wall sconce installation
#1
04-21-04, 07:30 AM
wall sconce installation
I'm trying to install a wall sconce and am having trouble. Please help!
We had an electrician install a new junction box in the existing (plaster) wall. He used a rectangular box, oriented vertically. Does this seem strange--or wrong?
The light that we've chosen has a square canopy, with wires and light socket favoring the lower side (not centered to the canopy). The barely intelligible instructions and the wire configuration both suggest that the lamp requires a horizontal mounting strap.
A mounting strap came with the lamp, with a central threaded rod permanently attached. Eventually it will insert through the canopy with an attractive locking nut to secure the canopy to the mounting strap.
The provided mounting strap cannot be oriented vertically, to attach to the junction box, as it would interfere with the wires and additional screw holes in the canopy would be oriented 90 degrees from the strap.
I purchased a different cross bar that came with 2 items-- a swiveling cross bar, with one flat component and one bent component, permanently joined, but without a central threaded rod; and a single bent component with a very large (5/8"?) central hole.
Between these various pieces, how the heck can I get this lamp hung? I'm not sure what order to assemble the pieces, which pieces to use or discard, and how to make the canopy flush to the wall. Would one or the other of those bent straps attach to the box--over or under the flat strap with rod? And bowed out or into the box? Does a flat strap have to be anchored to the box? Furthermore, can these cross-straps be used with a rectangular box?
I'm tempted to put another hole in the wall, with a round box and a mounting location for a horizontal strap. But that's guaranteed to be a mess, and there's no going back. I'm not even sure if I can install and secure a round box in an existing wall after a rectangular hole has been cut. Also, the wall is quite shallow, and the old-work boxes that I've seen tend to be quite deep.
Can you all please give me some helpful suggestions. I'm frustrated that this ought to have been a very simple project! Thanks.
We had an electrician install a new junction box in the existing (plaster) wall. He used a rectangular box, oriented vertically. Does this seem strange--or wrong?
The light that we've chosen has a square canopy, with wires and light socket favoring the lower side (not centered to the canopy). The barely intelligible instructions and the wire configuration both suggest that the lamp requires a horizontal mounting strap.
A mounting strap came with the lamp, with a central threaded rod permanently attached. Eventually it will insert through the canopy with an attractive locking nut to secure the canopy to the mounting strap.
The provided mounting strap cannot be oriented vertically, to attach to the junction box, as it would interfere with the wires and additional screw holes in the canopy would be oriented 90 degrees from the strap.
I purchased a different cross bar that came with 2 items-- a swiveling cross bar, with one flat component and one bent component, permanently joined, but without a central threaded rod; and a single bent component with a very large (5/8"?) central hole.
Between these various pieces, how the heck can I get this lamp hung? I'm not sure what order to assemble the pieces, which pieces to use or discard, and how to make the canopy flush to the wall. Would one or the other of those bent straps attach to the box--over or under the flat strap with rod? And bowed out or into the box? Does a flat strap have to be anchored to the box? Furthermore, can these cross-straps be used with a rectangular box?
I'm tempted to put another hole in the wall, with a round box and a mounting location for a horizontal strap. But that's guaranteed to be a mess, and there's no going back. I'm not even sure if I can install and secure a round box in an existing wall after a rectangular hole has been cut. Also, the wall is quite shallow, and the old-work boxes that I've seen tend to be quite deep.
Can you all please give me some helpful suggestions. I'm frustrated that this ought to have been a very simple project! Thanks.
#2
04-21-04, 10:13 AM
I can't really help without seeing all the pieces. I can offer a caution. It can be unsafe and a code violation to simply combine parts until you find something that works.
Apparently you didn't have the light available for the electrician to look at, or he or she would have installed the proper type of box.
Good luck!
Apparently you didn't have the light available for the electrician to look at, or he or she would have installed the proper type of box.
Good luck!
#3
04-21-04, 11:58 AM
Member
Wall sconces are normally installed on round boxes. However, lighting manufacturers aren't stupid. They recognize that the ability to sell a lot of a particular type of fixture depends on being able to mount it in a variety of installations. There's a good chance that your wall sconce comes with alternative mounting options that allow it to be installed on almost anything. But the poor instructions you have make that difficult to determine. If possible, call the manufacturer.
#4
04-21-04, 03:20 PM
Well, first of all, if you're fixture requires a threaded rod for mounting - you need to get a cross-bar that has threads.
Once you get that, make sure you have the screws in the bar properly and you should have no problem installing the fixture.
The other option is to turn the canopy on the fixture 90* so that the original mounting bar lines up properly.
Good luck!
Once you get that, make sure you have the screws in the bar properly and you should have no problem installing the fixture.
The other option is to turn the canopy on the fixture 90* so that the original mounting bar lines up properly.
Good luck!
