To wire or not to wire, that is my question

[Holland]

Hi, my son is considering wiring several lamps together to simplify the tumbling twisted tangle that dangles dangerously down his dresser. I came up with a plan to give him a shelf and send the wires through a hole in the wall to a multi-plug that could be mounted inside his closet (he has an outlet in the closet, no real idea why).

Between him just wanting to dismantle things and my motherly paranoia of fire / cheap obsession with not wasting electricity ('cause the switch is INSIDE the closet and so much work to reach in and turn off....) I'm thinking wiring may be a better way to go.

Any thoughts, pros/cons to doing the wiring?

Anyone know of specific directions because when the questions come, I know I can't answer them!

Thanks!

[Kris]

How many is "several" lamps? You could put two lamps together or three and not have a problem. However, it would not be advisable. Why not run an extension cord (beefier) and do it that way? Or use some zip ties to bundle all the wires into one neat cord?

Anything is better than splicing cords together. Fire hazard increases with that.

[Keith]

Wiring projects should not be undertaken lightly. If a person does not have first-hand experience with circuits, they should not undertake such a project. There are too many ways to wire a direct short-circuit, which can spark and cause a fire immediately. I would suggest using a plug-in strip with a built in breaker, as Bohdan has said. And as Kris said, you can run a heavy-duty extension cord to the display. Plug the strip into the extension, and the lamps into the strip, you maintain the ability to control the lamps individually or all together. Good luck!

[Holland]

Thank you all for the great information!