I am removing an old flourescent lighting system from bedrooms in an older house. There is lots of old wiring in the house. Took down one of the flourescent boxes today and found NM-type wiring coming out of the wall to the fixture. The wiring was one white and one black insulated but no ground.

I want to replace the flourescent light with a track light system (or maybe a surface mount, not sure yet).

But I wondering if I (or, in all likelihood, an electrician, b/c I'm not sure I could do that) need to rewire from junction box and replace the NM wiring with NM-B?

(Also, the junction box appears to be a good 10 to 15 feet away from where the wiring attached to the fixture, if that sounds possible, but I could be wrong -- there is definitely no junction box right by where the wiring was attaching to the unit previously.)

 

Many fluorescent lights used the wiring compartment to contain the splice instead of a separate junction box.

The older ungrounded wiring should not be extended.

 

Thanks.... So if I switch to a track system do I need to install a junction box of some sort to contain the connections? Is that what you are suggesting?

Also, can I just use the NM wiring that is there in place or is it inadvisable to do so without replacing this wiring with NM-B type wiring?

 

The new wiring would need to be grounded which cannot be done with the current cables.

There are end feeds for track that do not require a junction box. Other styles of track feeds need a box.

 

Thanks (again). So I need to get an end feed style track lighting system, and with those it is safe to make the connection outside of a junction box? That sounds good.

But then there is the issue of the ground. The unit is very high up -- on a very high ceiling so I was thinking of just going as-is with no ground since almost nobody would ever be able to reach that high it seemed like a safe-enough bet rather than rewiring (plus I am pretty sure that the circuit this lighting is on does not have a ground anyway, so a ground would require a whole new circuit -- like I said, old house). But is my thinking wrong here? Is no ground a big no-no here?

 

Some manufacturers, perhaps not all, have a connector block that will fit in the middle of a run. Track>connector<track. They will take a type NM clamp in the "back" side.

IF you need to lengthen the existing cable then you must go all the way back to a grounded circuit or junction box. If you are able to make your connections with the original cable then it is acceptable, but definitely not preferable. Your LOCAL code and/or inspector may demand new cable back to a grounded circuit under any circumstance. This is a matter of code enforcement as whether or not an equipment ground is present will have no bearing on the actual operation of the lamps.

 

Fluorescent lights typically require,a,ground to ensure proper operation.

 

PC, he/she is removing a fluorescent fixture and replacing with track lighting. I have never seen a CFL that required an equipment grounding conductor and CFLs are the only kind of fluorescents that would be used in track lighting.