A Simple Attic LED 18 AWG Lighting Circuit Using Lever Wire Connectors

Think of manageable commoning of wires of shared purpose. Purposes will include a neutral return path, common switched power to devices that will operate in parallel and common ground wires. As an alternative to commoning with twist nuts, lever wire connectors permit insertion without disrupting circuits already built. Every connection is individually manageable.

Think of the word port as the entry path of one wire to a lever commoning. A connector will be named for the number of ports side-by-side, by which wires may be commoned. The alternative of commoning by twist connectors can be very inferior  where bared ends now deformed, resist tidy gathering. Wires of different gage and stiffness, out of sight crowded into nuts, may fail electrical contact, even becoming fire hazards.

Lever wire connectors are offered on Amazon at less than twenty cents each, comparable to simple twist nuts. See that in cost, it should not matter whether connector bodies are transparent. Wish that connectors were packaged in paper boxes. Binned technician tool boxes are the appropriate ready-use storage. Know that anchor clips will be of unusual demand perhaps in violation of building codes addressing accessability, strain relief and device grounding. The tiny screws in variously manufacturer-labeled kits at Amazon just now, are useless, with inappropriate loose-engagement Phillips drive and blunt points that demand pre-drilling. Know that aside from Amazon offers, lever wire connectors are far more expensive.

In my little job now shared, I applied a parallel string of LED lights to overhead 2x framing in a residence attic. Here is a diagram of the circuit:

I wanted thinnest-possible lights, truly surface-mounted without junction boxes. Here are photos at the lever wire connectors:

2-port connectors at L1.

3-port connectors at L2.

4-port connectors at L4.

14/2 Romex power supply down to the light switch and power outlet upon the Safety Pole. Behind the 14/2, see 18/2 switched power leading up to L4 which beams down over the attic ladder opening.

The Safety Pole with 4" deep box, lighted switch and outlet upon the lower hand-hold.

Here is demonstration of 4-port lever wire connectors employment in a RACO 175 deep junction box, for a surace-mounted LED light with a very obstructive mounting plate. Where all wires are 18/2, each lever wire connector in turn is easily extracted for the luminaire connection. The extraction would be almost impossible with 14 gage wires.

Lever wire connectors will be used mainly within junction boxes.

Building codes constrain against impermanent connections being unserviceable, hidden within a wall for example. Visible connections  in an attic - are serviceable.

My demonstration of better attic lighting happened concurrent with the Spring 2026 Tech Show at my high school, Benson Polytechnic, in Portland, Oregon. I was back as a graduate of the Class of 1962, and was once again dismayed to see antique Career and Technical Education teaching of lights and power wiring in stud walls. I promised the instructor of this wiring, that I would share my experiments in doing better where beyond light switches, modern LED disk lighting demands control and connections innovation. We need to stop imagining efficient and useful light as associated with illegal and dangerous point-source bare bulbs in porcelain lampholders. If building codes and the training of electricians stand in the way, we must smartly resist.

Some Hyperlinks, Shopping For Lever Wire Connectors:

With seeking of concensus upon names.

Commoning

2-Port Commoning Lever Connector

WAGO 222-412

$0.41 each,Qty 250 at Digikey.

Description: SPLICE LEVER 28-12AWG 2POS

2-Port Commoning Lever Connector

Amazon, ZHF  

$0.15 each,Qty 100 at Amazon

3-Port Commoning Lever Connector

WAGO 222-413  

$0.50 each,Qty 250 at Digikey.

Description: SPLICE LEVER 28-12AWG 3POS

                                                    

3-Port Commoning Lever Connector

Amazon, ZHF

$0.19 each, Qty 100

Shipping in a cardboard box.

3-Port  Commoning Lever Connector

WAGO 221-413 

$0.51 each, Qty 250 at Digikey.

Description SPLICE LEVER 24-12AWG 3POS

4-Port Commoning Lever Connector

Amazon, XHF  

$0.23 each, Qty 100

Shipping in a cardboard box.

5-Port Commoning Lever Connector

WAGO 222-415  

$0.77 each, Qty 250 at Digikey.

Description SPLICE LEVER 28-12 AWG 5POS

5-Port Commoning Lever Connector

Amazon, XHF 

$0.27 each, Qty 100

Shipping in a cardboard box.

And what is this? A label, SPLICING, implies individual lead continuity. Are up to ten leads commoned? I won't buy one to find out.

10-Ports

WAGO 221-420

$1.61 each, Qty 250 at Digikey.

Description: LEVER-NUTS SPLICING CONNECTOR;1

See that Amazon doesn't clarify the function of this connector, here.  Amazon does offer it, fifteen for $34.65, $2.31 each.

Splicing/  Pass-Throughs

Let us call an in-line connection of wires always a splice. Know that outside an accessible junction box, an impermanent splice should be forbidden. If unavoidable somehow, let permanence be with soldering and durable sleeving matching the wire insulation. 

Lever Splice Connector

WAGO 221-2401 

$0.54 each, Qty 300 at Digikey.

4-Port Pass-Through Lever Connector

Parts Express,  Qty 10: $10.98, $1.10 each

Base For Lever-Wire Connector:

With the above image showing a cast-in feature for a mounting screw, report upon effort to identify an accessory for screw-mounting of lever wire commoning connectors. It is found in China kit packaging for Amazon, for example this:

The screw-mount accessory is usually called a Base.   Accept that name, or generalize to screw-mounting bracket, and with either, fail to find this as a stand-alone purchase opportunity.

Of many lever connector accessories listed at Amazon and at Digikey, this is the one that I have found useful. Call the orange snap-on a screw-mount clip. Somehow it must be offered. Cost? Surely less than $0.05 each in a quantity of 100.

See that the clip engages the voltage test port and a bottomside ridge. The connector readily detaches from the base by prying or pulling against screw restraint, at the ports edge of the connector.

Release a not-mounted clip with small twisting of a screwdriver.

The screw-mount clip doesn't tolerate any bending, as in trying to release by prying between the gray connector body and the framing lumber. Torque isn't tolerated even with a broad-head screw.

This clever mounting device might be called a splitter, unambiguous wiring especially where supply and return paths are paired. I could have affordably placed the attic lights with this:

(Prefer the strong screw-mounted block.)

Job cost $83 for five rooms of five lights home-run to switch boxes using 18 gage wires. Home runs are not mandatory. Parallel strings along along each useful ceiling frame bay commoned at the switch might make sense. We have possibilities of wiring improvement, for expandability and safety. Let's begin.

Affordable for intuitive simplicity, without the mess of ground wires.

Here is the January 2019 wiring of lights in my kitchen ceiling, and of sensor-controlled exterior lights. See DIN rail commoning of five lighting elements: three luminaire constellations, neutral wires of all luminaires and ground wires, of my sixteen luminaires. The commoning is with Phoenix PTFIX 6/12X2.5 GY 13 position terminal blocks . 

This not at all a confusing management of home-run luminaire wires. It is not neat. It can be set prettily upon a plywood backer with ample labeling. I do not think it is an embarrassing example to others. I love my highly durable kitchen LED starry sky , managed with very ordinary light switches.

Phoenix PTFIX 6/12X2.5 GY 13 Position Terminal Block

I purchased these from URS Electronics in Portland, Oregon, at cost of about $5 each, The carrier for connection to DIN rail costs about $1 each. 

See that where I commoned sixteen 18 ga solid neutral wires, a port may accommodate more than one wire. See that this cluster was rigidly fixed in position and would not readily couple to the carrier upon the DIN rail. I despaired commoning too, all of the stiff ground wires.

See invitation that a source wire will be of ordinary 14 gauge. The commoned luminaire wires will be 18 gauge.

At June 2026, I understand that I should have used flexible, more-manageable 18-2 stranded wire. With stranded wire I would learn to tin the stripped wire ends before insertion in a terminal block. I would now employ a ground-fault circuit breaker, for lighting control without the messy ground wires.

Gross Living Area of A Single-Family Home

 Ask this question:

 Are there consistent rules for measuring home living space for real estate purposes?

Get an AI answer:

While there is no single legally mandated national law for measuring home living space, the real estate industry has moved toward a dominant standard known as ANSI Z765-2021. Adoption of this standard has created much more consistency, especially in professional appraisals for mortgages. [1, 2, 3, 4]

The Primary Industry Standard: ANSI Z765-2021 [1, 2]

Since April 1, 2022, Fannie Mae has required all appraisers to follow the ANSI Z765-2021 standard for single-family homes. This standard provides specific rules to ensure "Gross Living Area" (GLA) is calculated uniformly: [1, 2, 3, 4]

• Exterior Measurement: For single-family detached homes, measurements are taken from the outside of the house. This includes the thickness of the exterior walls in the total square footage.
• Ceiling Height: Living space must have a ceiling height of at least 7 feet. In rooms with sloped ceilings, at least 50% of the room must be 7 feet high, and any area under 5 feet cannot be counted.
• Grade Level (Basements): If any part of a level is below ground level (even partially), the entire level is considered below-grade and typically excluded from the primary GLA figure, though it can be reported separately.
• Finished Status: To count as GLA, a space must be finished (walls, floors, ceilings), contiguous (connected to the main house), and permanently heated. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]

Common Sources of Discrepancy

Even with a standard in place, you may see different numbers for the same house due to varying purposes for the measurement: [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

• Public/Tax Records: Often rely on original building permits or older data that may not include recent (or unpermitted) renovations.

Know that the AI information DOES NOT ALLOW ME TO READ THE ACTUAL YEAR-2021 ANSI STANDARD. There criminally, is a paywall. I can only download and read for-free, a year 2020 draft copy. 

To read the rules, I am expected to pay $25,

https://www.homeinnovation.com/store

Square Footage - Method for Calculating: ANSI Z765-2021

Where reportable living area of my own home has increased by expansion of my kitchen over the existing foundation, I am at liberty to measure and calculate the adjustment by myself. 

See that by means I thought fair, I have updated my reporting of Conditioned Space, to 1081 sf, at the realty resources I have discovered, first at Zillow. The difference from GLA of 1132 sf is fairly to some mid-point within the exterior walls. In fact, conditioned space is only within drywall to the exterior walls, something like 1009 sf. Let us NOT elevate the importance of GLA. Let us lessen dependence on property tax revenue for municipal funding. 

Here is a graphic from the  2/20/2020 Draft version, chosen as typical of the rules:

There is very real intent to count area within walls, including exterior walls. Zillow is a leader in accepting new, larger numbers, with boosted consequences in appraisals and taxation. All subjected to the less-thoughtful process will support another jump of inflation in housing prices and property taxes. If someday the new process is somehow applied to everyone, greed and municipal needs will stand in the way of downward adjustment of tax rates.

In fact there are detailed instructions from Zillow that do not inflate calculated living area. 

https://www.zillow.com/learn/how-to-measure-your-homes-square-footage/

Like most aspects of owning or purchasing a house, measuring the square footage of a home is complicated. There's no established standard for measuring a residential property, and everyone seems to measure square footage of a house differently. But if you get it wrong, it can affect your home's value.

There's no need to be nervous about calculating your home's square footage. We'll show you just how easy it actually is to measure a home’s square footage accurately.

How to calculate square footage

For most people, the gross floor area or gross living area (GLA) of a home is what they’re thinking when they hear “square footage.” Gross living area is the total finished and accessible living space of a home.

Here's how to calculate the square footage of a house:

1. Sketch a floor plan of the home’s interior.

   Draw each floor separately, and don’t include unfinished areas, patios, porches and exterior staircases.

2. Break down the house into measurable rectangles.

   The more rectangles the better. This takes the guesswork out of rooms or hallways that don’t have perfectly flush walls.

3. Measure the length and width of each rectangle.

   Round your measurements off to the nearest 0.5 linear foot. For instance, 13.1 rounded to the nearest 0.5 linear foot is 13.0.

4. Calculate the area of each section.

   Multiply the rectangle’s length by its width to get the area in square feet. Write this number down in the corresponding space on your sketch.

5. Add up the total area.

   Sum up the square feet of each rectangle to measure the total square footage of the house. Round the total off to the nearest square foot.

See that this is not related to the new ANSI procedure. There is absurdity in the round-off instructions for measurement. Measure as accurately as you can, perhaps to the nearest inch for each. Then at the end, round off total area to the nearest square foot.

Do read on at the Zillow link. More details are offered. I have left comment that their instructions are outdated. I hope that Zillow will now act responsibly in challenging the ANSI instructions, avoiding inflationary push.