I just joined and I already have a question...well I joined because I have a question...and a problem. First off, I'm an idiot when it comes to around-the-house repairs.
We had an electrician come out and do a bunch of work...he upgraded our panel...added some light switches...etc. He also ran some conduit along the middle of the garage ceiling and installed a j-box where the conduit runs into. The j-box is not recessed in the ceiling like I've seen elsewhere. The j-box is mounted on the ceiling like a smoke detector and the conduit runs into it on each side. There are active electrical wires and a light bulb mount w/a light bulb in it hanging from the j-box.
I want to install a ceiling lamp/light up there and make it look decent but can't for the life of me figure out how to mount anything up there with the j-box sitting there like that with the conduit also running along the ceiling. I tried attaching a photo to this post, hopefully it can be viewed.
Is the second duplex receptacle in the ceiling separate from the conduit installation?
The conduit and junction box are correctly installed once the box is covered. The lamp socket hanging from exposed wires is sloppy and incomplete.
Some styles of ceiling light fixtures can be mounted on the junction box in place of the loose socket. The top of the fixture and the rim of the box must come together without gaps. A metal plate must be used as a filler if the rim of the box and the top rim of the fixture are of different shapes or sizes.
The receptacle closest to the j-box was part of the conduit installation by the electrician. The other receptacle was part of an existing light setup when I bought the house. The existing set up was damaged and I could see electrical arcing and popping noises going on in the old light fixture so the electrician removed the light fixture, put plaster to cover up the hole, and brought the existing grey electrical cord out into a new receptacle which is the one you see next to the other new receptacle closest to the j-box.
There really isn't much you can do with that set up.
You could install a less decorative fixture like on the existing box.
Or you could cut an approved box (octagon box w/ears) into the ceiling and extend the switch leg from your existing box to the new box. That way the box is flush with the ceiling and you could install whatever fixture you wanted.
Now that I think of it, you may have a problem installing the picture I posted on that round plaster ring currently on the box. You may have to install a flush box like I said earlier, or install a surface mount octagon box. Then pipe between the two surface mount boxes?
Was the electrician you hired supposed to put a light at the location you are showing us? If so, have him come back and do it right!
Actually the rest of his work was fine and actually fixed a lot of problems we were having, like not being able to use a pancake griddle and run the AC at the same time. But I have been scratching my head at this j-box for a while.
... He also ran some conduit along the middle of the garage ceiling and installed a j-box where the conduit runs into. The j-box is not recessed in the ceiling like I've seen elsewhere. The j-box is mounted on the ceiling like a smoke detector and the conduit runs into it on each side. .....
This is the normal way to run surface mount wiring with EMT (Conduit). It is perfectly acceptable. It looks like he put a round mud ring on the square box which is the proper adapter to transition to a ceiling mounted fixture. You look good to go to mount whatever fixture that makes sense for a garage.
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