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Thread: Need input on light installation

  1. #1

    Need input on light installation

    I'm having a little problem installing a pendant light and am wondering if anyone has any ideas. There's a rough-in for a light and/or ceiling fan in my kitchen. I decided to install a pendant light. Bought an inexpensive one that my wife likes a lot. When I took off the cover over the rough-in, I discovered that the electrician had installed a saddle junction box (I think that is the term after a little searching). In case I have the term wrong, it's a plastic box that straddles a 2 x 4 which was installed between two joists. I suspect this is a good idea in most cases because it's very secure to structure. However, the light I have to install has a bracket which is supposed to screw to the box with the cord for the pendant running through the middle of the bracket. The problem is that, when snugged up, there isn't enough room for the wire coming through the bracket. It would have to make a right angle turn and there is a small nut on the wire which is designed to hold the wire at the selected length. It's not even close to enough room to accommodate the wire and the nut (let alone the excess wire after adjusting the length but that's another issue I could deal with if needed). The junction box is pretty much flush with the drywall and the cover piece from the light is not deep enough for a lot of flexibility. I'm not sure if I'm describing this clearly enough but I'll add a photo of what a saddle junction box looks like in case it helps.

    I can't figure how to install this light or any similarly designed one. I can't access it from above as it is not below an attic or crawl space. The only thing that I can think of that would work would be to notch out the center of the saddle. Despite the fact that the light is not heavy at all, that seems like a bad idea. Or at least not an easy task.

    Does anyone have any ideas? Does this even make any sense to anyone?

  2. #2
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    Is there any way you can add a short extension to the straddle box to increase the space available?

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
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  3. #3
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    It is normal for a ceiling junction box to be flush with the face of the dry wall. Your fixture should allow for that. As far as wiring goes, with that type of box you would stuff the wires up into each side. There should be enough room to do that. With12 ga wire, it helps to kink the wire into a zig zag prior to pushing it up into the box. If the 3/8" threaded tube for holding the cover on the fixture isn't long enough, you can buy longer lengths at any good hardware store. A photo of your light fixture attachment would be useful.
    Lee Schierer
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  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Koepke View Post
    Is there any way you can add a short extension to the straddle box to increase the space available?
    jtk
    A plain block, finished to match the ceiling or the fixture will add enough depth to add the aforementioned extension ring, available at almost any big box or hardware store.
    http://www.blocklighting.com/images/...rge/184434.jpg
    184434.jpg
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  5. #5
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    Another idea would be to make a piece of trim, either really simple or more elaborate like a ceiling medallion to space the fixture downward 3/4".


  6. #6
    Matt literally read my mind as I was reading the post lol. 8" square block of wood, edge detail to your liking. 4" hole in the middle, and you have a nice mounting accent to your install.

  7. #7
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    Can you remove the saddle box, notch out the 2x4 the same height as the extension ( a hole saw and chisel or oscillating multi tool should do it easily) and reinstall the saddle box with the extension flush with the ceiling? The 2x4 will be weaker but 3/4" or so won't weaken it enough to be a problem. This should give you room for the wiring without changing the appearance of the light fixture.

  8. #8
    Thanks for all the replies and ideas. I came up with a solution that seems to have worked pretty well. I replaced the threaded rod through which the wire runs. I replaced the screws for attaching the bracket with 2 1/2" pan head screws and used 1/2" steel spacers to run the screws through. This gave me enough room or the wires. The screws are long enough that the go through the junction box into the 2 x 4 to which it is mounted. I'm not sure I would attach a ceiling fan to this but it seems more than solid enough for a light, especially since said light is, well, light.

    Thanks again for all the ideas.
    Last edited by Tom Porter; 08-17-2017 at 8:29 PM.

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