How to Rewire Parallel Lights

Remove the Wires, Switches and Light Receptacles

• 1

  Turn off the main circuit breaker inside the electrical panel. Turn on lights and appliances inside your home to check if there is still power in the circuits. Remove the electric panel cover with a screwdriver.

• 2

  Locate the circuit breaker controlling the lights you need to rewire. Unscrew the black (hot) wire from its terminal. Trace the white (neutral) wire and the green/bare (ground) wire running from the light to the electrical panel. Note carefully how each wire is connected to its corresponding terminal screw inside the panel, then unscrew each wire from its terminal.

• 3

  Unscrew each light receptacle from its ceiling outlet box. Unscrew the two wires attached behind each light receptacle, then remove the receptacles. Unscrew the green/bare wire from the grounding screw embedded in the outlet box.

• 4

  Unscrew the faceplate of the switch controlling each light receptacle, then unscrew the switch from the outlet box. Unscrew the wires attached to the two terminals behind each switch. Unscrew the green/bare wire attached to the outlet box, then remove each switch. Pull the electrical cable out of the electrical panel, then pull the cable out of each switch outlet box and light outlet box. Remove all cables, leaving only the outlet boxes.

Assemble the New Parallel Circuit

• 5

  Run the electrical cable from the circuit breaker into the first light outlet box following the same route as the route of the cable you removed earlier. Cut the cable with diagonal pliers after leaving an extra 6 inches of cable inside the outlet box. Run a new segment of cable from inside the first light outlet box into the first switch outlet box. Cut the cable after leaving 6 inches inside each box.

• 6

  Run another segment of cable from inside the first to the second light outlet box. Cut the cable after leaving 6 inches of cable inside both boxes. Run a new segment of cable from the second light outlet box to the second switch outlet box. Cut the cable after leaving 6 inches of wire inside each box.

• 7

  Strip off 4 inches of cable sheathing from the end of each cable, using diagonal pliers. Strip off 1/2 inch from the tip of each wire with a wire stripper. Wrap black electrical tape around each exposed white wire inside each switch outlet box to indicate that the wire is a power (hot) wire. Inside each light outlet box, wrap black electrical tape around the exposed white wire.

• 8

  Strip off 1/2 inch from the tip of each end of two pieces of 6-inch white wires. Screw the tip of each 6-inch white wire onto a terminal on each of the two light receptacles. Screw the white wire covered with black tape running from the switch onto a terminal on the light receptacle. Do the same procedure to connect the white wire covered with black tape in the second light outlet box.

• 9

  Screw the black (hot) wire inside the switch outlet box onto a terminal screw on the light switch. Screw the white wire covered with black electrical tape onto the other terminal screw on the light switch. Screw the green/bare wire onto the grounding screw on the metal outlet box. Perform the same procedure to connect the wires inside the second switch outlet box to the switch.

• 10

  Hold the following white wires (neutral) inside the first outlet box side by side: white wire running from the circuit breaker, white wire running from the second light outlet box and white wire running from the light receptacle. Splice all three wires together with a wire nut. Hold the following wires inside the first outlet box side by side: black wire running from the circuit breaker, black wire running from the second light outlet box and black wire running from the switch. Splice all three wires together with a wire nut.

• 11

  Strip off 1/2 inch from the tip at both ends of two pieces green wire. Screw one end of each wire onto each ground screw on each light outlet box. Hold all green/bare wires inside each outlet box together and splice the wires with wire nut.

• 12

  Hold the black wires inside the second outlet box. Splice the black wire running from the first outlet box to the black wire running from the second switch, using wire nuts. Splice the white wire running from the first outlet box to the white wire running from the light receptacle.

• 13

  Tuck all wires into each outlet box. Screw each switch onto each outlet box and replace the cover plate. Screw the light receptacle onto the outlet box, and plug a lightbulb into each receptacle. Inside the electrical panel, screw the white wire onto the neutral bar and screw the green/bare wire onto the grounding bar. Plug the black wire onto the terminal screw on the circuit breaker. Turn on the main breaker, then turn on the breaker controlling the circuit you wired. Turn on the lights to test the connections.