Can I Splice a Wire to Move a Light Fixture?

Junction Boxes

• A junction box is a receptacle that houses the electrical connections for a light fixture or electrical outlet. While the junction box is often embedded in a wall or the ceiling, it is a legal requirement in many jurisdictions to have the junction box accessible at all times. Most junction boxes meet this requirement by having a removable outlet cover, fixture cover or junction box panel attached to the junction box by means of removable retaining screws.

Moving a Junction Box

• Some surfaces – such as a sheet-rock wall or ceiling – may be altered to accommodate moving the junction box by a few inches. After shutting off the power to the circuit, you can remove the light fixture. You can then cut a hole through the wall face that is a few inches away from the original location. You will need to remove the junction box from the wall by unscrewing it from the interior wall studs. This junction box may be reinstalled into the hole in the new location after you route the circuit wiring into the new hole in the wall. You would then route the wiring through the junction box knockout hole and reinstall the light fixture by splicing the light fixture wiring back into the circuit.

Circuit Extensions

• If an existing light fixture junction box is so embedded as to not be removable, it is possible to mount a second junction box – one made of metal – on top of the first junction box to extend the circuit. After you shut off the power to the circuit, you can remove the light fixture from the first junction box. You would then be able to route the circuit wiring from the first junction box into the second junction box by inserting the wires through a knockout hole in the second junction box. To extend the circuit, you would need to attach a metal conduit to both the second junction box and a third junction box. Electrical wire that reaches from the second electrical box to the third electrical box must be installed through the conduit, and this wire would be spliced to both the light fixture wiring and to the original circuit wiring.

Other Considerations

• Moving a junction box too far away from the original location may not leave enough slack in the circuit wiring to properly reconnect the light fixture. Before cutting any new holes in the wall, verify that the circuit wiring will reach the new location and have several inches of slack available. When extending a circuit, use junction boxes that are large enough to accommodate the wire splices as well as the wire nuts at the end of each splice.