall or ceiling, you should first drill the appropriate holes for the lamp holder. When doing so, make sure that you do not start too close to the electrical cables – which are covered by plaster – or drill too deep.

Info
If you still have damaged an electric line, call an electrician immediately and have the problem professionally rectified.

Distinguish cables, colors and abbreviations

There are usually three power cables or wires hanging out of the ceiling or wall, which can be easily distinguished by their colors. They have very different functions:

• The protective conductor (earth) is usually yellow-green, rarely red. It bears the abbreviation PE. This cable ensures safety, especially when the lamp is made of an electrically conductive metal.
• The live outer conductor (phase) has either a brown or black sheath. This cable is labeled L and supplies the power.
• The neutral conductor (N) is usually blue, sometimes gray – especially in older buildings. It carries the current away from the lamp and completes the circuit.

Info
In apartments in old buildings, sometimes only two wires protrude from the wall or ceiling: the phase conductor and the neutral conductor.

Connecting the lamp: step by step

If you want to connect a lamp, you should proceed as follows:

1. In your fuse box, also known as the power distribution box, first switch off the fuse for the lamp. Important: Just turning off the light switch is not enough.
2. Now check if you turned off the right fuse. To do this, hold the phase tester against the wires and press the button on its handle. Caution: If a red light comes on, you have switched off the wrong fuse.
3. Once you have turned off the correct fuse, loosen the screws on the luster terminal slightly so that the three wires from the lamp fit inside.
4. Now use the luster terminal to connect the three cables from the wall or ceiling to the lamp cables of the same color. Pay attention to this order: first the protective conductor (yellow-green), then the neutral conductor (blue/grey), lastly the outer conductor (brown/black).
5. If only two cables protrude from the wall or ceiling, then it is the neutral and phase conductors. Important: If the protective conductor (earth) is missing, only so-called double-insulated lamps should generally be connected. You can recognize these by a specific symbol: a square frame in which there is another square.
6. Finally, tighten the screws of the luster terminal and turn the fuse back on to check if the lamp can be turned on and off.

If you want to disconnect or remove a lamp, proceed in reverse: first the outer conductor (brown/black), then the neutral conductor (blue/grey), and finally the protective conductor (yellow-green). Make sure that the luster terminal remains on the live side – here: ceiling or wall – and is not dismantled with the lamp cable. Otherwise, the clampless power cable carries electrical voltage, for example when switching on the light, and can be dangerous if touched.

Source:uslifestyler

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