Doing that would nullify any safety listings which the fixture may have. Your best bet would be to take it to lamp/lighting shop who can take a look at it and make modifications which which can be UL-certified (I am not sure if this can be done, but it wouldn't hurt to ask the right people).

Hmm. Let's see now. A wire connected to a plug which is then plugged into an outlet that is wired to the same wiring as the old chandelier is safer than connecting the wires to the circuit wiring itself?

Well, yes, it is safer in that it ensures that you haven't misused the wiring as a mechanical support for the fixture. That's about what it boils down to.

It seems to me that the primary consideration here is to make sure that the physical support of the chandelier is independent of the wiring and that the wiring runs through a suitable opening to the box (e.g., through a standard lamp-type nipple), is properly grounded, and connected to the circuit wiring with appropriately sized wire nuts. That said, I don't see where there's any real problem with DH's proposed solution.

A lighting store cannot magically invoke UL certification, nor would this type of modification, done in a workmanlike fashion, be a likely cause of fire, shock or a subsequent denial of insurance coverage.

My opinion only.

- Tom

Most chandeliers are wired with lamp type wire so this is not unusual. What you need in the ceiling is a steel or plastic box strong enough to support the fixture. If the box is metal, first the ground needs to be bonded to the box with enough wire left to be grounded to the body of the chandelier as the wire from the fixture probably only has two wires. Cut off the plug, carefully split the wires and strip enough to connect to the hot and neutral coming from the ceiling box wire nutting them together. It does not matter what wire from the chandelier attaches to the hot or neutral. On the bracket attached to the chandelier that mounts it to the ceiling box, there should be a green grounding screw where you would attach the ground wire. We are electricians in Dallas and we are frequently asked to install various new and old chandeliers.

We are electricians in Dallas and we are frequently asked to install various new and old chandeliers.

Do you do it though? Because there are a few problems with your post...

If the box is metal, first the ground needs to be bonded to the box with enough wire left to be grounded to the body of the chandelier as the wire from the fixture probably only has two wires.

Well, only having two wires doesn't account for a ground wire for the body of the fixture.

It does not matter what wire from the chandelier attaches to the hot or neutral.

Yes, it does matter. The hot is for the tab in the bottom of a socket and the neutral is for the shell of the light socket. Please don't install chandeliers for people if you are of the opinion that it doesn't matter.

On the bracket attached to the chandelier that mounts it to the ceiling box, there should be a green grounding screw where you would attach the ground wire.

A plug-in fixture doesn't have a cross bar.

"Hmm. Let's see now. A wire connected to a plug which is then plugged into an outlet that is wired to the same wiring as the old chandelier is safer than connecting the wires to the circuit wiring itself?

Well, yes, it is safer in that it ensures that you haven't misused the wiring as a mechanical support for the fixture. That's about what it boils down to. "

Cord and plug equipment gets relief since the plug can serve as a disconnect if a problem occurs.

Climbing on the table (chair, ladder), dropping the canopy, and then disconnecting wires is not going to happen.
Pulling the plug? Not hard at all.

Well Mr. von hamm, you tell us how you would do it.

Cord and plug equipment gets relief since the plug can serve as a disconnect if a problem occurs.

Nods. Yep, I'll grant you that, Brick, and it's a point well taken.

I guess part of the reason I might be inclined to install this as a hard-wired fixture is that the OP called it a mini-chandelier. But the larger the fixture, and the more difficult it is to handle physically while connecting wires and securing it to a mounting, the better the argument for using a receptacle becomes.

Not a slam dunk case either way, IMO, but it's valid to point out that there are advantages to using a plug-receptacle, even if it isn't altogether aesthetically pleasing.

The first thing I would do if I ever did such an installation would be to wire it correctly. Disregard for wiring = not so good. If it didn't matter which wire was connected to the hot or neutral, why do lamps have polarized plugs?

Except for the actual cord used to connect the equipment and the small sections of the NEC dealing with portable lamps and such, most of the NEC does NOT apply to the interior of equipment.
Look in an electric stove and see how many #10 wires you actually see.
The same for a dryer.
While much of the insulation in equipment is similar to NEC accepted types, there remains much that is NOT NEC listed for use as permanent wiring.
Larger equipment will have a disconnect (sometimes mounted on the equipment) that marks the end of NEC land.

Further to Mr. von hamm, we recently installed a customers very large chandelier that she had us remove from another residence. The chandelier weighted about 75# and had 12 individual lights and a bunch of glass dangles. Now, I would like to ask how you would have rewired that chandelier where all of the wiring was soldered to each socket? I suggest you do not know of what you speak. Incidently, both wires were soldered to the bottom of each socket so it made no differience which wire went to the hot and which one went to the neutral. Conservately, in 20 years we have installed 250 chandeliers including 25 very large chandeliers 30 ft. above the floor in a winery. These chandeliers had no wiring so we had to wire them.

It most definite makes a difference which wire goes to the neutral. The wire connected to the shell of the lamp socket must go to the neutral. This prevents the user from contacting a hot wire when changing a bulb.
If the shell was connected to the hot and the metal chandelier was grounded, grasping the metal shell of the lamp when partially removed would result in a shock if the fixture was switched on. No such hazard when the shell is the neutral.

Wow 250 chandaliers, half potentially able to shock someone. I would go back to those 250 lights and check that they're wired correctly. I do not know why soldererd connections would make any difference to the pollarity of the fixture. Connecting the correct polarity to a light fixture is basic electrical 101.

Now, I would like to ask how you would have rewired that chandelier where all of the wiring was soldered to each socket?

Sockets can be replaced.

I suggest you do not know of what you speak.

I am soon to be working on a project involving a 2,000 lb, 100+ light rock crystal chandelier which one hung in a palace. It will be fully rewired, sockets replaced, etc. Three circuits divided before into eight lighting circuits at the switch board, soon to be replaced with a system of dimmers. It and the other chandeliers in this room are on their own subpanel. This, however, will be done in collaboration with a team of restoration specialists.

These chandeliers had no wiring so we had to wire them.

How did you do it?

Now, very simply, on some older chandeliers, when you split out the wires, there my be one lead that looks striped. If so, that is the neutral. Sometimes one lead will be slightly larger than the other. Sometimes it just can't be determined which is which. The world does not stop revolving if the wires are reversed. It does not electrify the fixture only the socket which is only an issue if you plan on touching the socket or sticking your finger in it.

Regarding the chandeliers for the winery, the individual sockets were wired to the center of the fixture but they were not connected to a central wire up through the center. It was a situation where we could see how the wires were attached to the sockets.

Further, I have been speaking about older fixtures. For the most part, modern chandeliers are wired so you can easily see what is the neutral wire and what is the hot wire.

You can always use a battery powered continuity tester to determine which wire connects to the socket shell before you start hooking it up.

Further, I have been speaking about older fixtures. For the most part, modern chandeliers are wired so you can easily see what is the neutral wire and what is the hot wire.

Yes, which is why saying "it does not matter what wire from the chandelier attaches to the hot or neutral" is not sound advice. I don't think anyone plans on sticking their fingers in a socket or anything like that. Accidents are not planned.

Regarding older chandeliers though, it is good to note that it is usually harder to ensure correct polarity when rewiring a complex fixture (like a multi-circuit 105 light crystal chandelier) but it must be done. It's far easier to do this with newer chandeliers when connecting a single pair of conductors, so you might as well just do it right.

dear experts- please look over my piece and see which parts of the above post apply. i have searched all over the web and have not been able to determine the correct advice. my chandelier came with NO instructions on the wiring, i guess they assumed it was too easy to warrant proper direction :(

http://famoslofts.com/Photo_021808_001.jpg
Each light fixture has 2 wires coming out, one has black writing, one is blank. those all wire into the center wiring.

http://famoslofts.com/Photo_021808_002.jpg
This picture in the background you can see the center wiring. it has a ground (green line) and 2 wires which are completely blank, no ridges, marking, etc to discern.

i would assume wire all the black lined socket wires to one, and all the blanks to the other, problem is when it goes into the fixture there is no way to tell whats what when it comes out on the other end.

lastly, in the second picture there is the ground, which i wire into the green screw on the mount, but what about the raw end that comes out of the bottom, where does that attach?

so i need your help with those 3 things. how to wire the fixtures into the center line, how to hardwire the center wires once the bulb fixtures are connected(how to tell hot/neutral) and where to attach the bottom part of the ground.

sincere thanks to anyone who can take the time to help me out.

brant