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In this section i will show you how to wire up your light fixtures the right way.
Things you will need:
wire strippers / cutters
box knife
flood lamp fixtures
halogen light bulbs
wire nuts (orange or yellow)
electrical tape 3m white
16 gauge extension cords between 6 and 12 feet
surge protector
For single base flood lamp holder wall mount and top mount:
first start by marking out where you would like the flood light fixture. here i'll be using "Sigma Electric" metal lamp holders, which can be purchased from lows in the electrical section, found in boxes in bulk. its best to use metal because some lamps may be to hot for the plastic fixtures.
drill your holes, here i am using a drill bit size appropriate for the screws i am using. the center hole is 3/8 inch which is large enough to allow the small wires to pass threw to the other side.
mount your lamp using the screws you selected. thread the wires threw the center hole.
screw in your floodlight "lamp holder" into the base. make sure to loosen the lock ring on the threading about 1/4 inch or 1/2 down before tightening lamp holder all the way down.
tighten lock ring against the base so that the flood lamp holder does not come loose or rotate on its own
For 2 lamp holder base for ceiling mount and wall mount:
same method is used for mounting
2 of the 1/4 inch holes were drilled for the 2 extra wires since this is a 2 lamp holder base
take your 16 gauge extension cord and unwrap it
holding it by the plug end. cut off the female end of the extension cord
CAUTION when using a box knife for this next step:
place the freshly cut wire flat on a work surface or melamine enclosure.
place the box knife in the seam, between the 2 wires.
press straight down between the 2 wires until you make contact with the work surface.
holding the wire in one hand, and the box knife in the other, pull the wire outwards.
KEEP THE BOX KNIFE STATIONARY
you will only be pulling the wire, you will not be moving the box knife at all.
the wires will separate clean
with the wires separated you can pull on them to split them further down. the wires will easily come apart now that the first cut has been made
this is about 1/5 inches to 2 inches
place the wire in the wire strippers. clamp down the wire strippers and pull off the top part of the wire
repeat on other side
on the lamp holder, twist white wire with white wire, and black wire with black wire in preparation for the next step,
also twist freshly stripped extension cord wires so they look like this
CAREFULLY examine the extension cord. you will notice that one wire has ridges and the other wire is smooth
this extension cord is polarized this means that one wire is a neutral and one wire is live.
one wire is neutral and the other wire supplies power.
one is positive, the other is negative in a sense.
polarized plugs can only be inserted into polarized outlets, most all homes have polarized outlets.
the larger prong is the neutral (negitive) side. the wire for this side is ridge or "Striped"
since ground is almost always a neutral or white color, we know that the white wire on the lamp holder is negative
which makes the black wire on the lamp holder, live, or positive.
SMOOTH is POWER is LIVE is WHITE
RIDGED is NEUTRAL is GROUND is BLACK
twist the ridged wire with the black wires
twist on the wire nut, this cap will twist down holding the wires together
repeat with the neutral ground wires.
completed wires ready for test.
using the surge protector in the "off" position, plug in your new lamp.
flip the surge protector to "on" and your lights will turn on.
if your lights do not turn on, you have wired them backwards. wiring them backwards is not dangerous with lamp fixtures such as these.
other wiring projects may run higher risks of wiring the cord backwards, but lamps just wont work if you wire them incorrectly. some lamps do not need to be polarized and will run either way. its best to make sure your ground and positive are wired correctly regardless of application.
wall mount to bring added heat to the bottom, as well as additional light for happy deserving reptiles!
LAMPS i use:
50w par 20 (2.5 inches) by feit, indoor/outdoor (GE brand sucks dont buy GE)
90w par 38 (large) halogen lamps, utilitech is a generic brand, i like them so far
65 watt BR30 "indoor flood"
these are not thick glass like the halogen bulbs, they are incandescence bulbs, not as hot as halogen.
they have a reflector on the inside similar to the zoomed "spot" basking bulbs.
they function in much of the same way as zoo med "spot" basking bulb, you can get a 6 pack for the same price as one zoomed bulb.
they add nice soft heat to the area where they are installed, i use them to add heat but no strong basking zone.
65 watt BR30 "indoor flood"
these are not thick glass like the halogen bulbs, they are incandescence bulbs, not as hot as halogen.
they have a reflector on the inside similar to the zoomed "spot" basking bulbs.
they function in much of the same way as zoo med "spot" basking bulb, you can get a 6 pack for the same price as one zoomed bulb.
they add nice soft heat to the area where they are installed, i use them to add heat but no strong basking zone.
Installing uvb:
purchase a 24 inch under cabinet fixture from walmart for 8$
remove the plastic shield and the t8 light bulb
place the exo-terra uvb 10.0 24 inch T8 lamp into the fixture
zoo med's 24 inch fixture is not a T8 size bulb but a T 12 lamp, that lamp will not fit into this fixture.
zoo med may sell a t8 size 24 inch bulb, please read box before purchasing the zoomed bulb
DO NOT BUY ZILLA, ZILLA HAS BAD REP AND POOR QUALITY CONTROL
using foil, place a shield around the uvb bulb. reptiles eyes can be damaged by to much uvb light.
reptiles in nature only get uvb from directly above. if uvb is mounted in such way it can be close to next to the bulb, this is a must
this shield will protect the reptile's eyes from horizontal uvb rays. or over exposure of uvb to the eyes
this will also protect your eyes.
do not put the plastic shield back on the fixture, it wont let uvb pass threw .
using the directions on the packege. measure your holes, drill them. screw in the mounting screws and mount the lamp. run the cord out a vent or a "wire grommet" found at lowes
please email me with any questions.
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