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I'm moving into a new apartment soon and getting a pool table. I will obviously need to hang a light fixture from the ceiling above the table. Normally these fixtures are supposed to be hard-wired in the ceiling but because I am renting the apartment I'm not going to mess with any of the existing wiring inside the ceiling for obvious reasons.

The fixture I bought is this one: https://www.amazon.com/72-Pool-Table-Light-Billiard/dp/B00P3CBSPQ/ref=sr_1_3?s=lamps-light&ie=UTF8&qid=1468530116&sr=1-3&refinements=p_4%3AIszy+Billiards

It has a wire coming out of it with the standard black/hot, white/neutral, green/ground three wires inside. My plan is to splice this wire into a wire I would purchase and then splice that wire into a switch then male grounded plug and just plug it into an outlet. This way I can just keep it plugged in all the time and use a wall-mounted switch to turn it on and off.

Here is a basic diagram of what I am planning on doing (ignore the fact I don't show the neutral wire): enter image description here

I would also like to know what kind of wire I should use to connect all of this? The fixture powers 4x 60watt light bulbs.

I'm assuming this would work fine / be safe but wanted to check with people who know what they're doing first... I'm savvy enough to put all of this together so I really just need to know it will be safe or not.

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  • So the fixture has a flexible cord coming out of it? – ThreePhaseEel Jul 14 '16 at 22:49
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A couple schools of thought. First is the easiest and as far as pool tables go very appropriate and that is the old swag lamp kit. You can get one fairly cheap at your local big box store, connect a couple wires, screw in some hooks and plug it in. They already come with a switch.

If you do plan the harder route as you outlined above, think about running 14/2 Romex and concealing it in raceway. This is more attractive and safer than running a bare wire along your ceiling and wall. If you want that industrial look and want to be safer. You can run 14/2 Romex in metal conduit and mount to your walls and ceiling with conduit hangers.

All three scenarios simply need a quick dab of plaster in the holes you make for your fasteners when you move out.

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  • I would rather just run the bare wire across my ceiling / walls... Those track kits are pretty pricey and I don't really want to deal with them. How is it less safe to just use the bare wire? – klibs Jul 14 '16 at 22:54
  • Another option would be to use type MC cable for the exposed run, albeit getting a plug on it might be tricky.... – ThreePhaseEel Jul 15 '16 at 0:44
  • Definitely don't want to use MC wiring because it will look pretty ugly. Can someone clarify why not using a raceway to conceal the cable would be less safe than just running a standard Romex indoor wire across my ceiling and using junction boxes / wire connectors / electrical tape to make sure nothing is exposed? How is this different from something like an extension cord across a room? A swag kit would work but I can't find one that incorporates a grounded wire... – klibs Jul 15 '16 at 4:06
  • Conduit is the actual preferred method of running bare wires on exposed walls/ceilings especially if you care about safety and codes. Raceway does offer more protection than just bare wires but is mainly for covering up unsightly wiring/extension cords. It's not really meant for Romex and not sure it would pass code. The point to both though is they do offer a barrier to the wire. So the question is how safe do you want to be. You already know how to wire your light and make it work. Your light is not made as a swag lamp therefore is grounded for a reason... – Jared Jul 15 '16 at 14:05
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    @Jared -- True surface raceways are UL listed for permanent wiring service, and are allowed under the NEC for exposed applications under Articles 386 (metal) and 388 (nonmetallic). In fact, surface raceways are considered equivalent to thick-wall (RMC/IMC, Sch80 PVC, RTRC-XW) conduit for physical damage protection of wiring, and are seen in commercial/institutional work where surface wiring is desired. – ThreePhaseEel Jul 16 '16 at 7:15

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