Auntie Jojo
New Member
Hi, Everyone:
New poster here. I didn't see anything else that deals with my problem specifically, so here I am posting a NEW THREAD.
I got a single hardwired halogen mini-pendant, and I'd like to wire it as a plug-in because I want to hang it in a dark corner with no hardwired boxes, and no, I'm not going to punch a hole in the plaster and put a real box there, so that's out. Basically, I'm trying to make a small swag light to light up a corner. The pendant has a 50w transformer in it, and I'm using a 35w halogen bulb.
I have some questions about this, and I'd appreciate some advice from the experienced because I want to be sure about these issues:
1. I've already wired up the 120 v. house wires to the transformer: White to white, black to black. Then we have TWO red low-voltage wires coming out of the transformer. The mini-pendant has a single wire leading to the lamp. How do I wire this properly? Both red wires to the single lamp wire?
2. Is it legal--and more importantly--is it safe--to not have a box and just wire up the lamp cord to the transformer inside the canopy? I realize it's not that much different from a regular lamp, but...I just want to be absolutely sure. I don't know from transformers. I do know they can get warm, and I know halogen bulbs can get warm! Is it OK, what I'm doing? I used nice silicone tape just to be safe. That stuff can get hot and doesn't seem to disintegrate as quickly.
3. This lamp is not wired on a grounded circuit. It's an old house and this was one plug I didn't have grounded (it's a bit out of the way and isn't used much). Is it safe to NOT ground this lamp? Safe enough (given the millions of us who live in old houses with ungrounded circuits)? I will be touching the dimmer switch a lot, I'm sure. I'll try not to be soaking wet when I do so. And it's not in a wet area...
Oh! And....
4. About that dimmer. I've connected one of those nice Lutron on-cord dimmers, the Attache LC-300H with the little red LED so I can find it in the dark. The transformer says it's dimmable. But Lutron says not to use the dimmer with items that are on transformers. Has anyone done this anyway and had OK results? I don't see how you'd use the Lutron dimmer with ANY halogen or LED dimmable lights if it were really true.
I have tested the Lutron dimmer switch--it's getting power. Now I'm working my way up the cord to the lamp, and I got nervous at the transformer because I wasn't 100% sure what to do. Electricity is nothing to mess with.
Thanks, folks.
Jojo
New poster here. I didn't see anything else that deals with my problem specifically, so here I am posting a NEW THREAD.
I got a single hardwired halogen mini-pendant, and I'd like to wire it as a plug-in because I want to hang it in a dark corner with no hardwired boxes, and no, I'm not going to punch a hole in the plaster and put a real box there, so that's out. Basically, I'm trying to make a small swag light to light up a corner. The pendant has a 50w transformer in it, and I'm using a 35w halogen bulb.
I have some questions about this, and I'd appreciate some advice from the experienced because I want to be sure about these issues:
1. I've already wired up the 120 v. house wires to the transformer: White to white, black to black. Then we have TWO red low-voltage wires coming out of the transformer. The mini-pendant has a single wire leading to the lamp. How do I wire this properly? Both red wires to the single lamp wire?
2. Is it legal--and more importantly--is it safe--to not have a box and just wire up the lamp cord to the transformer inside the canopy? I realize it's not that much different from a regular lamp, but...I just want to be absolutely sure. I don't know from transformers. I do know they can get warm, and I know halogen bulbs can get warm! Is it OK, what I'm doing? I used nice silicone tape just to be safe. That stuff can get hot and doesn't seem to disintegrate as quickly.
3. This lamp is not wired on a grounded circuit. It's an old house and this was one plug I didn't have grounded (it's a bit out of the way and isn't used much). Is it safe to NOT ground this lamp? Safe enough (given the millions of us who live in old houses with ungrounded circuits)? I will be touching the dimmer switch a lot, I'm sure. I'll try not to be soaking wet when I do so. And it's not in a wet area...
Oh! And....
4. About that dimmer. I've connected one of those nice Lutron on-cord dimmers, the Attache LC-300H with the little red LED so I can find it in the dark. The transformer says it's dimmable. But Lutron says not to use the dimmer with items that are on transformers. Has anyone done this anyway and had OK results? I don't see how you'd use the Lutron dimmer with ANY halogen or LED dimmable lights if it were really true.
I have tested the Lutron dimmer switch--it's getting power. Now I'm working my way up the cord to the lamp, and I got nervous at the transformer because I wasn't 100% sure what to do. Electricity is nothing to mess with.
Thanks, folks.
Jojo