Meets Code?

[Mark Blatter]

Trying to get an outside light hooked up and my electrician is buried on a project. From what he said, I think this meets code, but not 100% sure. There is no way to put the box on the back of the light fixture itself, so am running all wires into a box that will have a cover on it and be accessible from the inside of the shop. The light is an LED that pulls half an amp, but I don't think that is relevant. And yes, the wires will be attached to the studs using staples, set back about 2" in from the surface. The box sits immediately above the door header.

Thanks

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[John Lanciani]

Absolutely not. The individual stranded wires are not rated or approved to be exposed outside of an assembly or enclosure. You need to install a pancake box (4” round 1/2” deep) behind the fixture and run NM-B to it. The light also needs to be attached to a box to be code compliant, you can’t just screw it to the side of your building unless that is specifically how the manufacturer instructs it to be installed.

[Todd Mason-Darnell]

I am not an electrician, but I am fairly sure that the THHN wire (the leaders from the fixture) cannot be exposed--they need to be in a conduit.

[Mark Blatter]

Yeah, I thought it seemed too easy.

Thanks for the replies.

[Mark Blatter]

I am confused by one thing. The light says it is 'suitable for outdoor locations' which it should be since it is an outdoor light. However, there is no seal or gasket in the box at all. Nor does the instructions show putting one on. I thought that anything that is exposed to the elements had to be sealed? It shows it just being screwed, with small bolts, to a metal ring, which is then bolted to an electrical box. How can that work and meet code?

[Julie Moriarty]

Take the individual wires out and replace them with a piece of romex. Outside should be sealed to keep out rain.