Electrical – I am going to install a ceiling light.

electricalwiring

Our bedroom doesn't have an existing ceiling light. The switch controls the top plug in an outlet on the other side of the room for the lamp. I have been up in the attic already and can see the wire crossing the trusses and dropping down into the other wall. I want to keep the power at the outlet and splice in a connection for a fixture in the middle of the room. I am a construction plumber and have the tools I need, but need to know how to splice wire together properly. I've done other minor electrical work around our home but if anyone knows of anything else that might help, I'd like to know it. Thanks.
Shane

Best Answer

The problem with answering this is we don't know how it is wired.

  • If the hot enters the switch and leaves as a three-wire that switches the outlet with the red then it is it just a matter of cutting the wire in the attic, installing two junction boxes and reconnecting. Then feeding out of one of the junction boxes to the new light off the red, white and green.
  • If the hot enters the outlet first and leaves as a two-wire (switch leg/loop) to the switch, then all you have in the attic is a switched hot with no neutral. This is not good because the new light requires the switched hot plus a neutral.
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