A Curious Question About Wiring
October 25, 2014 3:57 PM Subscribe
I discovered this week that the closet light in my new home is wired in a questionable way, and I need to know if this is a problem.
What was done was this:
- A regular two-pronged extension cord had the end cut off, on the non-two-pronged end.
- The extension cord was run through a hole in the the wall into the closet.
- The newly-decapitated end was attached to a pull-chain wall-mounted light fixture, with one half of the wire on one terminal and the other half on the other. I am presuming that each half corresponds to one of the prongs.
- The pronged end is plugged into an outlet outside of the closet.
The light with the pull chain works fine, but this still seems weird to me. It this safe? Do I need to worry about this?
Thanks, as always.
What was done was this:
- A regular two-pronged extension cord had the end cut off, on the non-two-pronged end.
- The extension cord was run through a hole in the the wall into the closet.
- The newly-decapitated end was attached to a pull-chain wall-mounted light fixture, with one half of the wire on one terminal and the other half on the other. I am presuming that each half corresponds to one of the prongs.
- The pronged end is plugged into an outlet outside of the closet.
The light with the pull chain works fine, but this still seems weird to me. It this safe? Do I need to worry about this?
Thanks, as always.
Best answer: Well, its definitely a violation of the electrical code -- fishing an extension cord through the wall, no electrical box. Will it burn down your house tomorrow? Probably not.
What you can do is unplug it and replace it with something like this battery powered LED closet light.
posted by JackFlash at 4:10 PM on October 25, 2014 [2 favorites]
What you can do is unplug it and replace it with something like this battery powered LED closet light.
posted by JackFlash at 4:10 PM on October 25, 2014 [2 favorites]
Nthing cmm and JackFlash, who both type faster than I do. On the one hand, re is it safe and do you need to worry: probably yes it is safe enough and probably no you don't need to specifically worry. Assuming it's a standard fixture, what's happening electricity-wise is essentially the same thing that happens on all of your other lights -- a couple of wires connect that fixture to the electrical grid in your house. A typical light fixture, the kind that takes a bog-standard light bulb, doesn't do anything else but connect to those wires, it's just that the connections are usually made inside the wall. As long as there are no wires actually exposed in a way that could contribute to a fire or electrical shock hazard, you probably don't need to stay up at night worrying about it. Maybe feel the extension cord at the socket and where it comes out of the wall -- does it get hot? If so, then it could be a fire hazard and you should probably keep it unplugged except where you specifically need to use the light.
On the other hand: it is kind of weird, yes. If this is new construction, the code inspectors should have definitely given it some serious side-eye. It sounds like an afterthought, like somebody forgot to run the necessary wiring into the closet. It's more like the kind of thing you see in older homes or apartments where someone realizes they want a light in the closet but the necessary bits aren't there so they improvise. An electrician can probably run some wires for a more legitimate solution in there in an hour or two, though there'll need to be another hole or two poked in the wall so you'll need a little drywall/finishing work after. Or go with a battery-powered solution like JackFlash suggests. Or leave it, if it's not bothering you too much and you don't need the outside outlet for anything else.
(Of course I'm not an electrician, and none of us are your electrician. If you're at all concerned about it, having a professional size it up would be the smart thing to do.)
posted by Two unicycles and some duct tape at 4:20 PM on October 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
On the other hand: it is kind of weird, yes. If this is new construction, the code inspectors should have definitely given it some serious side-eye. It sounds like an afterthought, like somebody forgot to run the necessary wiring into the closet. It's more like the kind of thing you see in older homes or apartments where someone realizes they want a light in the closet but the necessary bits aren't there so they improvise. An electrician can probably run some wires for a more legitimate solution in there in an hour or two, though there'll need to be another hole or two poked in the wall so you'll need a little drywall/finishing work after. Or go with a battery-powered solution like JackFlash suggests. Or leave it, if it's not bothering you too much and you don't need the outside outlet for anything else.
(Of course I'm not an electrician, and none of us are your electrician. If you're at all concerned about it, having a professional size it up would be the smart thing to do.)
posted by Two unicycles and some duct tape at 4:20 PM on October 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
There's stuff like this in the houses of several people i know. Will it burn your house down? probably not.
An important thing though that hasn't been mentioned yet, is if it ever is a problem this just screams something your homeowners insurance would go "lol nope" at and try and fuck you over on.
If it's a rental though, meh, it's the landlords problem. If it bothers you unplug it and get a decent LED light.
posted by emptythought at 4:28 PM on October 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
An important thing though that hasn't been mentioned yet, is if it ever is a problem this just screams something your homeowners insurance would go "lol nope" at and try and fuck you over on.
If it's a rental though, meh, it's the landlords problem. If it bothers you unplug it and get a decent LED light.
posted by emptythought at 4:28 PM on October 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
I learned last year that exposed light bulbs in closets are a no-no, so that is probably why someone had rigged their own in there. I had asked my contractor to put a light in my closet and was told he couldn't as it wouldn't be up to code if it was exposed. I opted for the battery operated one and it works fine. The batteries last a while because the light is really only on for a few minutes a day.
posted by NoraCharles at 7:23 PM on October 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by NoraCharles at 7:23 PM on October 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
If this is new construction, the code inspectors should have definitely given it some serious side-eye.
This isn't even close to being up to code. There is no independent ground, the wires are exposed and not protected, and the wire gauge is almost certainly not what's specified for permanent wiring. But, as others have said, the codes are very conservative. So long as the only thing this is running is a single bulb, there is no exposed metal on the fixture, and the wire is not subject to physical abrasion or other insult, it probably isn't really dangerous. But those conditions have a way of changing, which is why the codes are written the way they are.
posted by mr vino at 7:40 PM on October 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
This isn't even close to being up to code. There is no independent ground, the wires are exposed and not protected, and the wire gauge is almost certainly not what's specified for permanent wiring. But, as others have said, the codes are very conservative. So long as the only thing this is running is a single bulb, there is no exposed metal on the fixture, and the wire is not subject to physical abrasion or other insult, it probably isn't really dangerous. But those conditions have a way of changing, which is why the codes are written the way they are.
posted by mr vino at 7:40 PM on October 25, 2014 [1 favorite]
A keyed fixture like that isn't going to have a ground so the two prong plug at least isn't dangerous but this is something you should remove or at least unplug immediately as it is a significant fire hazard (both for the exposed bulb lamp socket and for the cord run through the wall). And while the battery operated light is a good option another option would be to get an electrician to fish a wire to a safe fixture and install the fixture in a couple hours. They can also rig it to turn on when the door is opened though I'd guess your landlord is going to balk at paying for that.
posted by Mitheral at 7:54 PM on October 25, 2014
posted by Mitheral at 7:54 PM on October 25, 2014
If the light fitting really is a fire hazard, replace it with a non-hazardous fitting. Replacing the bulb with a quick start CFL would be a good starting point.
posted by GeeEmm at 2:15 PM on October 26, 2014
posted by GeeEmm at 2:15 PM on October 26, 2014
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It may not be that expensive for an electrician to do that work for real, depending on what other wiring is available around it.
posted by cmm at 4:07 PM on October 25, 2014