Replacing Emergency Lights in Office - Question about Wiring

[Cai24]

I have a small office, and I am replacing the emergency lights. The existing ones were old, and I just wanted something new and modern. Upon removing the existing unit, I noticed that the original electrician cut a small hole in the drywall (above the box). It looks like he fed the wires into this space, so that he could mount the emergency lights higher. Is this allowed? I would mount my new lights lower, but then you will see this hole in the wall. Worst case, I can always repair the drywall. If you look closely in the picture, you can see that there is some type of steel stud running horizontally. This goes in front of the box, and I guess that's why the hole was cut. I just want to do whatever is correct and complies with code. One other question...In both the new and old unit, there is no clamp, push-in connector, or bushing in the knockout. Is one required? It doesn't appear to be a standard size, and a 3/8" clamp is slightly too small. Thank you in advance for any advice.

 

[Cacher_Chick]

All wire connections must be made inside of a listed box. With NM wire, if the box has cable clamps, the cable must be fastened to structure within 12 inches of the box. Plastic boxes which no not have cable clamps must have the cable fastened within 9 inches of the box.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Stuff]

Assume these are 120 volt lights. All connections are to be in a box. Hopefully that piece of steel is part of the box and just needs a box extension. Otherwise you might be tearing down walls.
If light is mounted in front of box you don't need a connector. What they did with the groove properly would require a cover over the box hole, then a cable or conduit to the light and in that case would require a connector.

 

[Cai24]

I should have been more descriptive in my post. These are emergency lights with battery backup, the kind you see in an office. They go on in the event the power goes out. From what I understand, the NEC permits connections inside of these units. I've attached a picture. When I took the old ones down, I realized that the electrician used the groove to route the wires through to the emergency lights. In the picture, you can see the knockout for the wires. My question is...Are the wires allowed to run this groove? Does the knockout hole have to be directly over the electrical box?

On a side note, it seems like the electrical box is in a terrible position. It is not flush with the drywall and is partially behind the steel stud in the wall. This is original to when the office was built, so I'm amazed that this was acceptable.

 

[Stuff]

Not acceptable. Box needs to be flush with drywall or at most 1/4" back.
Wires not allowed in a grove.
Knockout hole has to be directly over box so wires are always protected by a box, fixture, or conduit. If wires are part of a cable (not stripped back) it might have been OK.

 

[Cai24]

Not acceptable. Box needs to be flush with drywall or at most 1/4" back.
Wires not allowed in a grove.
Knockout hole has to be directly over box so wires are always protected by a box, fixture, or conduit. If wires are part of a cable (not stripped back) it might have been OK.

I'd love to know how this passed inspection. The unit was built 25 years ago, but I imagine it wasn't compliant then. Never easy!

 

[Cacher_Chick]

I have installed many wall-mounted lights such as those which go over a bath mirror which come only with the wire leads hanging out the back of the fixture. They are not made to mount to any electrical box, which sometimes leads one to do the best they can with what is available.

 

[WorthFlorida]

Why do they needed to be lowered? The mouse ear light fixture can be mounted with the lights on the bottom or upside down. A few years ago I looked into emergency lighting requirements. I could never find anything on mounting location or luminescence (how much light) is required.

 

[Jadnashua]

If the item is rated for direct wiring connections, it doesn't need a box - it essentially is its own box. Generally, it needs to be a rated enclosure to ensure the user is protected from the line voltage and prevent sparks from igniting something should there be a problem.

 

[Stuff]

I have installed many wall-mounted lights such as those which go over a bath mirror which come only with the wire leads hanging out the back of the fixture. They are not made to mount to any electrical box, which sometimes leads one to do the best they can with what is available.

If UL listed then they do mount to a box. Sometimes it takes a bit of head scratching, though.

 

[WorthFlorida]

When a electrical box is not flush to the finish wall, electrical box extenders can be used. They come in various depths. The purpose is to minimize fire and smoke from the wiring to getting up inside wall.