Adding a new set of lights


  #1  
Old 04-10-11, 06:23 PM
M
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Florida
Posts: 1,631
Received 7 Upvotes on 6 Posts
Adding a new set of lights

After some design changes, I now intend to install another set of lights in the kitchen.

Here is what I have next to the kitchen counter.



From left to right:
Kitchen island overhead down lights
Kitchen counter recessed lights
Kitchen sink disposer
GFCI outlet (first in a series)

I want to add another set of recessed lights by the stove and pantry. Logically the new light switch should be together with the island down lights. Therefore, I would like to reconfigure the junction boxes as follows:

Left junction box:
Kitchen island overhead down lights
New recessed lights

Right junction box:
Kitchen counter recessed lights
Kitchen sink disposer

A new junction box to the far right:
GFCI outlet

The problem with this is, I need to pass wires for the counter recessed lights in the left junction box to the right junction box. Right now they are not connected, separated by a wall stud. I cannot move either boxes because there are too many conduits connected to it, and have wires that run continuous through.

Any idea how to do that? I know I can pop a new hole on the top side of either box, run a romex from one to the other, by drilling a small hole in the stud. Is this what I should do? So far, I have not deviated from using conduits anywhere yet.

Another question is, I can use the same circuit for this new light right? I can just take the hot and neutral going to the island down light, before it goes into the switch, use a wire nut to split out another line. Can I do that?

Also, is it OK for both sets of lights to share the same neutral?
 
  #2  
Old 04-10-11, 07:26 PM
J
Banned. Rule And/Or Policy Violation
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: KS
Posts: 1,655
Upvotes: 0
Received 1 Upvote on 1 Post
Given you already have conduit, I would just run a piece of smurf tube between them. You can also use smurf to run to your new box. That way you'll be able to keep running THHN in the proper colors.

If it is the same circuit, yes. If it is two circuits they can share a neutral ONLY if they are part of a MWBC. The breakers have to be on opposite stabs (one red, one black) otherwise you can overload the neutral.

I know that's an old pic because I've seen it before. But if you haven't done so already, for god's sake get rid of those unterminated flappy tails of wire coming off the device terminals. They are unsafe and they look like poo. Doing the feed through loop is one thing when it actually goes somewhere, but those are just dumb. I also hope you found time to re-pull that red that got all mangled.
 
  #3  
Old 04-10-11, 07:28 PM
Tolyn Ironhand's Avatar
Group Moderator
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: United States
Posts: 14,329
Received 877 Upvotes on 740 Posts
Originally Posted by MiamiCuse
Any idea how to do that? I know I can pop a new hole on the top side of either box, run a romex from one to the other, by drilling a small hole in the stud. Is this what I should do? So far, I have not deviated from using conduits anywhere yet.
That would be the easiest. There is nothing wrong with Romex.

Originally Posted by MiamiCuse
Another question is, I can use the same circuit for this new light right? I can just take the hot and neutral going to the island down light, before it goes into the switch, use a wire nut to split out another line. Can I do that?
If the circuit has the capacity for the additional load, then yes, that is fine.

Originally Posted by MiamiCuse
Also, is it OK for both sets of lights to share the same neutral?
If they are fed from the same circuit, or multi-wire circuit, than that is fine.
 
  #4  
Old 04-10-11, 07:59 PM
M
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Florida
Posts: 1,631
Received 7 Upvotes on 6 Posts
Originally Posted by JerseyMatt
Given you already have conduit, I would just run a piece of smurf tube between them. You can also use smurf to run to your new box. That way you'll be able to keep running THHN in the proper colors.
When you say "smurf" tube you mean a short piece? I cannot do that because the stud is in the way, and I can't move either box out of the way to drill the stud because there are multiple conduits tying into each box with wires running through them.

I tried to fix that red wire that was all mangled up, I even thought about cutting the conduit with the red higher up, and putting in a junction box above it just to have a new piece of wire to tie into that red wire. Problem is I have a brown and a blue wire that came through that conduit that goes somewhere else. The only way I can take apart that box, is to cut about 4 wires that are just passing through, and three of them had no slack at all, they came down via one conduit and goes right up another.

Yes u r right these are old photos so I have fixed the "loose ends" already.
 
  #5  
Old 04-10-11, 08:19 PM
J
Banned. Rule And/Or Policy Violation
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: KS
Posts: 1,655
Upvotes: 0
Received 1 Upvote on 1 Post
Smurf tube is the blue plastic flexible stuff (its real name is ENT -Electrical Nonmetallic Tubing). You could also use FMC (flexible metal conduit), which looks similar to the old BX if you don't want to use plastic, but the blue stuff is much easier to work with. Just drill through the stud above or below the box and loop it just like you would Romex.

If there's only those 3 wires in the 1/2" conduit, you should have plenty of room to attach new wire to the old and just pull it through.
 
  #6  
Old 04-10-11, 08:20 PM
Tolyn Ironhand's Avatar
Group Moderator
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: United States
Posts: 14,329
Received 877 Upvotes on 740 Posts
Originally Posted by MiamiCuse
When you say "smurf" tube you mean a short piece? I cannot do that because the stud is in the way, .
By smurf tube he is talking about ENT. Electrical non-metallic tubing which is blue. You could also use 1/2" flexable metal conduit. Just drill through the stud. It is done all the time.
 
  #7  
Old 04-11-11, 06:38 PM
Justin Smith's Avatar
Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Cressona, Pa, USA
Posts: 2,272
Upvotes: 0
Received 1 Upvote on 1 Post
I personally would fmc, if you have metal conduit, it is smart to stay with metal.
 
 

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
 
Ask a Question
Question Title:
Description:
Your question will be posted in: