[Chrism1367]

Doing a bath remodel, and there were 2 light fixtures on the wall, I removed one, and replaced that with a junction box, see pic. The setup is, black cable goes to j box from switch, top white cable goes to outlet 1.5 ft from j box, and bottom white cable goes to the other light thats still there. Want to keep second light so we can run the wires to a new light we will install later. Problem is I know j box needs to be accessible, and dont think wife will go for a cover plate. Only other option that I can think of is running new cable from switch to 2nd light (that we are keeping) then to outlet, that way it bypasses the need for a junction box where the old light was. Hope this makes sense. Also, is this something that a youtube grad can do? I'm thinking of just getting an electrician in here and be done with it, but if its simply running wire compliant with code it sou,ds like something I could do. also ive read that maintenance free j boxes are allowed in the UK, but have heard nothing about US, guessing they arent code here? Any feedback is appreciated thanks

 

[Chrism1367]

Here is the new junction box

 

[Chrism1367]

Pic is sideways for some reason, it is about 5ft up the wall

 

[HandyAndyInNC]

I never use a junction box that does not have a device in it. That way I never have to worry about trying to access it later if needed. All splices are in the living areas. Another thing I never do is mix power and lights on the same circuit. create a new circuit for either the light or the outlet. The way it is now, if you ever need to work on either, you will be in the dark without lights and without power to power your tools. Cut out all that mess and wire it correctly to have all splices only in a wall box, not a junction box.

 

[TrojanHorse]

Are the walls opened up so you can run new proper wiring?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Chrism1367]

In the bathroom yes they are currently opened up. Running new wire is probably beyond my scope so I may be talking to an electrician. I realize the best time would be now.

 

[Chrism1367]

Btw, house is built in 70s, currently our hall bath, master bath, and bedroom is on one 15 amp circuit?!?!?

 

[Chrism1367]

What is the difference between a wall box and a junction box? Excuse my novice-ness

 

[surferdude2]

Even an electrician will have trouble getting rid of the box at that location. Running a new switch leg to the new fixture location is easy enough but getting the power to it is the rub. A new home run back to the house main panel is always a challenge. It's all about how much you want to spend... anything's possible.

I'd consider putting a single gang switch ring with the proper rise onto that existing box that would bring it out to flush with the finished wall and putting a blank plastic finish plate on it. You can paint or wallpaper the plate and it'll all but disappear. That's all code legal and a reasonable way to do it. Hang a picture over it if it bothers you! :wink2:

 

[Chrism1367]

Tried talking my wife into a blank plate,but she didnt luke it, maybe when she sees the bill ahe might reconsider

 

[surferdude2]

What is the difference between a wall box and a junction box? Excuse my novice-ness

Wall box and junction box are vague terms at best. Most electricians call any box that is mounted so that the surface flushes out to the finished wall as a wall box. It can also be a junction box. Then it could be called a wall box junction box.

The term junction box when used alone generally refers to a non beauty finish type of box that isn't normally visible in a residence. You may find those in attics and unfinished basements and other such areas. They are required to be accessible to comply with code.

 

[Chrism1367]

Btw why would it be hard to run power from the switch to the new fixture? Could I run new nm cable straight to the new fixture and then from there it would feed the outlet as it did with the old fixture? Currently allthe walls in the bathroom are open

 

[surferdude2]

Running a new home run to the panel can require making holes in the ceiling and possibly the walls of your house. It all depends on where the panel is relative to the area needing the power run to. It can run into hundreds of dollars since it may require several trade and craftsmen to get involved.

Alternately, if there is a wall receptacle on the other side of the bathroom wall that you could access to tap the power from, it would be a piece of cake. Check that out.

 

[surferdude2]

Btw why would it be hard to run power from the switch to the new fixture? Could I run new nm cable straight to the new fixture and then from there it would feed the outlet as it did with the old fixture? Currently allthe walls in the bathroom are open

Are you saying the old power cable will reach the new location without splicing it? If so, that's great. You won't need an electrician for that... just plain work for a DIY person with basic skills.

First thing to do is find out where the power is coming from now. If it's tapped off an existing receptacle or fixture that you can easily access, then you won't need a new home run to the panel. Just extend that run to the new fixture box and you can vacate all that other junction box and wires.

Verify that the power comes from that nearby receptacle as opposed to coming to that junction first and feeding that receptacle.

 

[Chrism1367]

Ok well its an exterior wall so I maybe just conta ting an electrician to see if I can get everyrhing up to code. Thanks for your answers much appreciated!

 

[Chrism1367]

No its not long enough, was justthonking that since wallsare opened up already icould run new romex to the fixture and basically bypass the junction box. Also this circuit runs this bath, a hall bath, and outlets in thw bedroom. Surely not up to todays code so I'm thinking I should just bite the bullet and try to get everything done now

 

[hkstroud]

The setup is, black cable goes to j box from switch, top white cable goes to outlet 1.5 ft from j box, and bottom white cable goes to the other light thats still there.

I would bet dollars to donuts that you got that backwards. Bet the top white goes to other light and the bottom white goes to outlet. Otherwise the outlet would be above the light and that doesn't make any sense.

The way things are wired right now the outlet is only live when the switch is on.
Show us a picture of the room so we can see where things are. If I am correct and the black cable will reach the other light fixture all you have to do is pull the black to the light fixture you want to keep and pull a new two wire cable from there to the outlet. If black cable won't reach the other light fixture, replace it with a piece of 3-wire cable that will.

Remove switch plate and switch (don't disconnect anything) and pull it out so we can see its connections.

When showing wires always pull them out and straighten them as much as possible so they can be trace in a photo.

Right now this sounds like a very simple task.

 

[Chrism1367]

Ok I will post pic later today of setup, just got to work. Btw outlet works wether switch is on or off

 

[Chrism1367]

This was before I took the one light out on the left. You can see the outlet where ext cord is plugged in, and the light on the right is the one I want to keep. Dont know if I explained correctly initially, but black 3 wire cable goes into j box from switch, then white cable on top goes to 2nd light on right, and bottom white cable goes to outlet, wich is then connected to outlets in bedroom. I'll get a pic of the switch (3 gang) later today. Thanks, hope that helps

 

[Chrism1367]

Trying to get pic of room to upload isnt working