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The Best Lighting for Your Closet Surface-mounted or recessed fixtures are permitted, but exposed light bulbs are not. Minimum clearance requirements are: Surface-mounted incandescent and LED fixtures with completely enclosed light sources must be at least 12 inches from storage/clothing areas.
What is the code for closet lights?
For recessed incandescent or LED light fixtures, this distance must be at least 6 inches. For fluorescent light fixtures, the minimum distance is 6 inches. No bare bulbs allowed. Exposed or partially exposed incandescent or LED lamps (bulbs) are not allowed in closets.
What kind of lights go in closets?
1. Opt for LED Closet Lights. One of the most useful and efficient bulbs to install in a closet are LED lights. “They generate a minimal amount of heat even if placed behind glass cabinet doors that may showcase handbags or perfume,” says Kerstens.
Are pull chain lights allowed in closets?
NEC 410.16(B) states: “Incandescent luminaires with open or partially enclosed lamps and pendant luminaires or lampholders shall not be permitted.” What this means is that you cannot have one single exposed light bulb hanging down with a pull chain for lighting your clothing closets.
How many lights should be in a closet?
For a closet, 20 to 30 or more lumens per square foot is recommended. The calculation for a 7-foot by 10-foot walk-in closet, therefore, is 70 square feet x 20 lumens/square foot.
Do closets require outlets?
Although receptacle outlets within closets are permitted, they are not required. Receptacles must be installed so that no point measured horizontally along the floor line in any wall space is more than 6 feet or 1.8 meters from an outlet in that space.
Should closets have lights?
While light fixtures are not actually mandatory in standard closets, installing them is considered best practice by most builders and electricians, and can definitely add to the resale value of your home.
Are Can lights good for closets?
Recessed Lights Hardwired and installed directly inside a ceiling, wall, or other surface, recessed fixtures take up very little space. Their unobtrusive design is perfect in a standard closet or walk-in closet because there’s no risk of hitting the recessed lights when putting your clothes away.
Are recessed lights good for walk-in closets?
Recessed or flush-mount fixtures are ideal in a walk-in closet, because they aren’t likely to be knocked when putting clothes away, but if you choose a fixture that drops slightly from the ceiling, make sure the bulb isn’t blocked by clothing or racks, and that any lights placed over walking areas have at least 7 feet.
Can you put a chandelier in a walk-in closet?
The chandelier, therefore, must hang above the level of clothes. For a walk-in closet of 8 feet ceilings, chandelier must hang 36 inches from the ceiling. A good rule is to always aim for hanging a chandelier above the level of clothes hanging in closet.
How can I add light without wire?
There are plenty of ideas for lighting without wiring that can change the look and feel of your living space with ease. Light bulbs and Lampshades. Start with something simple, like changing out your light bulbs or even your lampshades. Plug-in pendant lights. Plug-in wall sconces. Wireless LED motion sensor lights.
Can I add a light fixture to an existing circuit but with its own switch?
You can usually install a light fixture between an existing one and the switch by cutting the cable to the existing fixture at the location of the new one, inserting the ends of the cable into the electrical box for the new fixture and pigtailing the new fixture onto these wires.
How do I run multiple lights off one switch?
You can do this light switch wiring in one of two ways. The most common is to daisy-chain the light fixtures by connecting them to each other and hooking the first one up to the switch. The other way to wire multiple lights to one switch is to connect all of them directly to the switch in a “home run” configuration.
Can lighting rules?
A good general rule for placement is to divide the height of the ceiling by two. The result is the amount of space to leave between each light. For example, recessed lighting spacing for an 8-foot-high ceiling would be 4 feet between each light. This will provide good spacing for general room lighting.
How many watts does a closet light need?
How much light will I need? In a small closet–one in which you can touch all walls standing in the middle–you’ll need the equivalent of 150 watts or 2,000 lumens of light. (You can use multiple bulbs and fixtures to add up to this amount.)Apr 9, 2015.
Where are electrical receptacles not permitted to be located?
For example, a sun-room in a dwelling has no wall space because of floor-to-ceiling windows. Receptacles are not usually installed in the ceiling because receptacles located more than 5.5 feet (1.7 meters) above the floor cannot be counted as required receptacles.
What is code for outlet spacing?
The US National Electrical Code, Section 210.52, states that there should be an electrical outlet in every kitchen, bedroom, living room, family room, and any other room that has dedicated living space. They must be positioned at least every twelve feet measured along the floor line.
