Question:
Can I remove wires that run a light switch from a safety box, remove the light switch, and drywall back over that hole?

Situation:
In our Family room we have a 3 section safety box with a flat plastic panel cover the panel is just there to cover the wires. This was done to accommodate the Entertainment center the previous owners had. The previous owners moved the light switch, that is connected to the ceiling light in the center of the room, to the other side of the wall - in the laundry room. What they did was wire nut the cables together and put them to another safety box. So now to turn on our family room light we have to go into the laundry room, behind the door and switch on the light. I would like to put that light switch back in the Family room again other side of the wall. So basically removing the wires going to the box in the laundry room. I would then like to dry wall over it instead of putting another plastic panel there.

 

So there will not be any wires in the laundry room switch box any longer? If so, then I believe you could drywall over this. That said, you would be best served to remove the box, since it should have been installed to be about even with the inside the room edge of the drywall.

 

correct there will be nothing in that box. I was thinking about pulling that out too..

thanx

 

If there's nothing in the box, you can cover it up, but it's best to remove it. It also makes patching the drywall easier.

 

Understand that you may not just push the cables out of the box but they MUST either go into another (always accessible) electrical box OR be disconnected and removed from the other end of the cable as well.

 

If all the wires are totally removed from the box, and the wall, remove the box and patch the wall.

 

Framing Guy Wrote: Cables do not need to be removed from in the wall if they are disconnected on both ends and rendered incapable of being reconnected by either cutting off at the point they enter a box or they are pushed out of the box into the wall cavity.

 

I concede to your expert "opinion".

 

Thanx all - I pulled out the box and the wire that went there. Re-drywalled over and painted. I ended up getting a 3 piece wall plate from HD that snaps together to cover the other side with the switch (center has the switch and 2 blank ones on ether side). Didn't know you could do that. I'm sure a one piece solid wall plate would look better, but this isn't so bad for now..

On to the next project.