Lighting, Light Fixtures, Ceiling and Exhaust Fans - Wiring muliple 4ft.x 4 bulb Fluorescents

My shop has several fluorescents running on 2 circuits. Now I'm wishing to change half of them to another dedicated breaker and wish to get some input on the safest most practical way. Looking at running 4 units on this 20A breaker. Would wiring these with 14/2 & 14/3 be suitable? My most confusion is in series or parallel? Have been a struggle with remember this for ever of playing with electrical or electronics. No switches just direct to a photo eye timer used. Already have that wired to the first junction box. Would using junction boxes also be necessary for each connection of run from light to light? Thank you for in advance for your timely professional support. :rolleyes:

Not it would not be suitable. You must use 12/2 or 12/3 if you are going use a 20 amp breaker.
#14 wire is limited to 15 amp circuits.

20 amp breakers require 12 gage copper wire. 14 gage wire is only suitable for 15 amp breakers.

The terms serial and parallel only serve to confuse and are best left out of the discussion.

Your lights need to be in parallel, as they each need 120 volts. However, the wiring is likely serial from the breaker to the switch to the first light, to the second light, etc.

20 amp breakers require 12 gage copper wire. 14 gage wire is only suitable for 15 amp breakers.

The terms serial and parallel only serve to confuse and are best left out of the discussion.

Your lights need to be in parallel, as they each need 120 volts. However, the wiring is likely serial from the breaker to the switch to the first light, to the second light, etc.Thanks racraft, great info and so happen to have 12/2 & 12/3. Now I'm getting confused. LOL, if the wiring carries no switch just to breaker would it be serial if I want only one light out during failure of light and others stay ON? These lights will be kept on at all times.

Everything in your house is wired parallel.

When you wire the lights properly, they are independent of each other.

That is, if one light fails the other will stay on.

Electricity needs two wires. We add a third ground wire for safety. Under normal operation it provides a reference but otherwise serves no purpose.

We traditionally use white for the neutral (sometimes called return) wire and black for the hot wire. Other colors are valid, and if you have conduit you may see many different colors.

In your wiring setup, if you go from breaker panel to switch to light to light, then the electrical connections and path are as follows:

The white wire originates at the neutral buss in the panel and goes all the way (electrically) unbroken to the last light. The black wire originate at the circuit breaker and runs all the way to the last light. it is broken by the switch. The first light and the second light connect to the black wire and the white wire.

would it be serial if I want only one light out during failure of light and others stay ON? These lights will be kept on at all times.

This reminds me of Christmas lights. Are you wanting one light to always be on (for safety), and not turned off by the photocell/timer?