Light Fixture Without Junction Box

ChuckEA

A customer asked me to replace a hanging light fixture attached to a barrel ceiling. When I removed the trim cover, instead of finding a junction box, the lamp cord ran straight through the drywall into the attic. When I went to the attic I found the lamp cord running through one of the 2x4s which form the barrel and then connected directly to the Romex with wire nuts. To make matters worse, the Romex and lamp cord was just buried in the insulation and wasn't even stapled to the floor joists. What's the best way to correct this? Can I just mount a junction box above where the lamp cord penetrates the ceiling; running the lamp cord into that and then connect to the Romex? I don't think I can cut any of the 2x4s since they form the structure of the ceiling. TIA

Speedy Petey

You MUST run the romex into a box on the finish side of the ceiling. Hopefully you can cut it in so the opening is flush like a typical box. If not you can use a pancake box mounted on the ceiling surface.

Then you can go out and find the original installer and have him beaten.

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RobertWilber

It sounds like the romex ends too far away from where the lampcord enters the attic to simply terminate it in a box above the fixture.
You will need to install a junction box and extend the nm cable to a second junction box above the light. Alternatively, I have recently seen some approved nm cable splice device which is allowed to be concealed [I don't know that I care for this all that much ...]
No matter the case, though, you need to terminate the lampcord above the fixture in a junction box, as Speedy Petey says.

ChuckEA

Thanks guys. I think I'll have enough Romex to run through the nipple and with just an extra bit of luck the cover plate will be deep enough to cover a pancake box.