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need help with porch light Eigenvector 05-05-2007
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Posted by Eigenvector on May 5, 2007, 3:00 pm


Secretly in the back of my mind I think I know what I'm gonna have to do,
but I'm hoping for an out.

The porch lights on my house are firetraps and have to go. So I get some
new ones and begin the process of unmounting one of them - big mistake.

http://photos.imageevent.com/eigenvector/houseideas/websize/P5050111.JPG
As you can see its simply screwed onto the siding.
http://photos.imageevent.com/eigenvector/houseideas/websize/P5050112.JPG
And the romex is fed to it through a hole in the house.

Dare I cut the siding and hope that there's an electical box behind it? I
really really hope there is, otherwise I have quite a task ahead of me -
ripping out the drywall and installing an box to mount the new fixture.

So staring at that mess I look at the old fixture - bigger mistake

http://photos.imageevent.com/eigenvector/houseideas/websize/P5050113.JPG
No that isn't green insulation - that's exposed hot and neutral wires that
are almost corroded through. In fact the Romex wires that it was connected
to were corroded as well - not terribly but there was a definite green film
on the wires.

So what am I looking at here - completely removing the old Romex, installing
an exterior box, then cutting my siding to install the new fixture?

For now I've clipped the connection, wirenutted both the hot and neutral
wires and wrapped them with electricians tape and put the old fixture back
on the siding to keep it moderately covered from the elements. Should I be
safe until I can do a permanent install or would it be a good idea to unhook
the wires from the actual switch inside the house too?


Posted by RBM on May 5, 2007, 3:39 pm


Three options: You can use a siding box, which would probably look silly on
the wood, You can cut in a gem box, right around the existing cable, which
would work fine, or you can mound a pancake box right on the surface and get
new fixtures with deep canopies to accommodate the pancake box. You need new
fixtures anyway




> Secretly in the back of my mind I think I know what I'm gonna have to do,
> but I'm hoping for an out.
>
> The porch lights on my house are firetraps and have to go. So I get some
> new ones and begin the process of unmounting one of them - big mistake.
>
> http://photos.imageevent.com/eigenvector/houseideas/websize/P5050111.JPG
> As you can see its simply screwed onto the siding.
> http://photos.imageevent.com/eigenvector/houseideas/websize/P5050112.JPG
> And the romex is fed to it through a hole in the house.
>
> Dare I cut the siding and hope that there's an electical box behind it? I
> really really hope there is, otherwise I have quite a task ahead of me -
> ripping out the drywall and installing an box to mount the new fixture.
>
> So staring at that mess I look at the old fixture - bigger mistake
>
> http://photos.imageevent.com/eigenvector/houseideas/websize/P5050113.JPG
> No that isn't green insulation - that's exposed hot and neutral wires that
> are almost corroded through. In fact the Romex wires that it was
> connected to were corroded as well - not terribly but there was a definite
> green film on the wires.
>
> So what am I looking at here - completely removing the old Romex,
> installing an exterior box, then cutting my siding to install the new
> fixture?
>
> For now I've clipped the connection, wirenutted both the hot and neutral
> wires and wrapped them with electricians tape and put the old fixture back
> on the siding to keep it moderately covered from the elements. Should I
> be safe until I can do a permanent install or would it be a good idea to
> unhook the wires from the actual switch inside the house too?



Posted by RBM on May 5, 2007, 3:41 pm


PS, there is no box behind the siding




> Three options: You can use a siding box, which would probably look silly
> on the wood, You can cut in a gem box, right around the existing cable,
> which would work fine, or you can mound a pancake box right on the surface
> and get new fixtures with deep canopies to accommodate the pancake box.
> You need new fixtures anyway
>
>
>
>
>> Secretly in the back of my mind I think I know what I'm gonna have to do,
>> but I'm hoping for an out.
>>
>> The porch lights on my house are firetraps and have to go. So I get some
>> new ones and begin the process of unmounting one of them - big mistake.
>>
>> http://photos.imageevent.com/eigenvector/houseideas/websize/P5050111.JPG
>> As you can see its simply screwed onto the siding.
>> http://photos.imageevent.com/eigenvector/houseideas/websize/P5050112.JPG
>> And the romex is fed to it through a hole in the house.
>>
>> Dare I cut the siding and hope that there's an electical box behind it?
>> I really really hope there is, otherwise I have quite a task ahead of
>> me - ripping out the drywall and installing an box to mount the new
>> fixture.
>>
>> So staring at that mess I look at the old fixture - bigger mistake
>>
>> http://photos.imageevent.com/eigenvector/houseideas/websize/P5050113.JPG
>> No that isn't green insulation - that's exposed hot and neutral wires
>> that are almost corroded through. In fact the Romex wires that it was
>> connected to were corroded as well - not terribly but there was a
>> definite green film on the wires.
>>
>> So what am I looking at here - completely removing the old Romex,
>> installing an exterior box, then cutting my siding to install the new
>> fixture?
>>
>> For now I've clipped the connection, wirenutted both the hot and neutral
>> wires and wrapped them with electricians tape and put the old fixture
>> back on the siding to keep it moderately covered from the elements.
>> Should I be safe until I can do a permanent install or would it be a good
>> idea to unhook the wires from the actual switch inside the house too?
>
>



Posted by Eigenvector on May 5, 2007, 4:52 pm



> PS, there is no box behind the siding
>

Damn. Well I can try using one of those 1/2" high boxes and see if I can
inset it into the sheathing beneath it. In some ways I wish I hadn't
uncovered that little mess - but on the other hand it was an absolute fire
waiting to happen.

>
>
>> Three options: You can use a siding box, which would probably look silly
>> on the wood, You can cut in a gem box, right around the existing cable,
>> which would work fine, or you can mound a pancake box right on the
>> surface and get new fixtures with deep canopies to accommodate the
>> pancake box. You need new fixtures anyway
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>> Secretly in the back of my mind I think I know what I'm gonna have to
>>> do, but I'm hoping for an out.
>>>
>>> The porch lights on my house are firetraps and have to go. So I get
>>> some new ones and begin the process of unmounting one of them - big
>>> mistake.
>>>
>>> http://photos.imageevent.com/eigenvector/houseideas/websize/P5050111.JPG
>>> As you can see its simply screwed onto the siding.
>>> http://photos.imageevent.com/eigenvector/houseideas/websize/P5050112.JPG
>>> And the romex is fed to it through a hole in the house.
>>>
>>> Dare I cut the siding and hope that there's an electical box behind it?
>>> I really really hope there is, otherwise I have quite a task ahead of
>>> me - ripping out the drywall and installing an box to mount the new
>>> fixture.
>>>
>>> So staring at that mess I look at the old fixture - bigger mistake
>>>
>>> http://photos.imageevent.com/eigenvector/houseideas/websize/P5050113.JPG
>>> No that isn't green insulation - that's exposed hot and neutral wires
>>> that are almost corroded through. In fact the Romex wires that it was
>>> connected to were corroded as well - not terribly but there was a
>>> definite green film on the wires.
>>>
>>> So what am I looking at here - completely removing the old Romex,
>>> installing an exterior box, then cutting my siding to install the new
>>> fixture?
>>>
>>> For now I've clipped the connection, wirenutted both the hot and neutral
>>> wires and wrapped them with electricians tape and put the old fixture
>>> back on the siding to keep it moderately covered from the elements.
>>> Should I be safe until I can do a permanent install or would it be a
>>> good idea to unhook the wires from the actual switch inside the house
>>> too?
>>
>>
>
>


Posted by RBM on May 5, 2007, 5:01 pm


If you have boards or plywood sheeting behind the siding, you could use a
three of four inch hole saw . Just cut through the siding then screw the
pancake box to the sheeting.



>
>> PS, there is no box behind the siding
>>
>
> Damn. Well I can try using one of those 1/2" high boxes and see if I can
> inset it into the sheathing beneath it. In some ways I wish I hadn't
> uncovered that little mess - but on the other hand it was an absolute fire
> waiting to happen.
>
>>
>>
>>> Three options: You can use a siding box, which would probably look silly
>>> on the wood, You can cut in a gem box, right around the existing cable,
>>> which would work fine, or you can mound a pancake box right on the
>>> surface and get new fixtures with deep canopies to accommodate the
>>> pancake box. You need new fixtures anyway
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> Secretly in the back of my mind I think I know what I'm gonna have to
>>>> do, but I'm hoping for an out.
>>>>
>>>> The porch lights on my house are firetraps and have to go. So I get
>>>> some new ones and begin the process of unmounting one of them - big
>>>> mistake.
>>>>
>>>> http://photos.imageevent.com/eigenvector/houseideas/websize/P5050111.JPG
>>>> As you can see its simply screwed onto the siding.
>>>> http://photos.imageevent.com/eigenvector/houseideas/websize/P5050112.JPG
>>>> And the romex is fed to it through a hole in the house.
>>>>
>>>> Dare I cut the siding and hope that there's an electical box behind it?
>>>> I really really hope there is, otherwise I have quite a task ahead of
>>>> me - ripping out the drywall and installing an box to mount the new
>>>> fixture.
>>>>
>>>> So staring at that mess I look at the old fixture - bigger mistake
>>>>
>>>> http://photos.imageevent.com/eigenvector/houseideas/websize/P5050113.JPG
>>>> No that isn't green insulation - that's exposed hot and neutral wires
>>>> that are almost corroded through. In fact the Romex wires that it was
>>>> connected to were corroded as well - not terribly but there was a
>>>> definite green film on the wires.
>>>>
>>>> So what am I looking at here - completely removing the old Romex,
>>>> installing an exterior box, then cutting my siding to install the new
>>>> fixture?
>>>>
>>>> For now I've clipped the connection, wirenutted both the hot and
>>>> neutral wires and wrapped them with electricians tape and put the old
>>>> fixture back on the siding to keep it moderately covered from the
>>>> elements. Should I be safe until I can do a permanent install or would
>>>> it be a good idea to unhook the wires from the actual switch inside the
>>>> house too?
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>



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