I have an AC socket shortage in the basement.

sohchx

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Basically I do not have enough sockets for my games in the basement, I do have plenty of light bulb fixtures tough. I thought of this as a solution but do not approve because they have no ground.

http://www.fruitridgetools.com/stor...aspx?sfid=136763&i=239504082&mpid=8171&dfid=1


Is there anyway I could wire into the bulbs in the ceiling to drop down more outlets? I do not want to dump allot of money into this issue by bringing in an electrician. I also do not want power cords crossing my floor.
 
What kind of electrical box does the light have in the ceiling? Could you just remove the light fixture and hook up an outlet? If it's a standard round (ceiling) electrical box I'm not sure if they make a wall plate for outlets in round boxes (or even if an outlet will fit a round box), but you could always go with something like this product: http://www.hardwareandtools.com/invt/u244483.

Or you could install an "old work" rectangular box, but that might require some drywall repair.
 
How many games / sockets do you have? Sure, you could rig something up to run power from the light sockets and it will probably work, but that's not what they were designed for and you'll have problems down the road. If you're running out of sockets, it would be best to call the electrician. It will be much cheaper than replacing those games / house if you end up starting a fire.
 
You can wire outlets from any jct box that has power. The problem is, you'll need to see how many amps you'd be drawing from each breaker. You don't wanna overload any of them. Best thing to do is map out your existing wiring/receptacles. Have someone turn breakers on and off as you check outlets/switches etc to see which receptacles belong to which breakers. Label each breaker, then start a list/map/key of what is connected to it. Hopefully you have mostly 20 Amp breakers running 12/2 wiring. If that's the case, you'll have a lot more slack/flexibility for adding outlets, etc.
 
You can wire outlets from any jct box that has power. The problem is, you'll need to see how many amps you'd be drawing from each breaker. You don't wanna overload any of them. Best thing to do is map out your existing wiring/receptacles. Have someone turn breakers on and off as you check outlets/switches etc to see which receptacles belong to which breakers. Label each breaker, then start a list/map/key of what is connected to it. Hopefully you have mostly 20 Amp breakers running 12/2 wiring. If that's the case, you'll have a lot more slack/flexibility for adding outlets, etc.

Exactly. It isn't that difficult to run more outlets. Just don't overload any circuits. There is no reason to be scared of electrical work. It is not difficult or dangerous as long as you plan everything out and be smart about it.

I have worked with house wiring enough times that the last few times I switched out some outlets, I didn't even turn the breaker off. You just gotta know where not to grab.:D
 
Exactly. It isn't that difficult to run more outlets. Just don't overload any circuits. There is no reason to be scared of electrical work. It is not difficult or dangerous as long as you plan everything out and be smart about it.

I have worked with house wiring enough times that the last few times I switched out some outlets, I didn't even turn the breaker off. You just gotta know where not to grab.:D

Being scared isn't the problem because I want to do it, I just have no idea how to splice into the electricity going into the bulb fixtures.
 
Being scared isn't the problem because I want to do it, I just have no idea how to splice into the electricity going into the bulb fixtures.

Black=hot
white=neutral
copper/bare=ground

Use red or yellow wire nuts when dealing with more than 2 wires.
 
here is what I have
 

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you dont want to spend money on an electrician? you gotta be real careful when it comes to powering these games. remember some of these games are approaching 30 yrs old and you dont want an overloaded line to do damage to your games or worse yet set fire to your house! i don't even leave my games plugged in when not in use!
 
I have a 6-ft surge protector with about 15 outlets on it that sits behind a wall of games and plugs into a single outlet controlled by a light switch....
 
you dont want to spend money on an electrician? you gotta be real careful when it comes to powering these games. remember some of these games are approaching 30 yrs old and you dont want an overloaded line to do damage to your games or worse yet set fire to your house! i don't even leave my games plugged in when not in use!


This sounds a bit paranoid. Mine have been plugged in to surge protectors (some even directly to outlets!!) for 5+ years. No issues.
 
This is the issue I recently faced and my solution was to run new circuits directly in the breaker box and wire them into new boxes. It was pretty straight forward, since I had spare capacity in my circuit breaker box. I made sure to have no more than 5 games per 20amp breaker, so there is spare load. Keep in mind, if you do run new wires, 14 gauge wire is typically used on 15 amp circuit breakers, while 12 gauge wire is typically used on 20 amp circuit breakers.

I would recommend doing as folks have suggested here and determine what your current load is on those fixtures AND breakers (hardware stores sell devices that measure this for around $20). Also, note the wire gauge and circuit breaker size, since that will help you ensure you don't overload the breaker. The actual recepticle testers are $6 or $7 and worth every penny if you are concerned about wiring them correctly (safety first, before frying a game or worse, the house).

Scott C.
 
here is what I have
In the second photo it looks like there is a black, white, red, and copper wire coming into the fixture, that is usally for a light that is controlled by 2 switches in different locations. Black and red are hot, however the black is the one you want for an outlet. Rule of thumb is 7 fixtures to 1 breaker except for a kitchen. Anymore risks overload, and that rule is for common household stuff, not things that require heavy power.
 
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