Changing receptacle location and use

I have a receptacle in a closet that I really have no use for. This is directly adjacent to the access for my attic, which I have no light in. Can I remove the receptacle and use the wiring to wire in a pull chain light fixture in my attic? Also the few pull chain lights I did browse were rated at 250V, as in heavy appliance power? Didn't understand that.

 

No need to remove the whole thing, box and all. Just use the box as a junction box and add a blank cover over the old receptacle.
250V is the max voltage it's rated for. It will work fine on a 120 volt circuit.
Do not just have the wire hanging in the air from the top plate to the place your going to add the light.
You will need to add a 2 X 4 to attach the wiring to with wire staples.

 

You will need an octagon box and what is known as a keyed lamp holder by old time electricians. They only cost a couple of bucks.




Lamp Holder Fixture - AZ Partsmaster

Usually the cable is stapled to the stud so it can't be pulled up. However if you can find where it comes through the top plate you can cut it there leaving yourself some extra to work with, fasten a switch box or hexagon box to the top plate* and run new cable to the light. 12-2 NM-b if 20 amp breaker or 14-2 if 15 amp breaker.

That was the maximum voltage rating for the fixture not the voltage it operates at.

* If there are two cables in the receptacle box they will have to be spliced together in the new attic junction box. You could also keep the existing receptacle "hot" but that would probably require two junction boxes.

 

Yup thats it! Thanks for the help.

 

Just wanted to clarify something Ray, the box shown is for my cable splice right? I'll need a round ceiling box for the light fixture as well, correct?

 

The box shown will be for the light. The splice will originate where the receptacle is.

 

Maybe I should clarify. The receptacle is, if this is the correct terminology, at the end of the circuit. There are only 2 wires on it. I was wanting to just disconnect and remove the receptacle, then use that cable in the attic to power the new light. Because of the location of the old cable I thought I would trim the existing cable from the old receptacle, add a new jbox, then run new cable from that jbox to wherever I mount the light. That's where I got two boxes.

 

And as I previously replied: So you can use octagon boxes in both places*. The splice box would have a blank cover. Assuming the cable to the receptacle contains a ground wire (ungrounded circuits can't be extended) if metal boxes are used the grounds are tied together and pigtailed to each box.

*A switch box could be used for the splice box in the attic but octagons are more traditional in attics and have more room for connections. Octagons are used for the light fixture.

 

Gotcha. This through me off for a sec. Thanks again.