Spotlight / Ground Wire / Nowhere to attach to?

I have a dilemma with a spotlight above my garage. The wood between the spotlight/bracket rotted and just hung down. I cut a new piece of wood and drilled a hole for the wires to come through. I noticed that there is the usual black and white wire coming out ot the house , but then noticed there is also a corded wire which is obviously the ground wire. Not sure where to put the ground wire coming from house as the metal bracket does not have anything attached to it to hold the ground wire. Anyone with any ideas? It must have been left without touching anything before which I believe is probably not good to have like that .

 

There should be a box to attach the light.

 

The black and white wires coing out of the house should be accompanied by another wire (usually bare) which is the ground wire or have come out of a metal box with a rigid metal conduit in which the wires ran, back to the electrical panel. The ground wire lead from the fixture would be attached to somewhere on the aforementioned metal, preferably a specific ground wire.

But, lacking such a ground wire, if yhou were replacing an old light fixture with a new ligh fixture, install a box (may be plastic) if none there already to hold the splices, connect up the black and white wires inside, mount the fixturk, and be done.

(There are a few other permutations of possibilities and metal obects, omitted here for brevity and otherwise overly time consuming brainstorming.)

 

Yes that is the problem, but there is no ground wire coming from the fixture . I need something to ground the ground wire coming out of the house. Not sure where to put the ground wire. I guess the fixture is older. Would change but other fixture on other side matches ( and can't take off to see other as it will be a big mess ) so trying to re-install this one. Just looking for ideas to ground the wire coming out of the house.

 

Usually there is an adapter plate called a fixture bar that connects the box to the fixture.
Do you have one of these ?



The ground can be attached to the bar.

 

Yea I know most newer fixtures have those brackets which I can just connect to bracket . This one does not and screw that goes into wood bracket is too small for a corded ground. Here is a photo. Any ideas appreciated.

 

You are showing an outdoor water tight fixture plate.
That plate is supposed to be put over an electrical box.

Since it's outside.... a weatherproof box is used. It has a place for the ground to be attached.

 

Looks like they skipped the box . Will have to get an electrician.

 

You can install the box yourself. The wire comes in the back and two screws fasten it to the surface.
If they just had the splice tucked behind the light..... that is incorrect.