Basic Electrical Help, adding a switch to an existing run.

[SKIN052]

My Google search skills are lacking for some reason. I have done this before but I am drawing a blank right now for some reason. Currently when I go into my unfinished basement I turn on one switch and it turns on about 6 lights. Now that I am slowing finishing the basement, how do I add additional switches to the existing run of lights? finding it hard to explain myself, sorry. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[stee6043]

Are you trying to make it so half of the existing lights are on the existing switch but the other half are on a new switch? Ultimately, you'd need to rewire any lights you want to remove from the existing switch and connect them to the new switch with it's own power (easily run from the existing switch).

 

[SKIN052]

I have a run coming from the 15a breaker into 6 or so lights with one switch somewher in the middle of the run that works them all. I built a bedroom and ran a wire from a switch box up to the exsisting light fixture. I simply want to splice in that wire to control that one light. Make sense?

 

[nate379]

Would need to pull a wire from the existing switch box to the new one. Tie into the wire running from panel to that 1st switch.

 

[heat seeker]

There are books out that clearly explain how to do what you want to do. It's not easy to explain in writing, a picture is worth 1,000 words. Home Depot has (or had) a good book on home repairs that explains it well. There are safety considerations, of course, in addition.

 

[mikhen]

If you have any electrical knowledge and if i understand this completely, this isn't hard to do. A drawing would be great.
-turn off power
-disconnect switch leg from existing light (the one you want switched separately)
-assuming you ran a 2 wire cable to the switch....connect white wire to the hot wires, marked that wire black to keep it legal
-connect that black wire to the fixture (thats your new switch leg)
-at switch....mark white wire with a color(red, black, etc)
-connect that wire to switch
-connect black to switch
-put everything back together
-turn on power and test

Of course, this may be completely wrong if I mis-understood your set up.

 

[SKIN052]

Thanks, I have not really had time to look at this closely yet. I know it can be done, just can't picture it my head yet. I will be confident I know what I am doing before I touch anything.