flourecent lights

[jon]

I am fairly new to electric repairs and upgrades, bare with me.
I want to install new flourecent lights (6) what I need to know is how.

heres what I know

#1 install my ceiling boxes
#2 install my wall boxs for switch
#3 run wire from switch to first ceiling box into light

Now heres my question....... for my other lights how do I go about wiring them?
from the box end or inside the light itself?
hope that makes sense
Thanks

[Pal Joey]

First off, what kind of Flourescent lights are they? Two by four fixtures that sit in a drop ceiling grid, decorative fixtures? If you have regular two by fours, (the kind you might see in an office building) these type fixtures are wired straight into the fixture itself, with all connections made under the ballast housing cover. No ceiling boxes are required. If they are a more decorative residential type you will need an octogan fixture box. either way to get from light to light, take a wire long enough to get from one fixture to the next, connect the black coming in to the black going out to the next fixture as well as the black wire that goes to the fixture itself (3 wires under one wirenut) repeat with white and ground wires. Just daisy chain from one fixture to the next. I hope I understood the question and this helps.

[jon]

Thanks for your help,
The lights are from a office building, intended to be flush mounted, however my joists will not aloow for that, I intend to build them out 6 inches from the ceiling.
Will I still need ceiling boxs?
Can anyone post a crude drawing of my wiring plan including the use of a 2 threeway switches.
Thanks for the help

[Pal Joey]

You won't need boxes so long as you can make your fixture splices in the ballast housing. As far as a crude drawing, I'm afraid I can't help you there my friend. However, perhaps I can give you a few tips. If you look at your 3 way switch, you notice the three screws, two will be the same and one will be different (usually black). That screw will be where you will bring your black wire from your feed. Now when you leave that box and go to the other 3 way box, you will need a "three wire". This will have black, red, white, and bare copper wires in it. In box one, you will already have the black screw occupied. splice the two white wires together, and splice the bare copper wires together. If your boxes are metal, you will need to take a tail from your ground to the box itself. Terminate the black and red wires on the two unused screws. It doesn't matter which goes where. In box two you will have your "three wire" coming in from box one and a "two wire" (black white and ground) exiting this box going to your first fixture. Terminate your black and red wires(from your incoming three wire) on the like screws of your 2nd 3way( again it won't matter which goes where so long as they both end up on the two alike screws).Take the black wire going to your first fixture and terminate it on the odd screw on your 2nd 3 way, splice your white wires together, splice your grounds together...voila! Daisy chain your way through the fixtures and your good to go. Hope I made this clear. Please keep me posted. Good luck.