Many old houses don’t have wiring or electrical boxes attached to the room ceiling. And, the matter of concern is that you always need an electrical box to install a chandelier in your room. When you find yourself in a similar circumstance, you may consider hanging a chandelier without an electrical box.
In the case of a chandelier, you cannot directly install it without an electrical box. There are, however, some alternatives to this requirement. Today, we’ll discuss some of them.
Can You Really Hang A Chandelier Without An Electric Box?
Actually, it is impossible to install a chandelier without using an electrical box. Electrical boxes are sometimes referred to as junction boxes. This box is used to prevent electrical accidents and short circuits. And, it is important to realize that there is a law to ensure the use of an electrical box in many regions. So, you must use either an electrical box or an alternative to avoid both internal and external barriers.
The structure of any circuit allows wires to be spliced together when hanging a chandelier. And, the covered electrical box keeps the spliced connections inside to maintain the electrical balance and avoid accidents. Though you can’t practically hang a chandelier without such a type of box, sometimes you may not have any box near the spot of installation. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t install a chandelier in such cases. Rather, you can use some alternatives like a remodel junction box, surface mount box, etc., instead of a pre-installed electrical box.
Techniques Of Hanging A Chandelier Without Electrical Box
If it’s too late to install an electrical box on your ceiling, you still have several methods remaining in your hand. In these methods, you don’t need to rip off your wall or hurt any part of your room. Instead, you can externally handle the installation process of these alternatives. Without further due, let’s focus on the techniques now.
Buy A Specialized Chandelier
You’ll be glad to know that some chandeliers come with an in-built electrical or junction box in them. In that case, these chandeliers don’t require any additional electrical box to hang on the ceiling. For the same reason, you can install these chandeliers in your home where you don’t have a pre-installed electrical junction box available.
- You don’t need to perform any extra task to install a junction box attached chandelier. Specifically, set the hanging position for the chandelier and take the wire, which you need to connect to the electrical source.
- Then, directly feed the wire into the terminal box. Check for connections so that the current flow can run without any issue. Remember to use the clamp when you want to secure the wire inside the box.
- Next, use some wire staples to secure the cable to studs. If you want to feed the cable through your wall, you need to use a staple as near as possible of the hole. This thing ensures that the cable remains steadier.
- After confirming the electricity flow, screw the box closed and finish the installation process.
Use A Remodel Junction Box
According to the structure, a remodel junction box is not as powerful as a conventional electrical box. Instead, this plastic-made junction box can handle up to two connections only. And, the remodel box cannot stay that deep when compared to a regular box. However, you can install this box anywhere on your wall or ceiling. Only remember that, you cannot set this box in front of a stud. So, you should choose a place where the ceiling or wall doesn’t have a stud on the opposite side.
- First, arrange a screwdriver, a drywall saw, and a pencil to proceed. After arranging the necessary tools, locate the place where you want to install the junction box. Simply place the remodel box in that place.
- When putting the back of the box on the ceiling or wall, keep it in a leveled and straight position. Now, trace the outline of the box using the pencil and cut along that outline using the drywall saw.
- Remove the cutout from the ceiling or wall and take out the electrical cable through the hole. Not to mention, you need to feed the cables through the backside holes of the box. Then, push the back of the box through the ceiling hole to fit perfectly.
- After that, fix the screws from the front of the box. The pressure of tightening the screws will push the back of the box against the wall. Before tightening completely, tighten other screws at the same level to keep the balance on leveling.
- When you’ve fully tightened all the screws of the box, the box is also secured now. Now, you need to install the crossbar of the chandelier and connect the wires between the box and the crossbar. Then, you can complete the remodel junction box installation by securing the chandelier to that crossbar.
Use A Surface Mount Box
Usually, you cannot use a remodel junction box in outdoor places. Since you need an option to adjust a chandelier in an open area like entryways, screwing a surface mount on the siding can remove your tension. In that case, you should use an exterior supported box by following the manufacturer’s instructions.
Any box that supports the primary mechanism of using an electrical box can be used as an alternative. So, you can choose any surface mount box to work as a junction box for your chandelier. But, we recommend this only when you have issues with free space in your room.
Conclusion
Now, you’ve reached the end of this article. We have shared some techniques of hanging your chandelier without an electrical box. If you don’t have wiring or an electrical box on your ceiling, you can either buy a junction box with an attached chandelier or find an alternative. From the alternatives, the remodel junction box can serve you well for a maximum of two connections. On the other hand, you can use a surface mount box when you need an electrical box for installing a chandelier on the porch or entryways.
