[miamicuse]

The previous property owner had put in this elaborate mirrored ceiling with wood framed in sections.

Only problem is, there is a junction box above this ceiling that's covered up.

I would like to access this junction box somehow.

This is the junction box from above in the attic. As you can see there are several EMT conduits connected to it and there is no easy way I can turn it around and make it accessible from the attic side.

Any ideas?

Do I measure carefully and cut the mirrored ceiling from below then put in an ugly box cover? Assuming I don't end up cracking the mirror and once I do that there is no avoiding taking the whole thing down.

Or is there a way I can do something in the attic?

 

[ktkelly]

Wondering if you can kill the power, then maybe pry it lose giving you some movement, and then undo the EMT,

That works, you maybe could then turn it around so it's acessable and put it all back together.

I guess it would then be legal....

 

[miamicuse]

Wondering if you can kill the power, then maybe pry it lose giving you some movement, and then undo the EMT,

That works, you maybe could then turn it around so it's acessable and put it all back together.

I guess it would then be legal....

I tried that already. The box is not moving when I tried to pull it up. There are probably nails or screws that attached sideways to the furring or joist.

If I free the nails or screws with a sawzall I still don't see how I can free the EMT even if I can move the box up say by 2". I can reach in there and undo lock nuts.

Yes of course all power to that box would be cut off.

 

[miamicuse]

OK I have been thinking about it and I think it is a bad idea to try and open up a hole from below. There is too big a risk of a disaster unless I want to take the whole mirror/wood thing down.

In the attic, I have already tried to pull up the box, it won't move. I am guessing a nail or two through the side into the furring or joist? Not sure.

Here is one I am thinking about.

(1) Unscrew the set screw connector on top of the junction box and pull up the EMT conduit away from the connector, once I have a little bit of space, cut the conductors at the separation. Repeat until all four EMTs are off the box and the conductors cut.

(2) For each conduit, go back 8-12" on the conduit and cut it with a tubing cutter. Pull off the short cut piece. This will leave me with four truncated EMT conduits with 8-12" of extra conductors.

(3) With all conduits disconnected to the box. pry out or cut out the junction box and see how things are wired on the inside.

(4) Connector each truncated EMT conduit to a metal handy box. Four EMT, four handy boxes. From each handy box, splice and run new conduits and wiring to a new junction box closer to the attic access hatch.

Can you think of a better or easier way?

 

[ktkelly]

Here's another "Out there" idea:


Cut the power, then use a side grinder to cut the back off of the junction box.


That should give you the room needed to undo the wiring and EMT so you can reconfigure it.


What's the worse can happen? :vs_whistle:

 

[GottaFixIt]

Sometimes it makes sense to split a junction box into 2 or more junction boxes because you don't have enough wire to make the change that needs to happen. Maybe that's the right move here?

If you do this, you're going to likely be making extra connections (jumping between the 2 boxes), so make sure the new boxes are sized accordingly.

 

[JonCiccarone]

OK I have been thinking about it and I think it is a bad idea to try and open up a hole from below. There is too big a risk of a disaster unless I want to take the whole mirror/wood thing down.

In the attic, I have already tried to pull up the box, it won't move. I am guessing a nail or two through the side into the furring or joist? Not sure.

Here is one I am thinking about.

(1) Unscrew the set screw connector on top of the junction box and pull up the EMT conduit away from the connector, once I have a little bit of space, cut the conductors at the separation. Repeat until all four EMTs are off the box and the conductors cut.

(2) For each conduit, go back 8-12" on the conduit and cut it with a tubing cutter. Pull off the short cut piece. This will leave me with four truncated EMT conduits with 8-12" of extra conductors.

(3) With all conduits disconnected to the box. pry out or cut out the junction box and see how things are wired on the inside.

(4) Connector each truncated EMT conduit to a metal handy box. Four EMT, four handy boxes. From each handy box, splice and run new conduits and wiring to a new junction box closer to the attic access hatch.

Can you think of a better or easier way?

This is what I would do in your situation. Is there any reason to not splice to romex in the handy boxes and run romex to your new J-box location? This might save you a lot of blood sweat and tears! Let us know how it works out.