How to Add Automatic Lighting to a Closet | Ask This Old House

Lighting expert Scott Caron shows a homeowner how to brighten up a dark closet and never have to flip on a light switch.

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Scott brightens up two dark closets by installing automatic closet lighting.

Scott installed linear fluorescent fixtures. On one, he used a motion-activated switch. On the other, he installed a transformer and a low voltage roller ball switch.

Some of these items are available at home centers. They can all be purchased through an electrical supply house.

Shopping List for How to Add Automatic Lighting to a Closet:
- 14-gauge, 2-conductor indoor, non-metallic wire
- T-5 fluorescent light bulbs
- Ball switch
- Motion-activated light switch
- Electrical junction box
- Plastic old-work electrical box
- Low-voltage wiring
- Transformer switch

Tools for How to Add Automatic Lighting to a Closet:
- Wire cutters
- Screwdriver
- Power drill
- Wire connector nuts
- Sliding saw
- Spade bit

Steps for How to Add Automatic Lighting to a Closet:
1. Find an existing power source near the location of your closets and shut off the power.
2. Cut the current power source line with wire cutters.
3. Add in an electrical junction box.
4. Splice new 14-guage wires to the old connection using pliers and wire connecting nuts.
5. Locate space between the studs in the ceiling and drill a hole using the power drill. This will be the location for the switch.
6. Place two pieces of 14-gauge wire down the hole to the closet location behind the drywall—one to power the switch and one to power the fixture.
7. Drill a second hole in the ceiling where you want your light fixture to go.
8. Feed one of the 14-gauge wires through the hole and make the electrical connections to the light fixture using pliers and wire nuts.
9. Cut out a square hole in the closet drywall using a jab saw.
10. Feed both sets of wires through the plastic old-work electrical box, then install the box in the hole by tightening the screws in the box to secure it to the drywall.
11. Splice the wires together with pliers and wire nuts and add in a spare piece of wire to serve as a connection to the switch. Connect the motion-activated light switch to these wires using a screwdriver.
12. If using a ball switch instead of a motion-activated switch, only one power wire can be fed from the power source. A transformer is connected to the light fixture to convert 120 volts to low voltage, then low-voltage wires are fed from the transformer to the ball switch.
13. To install the ball switch in the doorjamb, drill out a hole in the frame of the closet door using a power drill and a spade bit. Insert the ball switch and low voltage wiring through the framing. You’ll likely have to take off the trim and nail it back on.

About Ask This Old House TV:
Homeowners have a virtual truckload of questions for us on smaller projects, and we're ready to answer. Ask This Old House solves the steady stream of home improvement problems faced by our viewers—and we make house calls! Ask This Old House features some familiar faces from This Old House, including Kevin O'Connor, general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, and landscape contractor Roger Cook.

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How to Add Automatic Lighting to a Closet | Ask This Old House
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