garage/shop flourescent lighting

[dlb347]

:coffee:
I am currently wiring a new shop and was given six 8 ft. T12 fixtures with 2 60 watt bulbs each. I would like to use two switches with three lights on each switch and would like to know if these can be hardwired from the switch or if each bank is required to be connected from junction boxes. These fixtures are not the extension cord type. Each has the black and white wires to attach incoming wiring to. I would also like to know if 14-2 wire is adequate for this. Thanks.

[John Nelson]

Six fixtures times two bulbs times 60 watts = 720 watts. That's about half the available power of a 15-amp circuit. So #14 copper wire will do fine here as long as the breaker is 15 amps.

You'll need one box for the three switches (or more than one if the three switches are not in the same place), plus you'll likely need one box at each of the six fixtures.