You want to bring light into the darkness or you have bought a new lamp and want to replace the old one? Basically, you are allowed to assemble your lamp yourself and do not have to hire a professional for it. But there are a few things to keep in mind. We have compiled the most important 6 steps for assembling lamps for you.
1. Step: Get the tools
The first step in assembling lamps is that you first need the right tools. This includes:
- A sturdy ladder high enough so that you can hold your lamp, resp. be able to reach the lamp terminal.
- A phase tester you can use to test if there’s still power on the line.
- A chandelier clamp to connect the different cables together.
- A lamp with socket as well as suitable illuminant for testing.
2. Step: Switch off the fuse
Before you start assembling the lamps, it is mandatory to turn off the power! To do this, either turn out the fuse in your fuse box or turn it off. Only turn off the light switch is not enough for mounting lamps. Use a phase tester (often in combination with a screwdriver) to check if current is still flowing through the wires. If this is the case, usually a small red lamp lights up.
Once the power is off, the luster terminal comes into play. Because a luster terminal connects the different wires with each other. If you don’t have a chandelier yet, you should apply one. You can buy these cheaply at the hardware store. To attach the luster terminal, unscrew the small screws. But be careful, unscrew the screws only enough to fit the individual wires through, but do not let the screws fall out.
3. Step: Connect the wires together
First, you should get an overview of which wires there are in the first place:
The phase conductor
The phase conductor (abbreviation L) comes in different colors. It can be red, black or white, but is brown by default on newer connections.
The protective conductor
The protective conductor (also called grounding, abbreviation PE) is nowadays marked with the colors yellow-green. But be careful, with old connections (e.g.B. In old buildings) the protective conductor is still yellow-red and in some connections it is not present at all.
The neutral wire
The neutral conductor (also called neutral conductor, abbreviation N) is blue by default. But even here there was a color change in between, so that it can be yellow in old connections.
Often the wires coming out of the ceiling have the same color as on the lamp. Now connect the wires together by bringing the respective colors to each other using the luster clamp. To do this, proceed as follows:
- First plug the protective conductor (yellow-green or yellow-red) into the luster terminal
- Then the neutral conductor in the color blue (or in yellow, as the case may be).
- Last is the phase conductor either red, brown, black or white.
As mentioned earlier, the ground wire is sometimes not present at all in older joints. In such cases caution is required and in any case a professional electrician should be asked for advice. Because if you try to connect a lamp, which itself is not insulated, it can have nasty consequences.
Once all wires are connected, tighten the screws of the luster terminal again. As for the electrical part, your lamp is now connected.
4 Step: Mount the new lamp
Now it is time to attach the new lamp. If it is a hanging lamp, you just need to slide the cable cover to the ceiling to hide the protruding piece from the lamp cable inside it. If you have a wall light connected, it must be screwed to the wall or ceiling.
5 Step: Test the new lamp
Screw the appropriate lamp into the lamp thread and switch on the fuse again. Now you can test your newly mounted lamp. If it doesn’t work, test your light source first before turning the fuse back off and checking the lamp wires again.
If in doubt, ask a professional
If you not only want to install a lamp, but also make changes to sockets or light switches, this can quickly become dangerous for the layperson or. is even prohibited. Therefore, both for mounting lamps and for other electrical work: In case of doubt always ask a professional and get advice.
FAQs: Frequently asked questions:
Here we have listed for you the answers to frequently asked questions:
What do L and N mean for lamps and how do I recognize them??
N refers to the neutral conductor and has the color blue by default. With older connections the color could also be yellow.
The phase conductor (also called phase) is abbreviated with L. The colors are either brown, red, black or white. But the most common colors are brown and black.
Which cable goes where on the lamp?
With today’s lamps you always have three connections, which have to be connected with the appropriate cable. If you get the wires from the ceiling, you should merge the same colors with the same wires of the lamp. The following cable colors should be linked: