DIYbanter - View Single Post - Does electric box have to be right next to fixture?

Dan Lanciani

In article , (mm) writes:

| I think I can unscrew the screws with a pliers
| from the inside, tie a string to the fixture, cut the romex, lower the
| fixture to the ground. (It's broken but the bulbs are good.) Drill
| new holes at the base of the wall (just one layer of T1), lower a
| string, put machine screws through the new fixture and a nut so the
| screws don't come out, tie a nylon string to the fixture and lift the
| fixture to the attic, maniuplate the wires through the big hole and
| the screws into the two pre-drilled screw holes (this is the tricky
| part) than put on washers and nuts. And I think I could do a box at
| this time, but not if the hole is as big as the box.

How about this? Fully attach the fixture to a box in advance, sealing
the unused openings with plugs and bringing a UF cable out the back with
a weather resistant clamp. Put the above machine screws through the
mounting tabs on the box. Lower the string through the central hole
(which you have made large enough to accommodate the clamp on the back of
the box) and attach it to the UF cable. Lift and position the assembly
as above. Add a splice box in the attic to connect the feed cable to
your new piece of UF.

If you really want the fixture flush you are going to have to make a
much bigger hole and you can pull the whole box in. People use non-
weather-resistant boxes in such installations but I wouldn't.

Dan Lanciani
ddl@danlan.*com