install light in pantry/pantry not wired

hello, i need to install light in walk-in pantry. of course there is no wiring there. closest switch is outside the entry door to pantry. what are some of the ways to get electricity from switch to the ceiling of pantry. please do not tell me to bomb all the wall board and then rewire. i will be listening. thanks. dmcrabb

 

A battery-powered light is always a possibility. Chances are that installing a permanently wired switched light won't involve as much wallboard destruction as you envision. And even if it does, drywall repair is pretty simple. One idea for minimizing (and maybe eliminating) drywall damage is to put the light on the wall of the pantry rather than on the ceiling.

 

thank-you john nelson. one more step in the right direciton.

 

First look in the box housing the switch (power off at the breaker of course). If there is only one wire (12-2 w/ G) then it is a switch runner and you cannot power another light from that point. However if the feeder line passes through the switch box you can. Assuming you can resolve power feed issue, you may consider using suface mounted conduit often called wire molding. It is available in plastic and metal, usually in white or almond. If you can feed power from the back of the box at the pantry entry through the wall into the pantry and into a surface mount switch box. Take it from there.

 

thank-you gsharp. what i want to do is use the existing switch already in use for a kitchen light and use the second set of terminals (ON SWITCH) for the light installation in pantry. i am using flouorescent light in pantry. is this an overload situation i might have?

 

DMCRABB, you need to carefully consider what gsharpe said. We need to know how many cables and wires are in the box with the switch before we can tell you what you need to know. Shut off the breaker and gently pull the switch out of the box without disconnecting any of the wires. Tell us everything you see.

 

thanks john nelson. lets see what i see. a three switch box. next is five wires from circuit breaker box,coming in from the top of the box.
next is the connections:
FIRST WIRE LEFT TO RIGHT IS WHITE GOES TO A SCREW CAP ON THE RIGHT. BLACK AND WHITE GOES TO A DIFFERENT SCREW CAP ON THE LEFT.
SECOND WIRE IS THE SAME AS THE FIRST WIRE.
THIRD WIRE BLACK AND WHITE WIRE GOES TO FIRST LIGHT SWITCH. WHITE WIRE GOES TO SCREW CAP ON THE RIGHT.
FOURTH WIRE BLACK AND WHITE WIRE GOES TO THIRD LIGHT SWITCH. WHITE WIRE GOES TO SCREW CAP ON THE RIGHT.
FIFTH WIRE BLACK AND WHITE WIRE GOES SECOND LIGHT SWITCH. WHITE WIRE GOES TO SCREW CAP ON THE LEFT.
THE THREE SWITCES HAVE A SEPERATE WIRE BEING ATTACHED TO THE SCREW CAP ON THE LEFT. LET ME KNOW IF THIS IS UNDERSTOOD. THANKS. MAYBE I COULD DRAW IT BUT IM NOT LEONARDO, I'M DMCRABB. THANKS.

 

Your post does not seem entirely clear or consistent to me. However, it is clear that you have at least some switch loops, and you have a lot of stuff in this one box. In my opinion, this is not a particularly good first job for a novice -- it's a bit too complicated. I suggest you get someone with experience and the necessary equipment to help you with this.

But let me help you at little with your terminology. I hope you don't take offense. I am assuming you want to know this stuff.

You said that you have five wires from the circuit breaker box. But you really don't know where these wires come from, and they certainly do not all come from the circuit breaker box.

Next, you should differentiate between a "wire" and a "cable". A cable is a set of wires. So when you said that five wires come in the top, you really meant five cables.

The normal term for a "screw cap" is a "wire nut".

A drawing would certainly help sort out some of my confusion.

 

DMCRABB:

What do you mean by "black and white" wire? Black with white stripes? Black with white text?

Let me verify the following interpretation of your description:

(1) The whites from all five cables are connected together with a single wire nut.

(2) The blacks from two of the cables (Your "FIRST WIRE" and "SECOND WIRE") as well as one side of each switch are connected together with a second wire nut.

(3) The blacks from "THIRD WIRE", "FOURTH WIRE", and "FIFTH WIRE" go to the other side of "FIRST SWITCH", "THIRD SWITCH", and "SECOND SWITCH" respectively.

I've ignored the bare grounding wires. They should all be tied together as well as to the green ground screws on each switch (if the switches have grounding screws).

If my interpretation is correct, then either "FIRST WIRE" or "SECOND WIRE" is continuous power coming into the switch box. The other is continuous power leading from the switch box to another box down the line.

Please verify items (1)-(3) above.

 

A cable such as 12-2G will have a black wire (LINE) a white (NUETRAL) wire and a bare wire (EQUIPMENT GROUND). That is what I ment. From your description it sounds like there are 3-way switch circuits involved. Do any other switches control the same lights as these three?

Perhaps you should consider drilling up into the pantry wall from below and pulling a fresh power feed.
If you are not familiar with house wiring I defer to the honorable Mr. Nelsons recommendation.

 

gsharpe:

Are you replying to me or to the original poster? In his description he described "WHITE" and "BLACK AND WHITE" wires. I am just trying to clarify that what he is calling "BLACK AND WHITE" is probably just the black from a 2w+g cable.

 

Sorry DMCRABB. I mistook you for the original poster. Please ignore me.

CRIPPLED, BLIND & CRAZY

 

thank-you gentleman. you are right. i have five romex cables coming into my box.they come from the lights in kitchen and hallway. next is black and white means white wire with black stips. and white is white
next i want to add another romex going from this box to the light in pantry. i do not have any fears about cutting drywall. light will be 5-8 feet from switch box.
i am still stuck on where do i put the romex from pantry light to where in the switch box. thanks.

 

to mikewu99. yes you verify well. i meant cable when i said wire. and yes you do understand what i said. i now understand that cable 1 and 2 are continuous power. and white wire with black strip is "HOT" and white wire is not. correct? THANKS

 

QUESTION. WHAT IS 14/2 WG AND 12/2 G. I KNOW ThIS IS ROMEX. WHICH ONE DO I USE?

 

I suggest you get a book or two on home wiring. Most public libraries have a reasonable selection. Besides things like the difference between 12/2 and 14/2, there are lots of other things you need to know to do a wiring project safely.

The "12" and "14" are gauges of wire. Smaller numbers are heavier wire. The "2" is the number of insulated conductors in the cable. Although not stated, the notation "12/2" or "14/2" implies nonmetallic sheathed cable, or "NM". Romex is the most well-known brand of NM cable. The "wg" is short for "with ground". Since almost all commonly available NM cable today does have a bare grounding wire, the "wg" is often not stated but generally assumed.

12-gauge copper wire may be used on either 15-amp or 20-amp circuits. 14-gauge wire may only be used on a 15-amp circuit. When I say "15-amp circuit", the "15" refers to the rating of the breaker or fuse in your panel that protects the circuit. You can tell which is protecting the circuit involving these switches by looking at the number on the breaker or fuse that shuts power off to those switches.