I am restoring an old hanging light that is on the side of my porch in my 1926 bungalow. The light was originally wired with knob and tube but the house has since been updated. This one light required a little more effort to replace and was skipped during the update (rather than fix the old pendant light, they installed a porch light with a switch that attaches to the side of the house).

I would like to take out the side mount light and wire in the old refurbished pendant light.

The light had a lamp socket with the 2 old wires coming down a chain. I bought a replacement lamp socket and just need to figure out what size wire to connect to the switch already in place for the side mount light. The switch is on a 20amp circuit wired with12/3. The light is the only thing the switch will control. Someone told me I can use 18/2 lamp wire and wire nut it together with the 12/3. This doesn’t sound right. Isn’t the 18/2 too small for the circuit?

If not then, do I just wire it at the switch location? I was thinking of just running 12/3 to a junction box above the light and connecting the hot and neutral to the 18/2 and the ground (from the 12/3) to the Jbox. Will this work? Wiring at the switch will save me a Jbox though.

Thanks for your help.

 

I think I am being ignored. Is it too long?

I am just going to get a heavier gauge wire and go directly to the light. Thanks for nothing.