I was under the impression junction boxes were required behind all electrical lights or fixtures, I needed to change the lights in my bathroom and took the old one down and behind it was nothing but a hole in the drywall. with the wires popping out. The fixture that was there was affixed to the wall via drywall screws and dried paint.
Now the connections were stuffed between the wall plate and the actual light fixture so none of them were in the wall and if there was a short, it was grounded but still seemed... off. Is this an old standard in home building? Anyone else ever see this? I googled it and a similar story seemed to pop up, but just figured I'd throw it out to the CP oracle.
I was under the impression junction boxes were required behind all electrical lights or fixtures, I needed to change the lights in my bathroom and took the old one down and behind it was nothing but a hole in the drywall. with the wires popping out. The fixture that was there was affixed to the wall via drywall screws and dried paint.
Now the connections were stuffed between the wall plate and the actual light fixture so none of them were in the wall and if there was a short, it was grounded but still seemed... off. Is this an old standard in home building? Anyone else ever see this? I googled it and a similar story seemed to pop up, but just figured I'd throw it out to the CP oracle.
Honestly, just hire an electrican. You can find a super cheap on the side guy on Kijiji or Craigslist. I am in the middle of a reno, and after zapping myself, I just hired a guy to come in and wire my stuff to code with the right junction boxes etc.... cost about 200 bucks to wire up about a dozen fixtures / switches / outlets etc. Electrical stuff to me just isn't worth the gamble if you screw it up.
I was under the impression junction boxes were required behind all electrical lights or fixtures,
To do it properly they are...
There's some amazing shortcuts taken in home renos. I remember tearing out some carpet in a basement suite years ago to discover newspapers from 1958 being used as underlay.
Old wiring used to use paper as insulation, when doing condo reno's you could leave old wiring in as long as you didn't expose it. Reno's are very shady with the wrong companies.
do it yourself, it should only cost 10 bucks or so to fix.
Go buy an octagonal box and install it where the hole is.
You may need a short piece of 2x4 to screw in behind the box if you can't screw the box into anything that's currently there. There are various ways to do that, depending on the exact details of the holes you are talking about. You might even be able to find a box that just clips onto the drywall itself.
Tough to call without actually seeing the installation that you disturbed, but in some cases, what you described is perfectly legal according to codes. Some light fixtures are designed to also function as the junction box; a good example is the common fluorescent fixture (in a white powder-coated steel case). As long as the cable(s) enter/exit the fixture (and are supported by) proper cable stays ("knockouts") and the wire-nut connections are accessible and fully enclosed by the case of the fixture you're good to go.
Another type of light where this applies is the "vanity strip" type of fixture and there is NO requirement for an octagon box in the wall in such cases.
While many aspects of electrical work should indeed be left to a licensed "Sparky", changing out switches/fixtures is a pretty straight forward "handyman" kind of job. If you're wanting to install a new fixture in this location that requires a junction box in the wall to meet code, then you're going to have to disturb the wall finish, install the octagon box, and repair the drywall/lath/plaster afterwards.
Disclaimer: I am not a licensed electrician. I am, however, a professional renovator with 20+ years of experience. I own the code book and do most of my own electrical work (kitchens/baths/basements); when I feel I'm out of my depth I have a licensed guy bid the electrical work as a sub. It all depends on your individual level of comfort when it comes to tackling certain jobs; if you feel that you're out of your depth, call a sparky.
Tough to call without actually seeing the installation that you disturbed, but in some cases, what you described is perfectly legal according to codes. Some light fixtures are designed to also function as the junction box; a good example is the common fluorescent fixture (in a white powder-coated steel case). As long as the cable(s) enter/exit the fixture (and are supported by) proper cable stays ("knockouts") and the wire-nut connections are accessible and fully enclosed by the case of the fixture you're good to go.
Another type of light where this applies is the "vanity strip" type of fixture and there is NO requirement for an octagon box in the wall in such cases.
While many aspects of electrical work should indeed be left to a licensed "Sparky", changing out switches/fixtures is a pretty straight forward "handyman" kind of job. If you're wanting to install a new fixture in this location that requires a junction box in the wall to meet code, then you're going to have to disturb the wall finish, install the octagon box, and repair the drywall/lath/plaster afterwards.
Disclaimer: I am not a licensed electrician. I am, however, a professional renovator with 20+ years of experience. I own the code book and do most of my own electrical work (kitchens/baths/basements); when I feel I'm out of my depth I have a licensed guy bid the electrical work as a sub. It all depends on your individual level of comfort when it comes to tackling certain jobs; if you feel that you're out of your depth, call a sparky.
This is correct. The NEC is very straightforward; if you can't comprehend it, you're in serious trouble.
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Thanks for the input, it'll be a bit of a project, but seems fairly straightforward, took a look where the studs were and i should be able to get my box where i need it.
junction boxes
