Best way to run lighting on a wooden deck?

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Eddy Current

Senior Member
Ive got a friend that is selling his house and the inspector said the lights he put on his deck need to be in conduit, what hes done is jumped of a light that was on the side of his house and rand what looks like thick underground type romex under his deck and then come up the sides of the posts and up into the center of two lights around his deck. I told him that sealtight would be the easiest way does anybody else have any ideas. The look some thing like this.


Aurora-Titan-Deck-Lights-At-The-Deck-Store-Online.jpg
 

hbiss

EC, Westchester, New York NEC: 2014
Location
Hawthorne, New York NEC: 2014
Occupation
EC
Yeah, Sealtite is going to look real good on a deck post. And I don't know how you would transition out into the bottom of the Sealtite and out again into the fixture. What box would you use? Best thing he could do is just remove the lights and throw them away as long as he is going to sell the house. The wiring for those lights is supposed to go down through the post and out under the deck. If he has wood 4x4s get your auger bit and extension out and aim real good!

Those look to be LV lights. Makes it easier.

What inspector?

-Hal
 

oldsparky52

Senior Member
If this is a physical damage concern, could you take a 2x4 and route a grove for the wire and then cover it? It would possibly look better than sealtight or conduit.

Oh yea, I would fasten it with screws and not nails.
 

growler

Senior Member
Location
Atlanta,GA
Ive got a friend that is selling his house and the inspector said the lights he put on his deck need to be in conduit, what hes done is jumped of a light that was on the side of his house and rand what looks like thick underground type romex under his deck and then come up the sides of the posts and up into the center of two lights around his deck. I told him that sealtight would be the easiest way does anybody else have any ideas. They look some thing like this.

Best thing he could do is just remove the lights and throw them away as long as he is going to sell the house.

I have just removed a lot of old exterior light fixtures for home inspection reports and it does seem to work.

If the owner wishes to keep the lights then seal tight will work, it doesn't need to be the best looking thing in the world just another gig that can be written off.
 

growler

Senior Member
Location
Atlanta,GA
Ive got a friend that is selling his house and the inspector said the lights he put on his deck need to be in conduit.

Is this a home inspector that said it requires conduit?

The picture shown is ​not of the actual lights installed.

Homeowners often don't do a very professional looking job of it when they install fixtures and the home inspectors notice it right off.
 

Eddy Current

Senior Member
Yeah, Sealtite is going to look real good on a deck post. And I don't know how you would transition out into the bottom of the Sealtite and out again into the fixture. What box would you use? Best thing he could do is just remove the lights and throw them away as long as he is going to sell the house. The wiring for those lights is supposed to go down through the post and out under the deck. If he has wood 4x4s get your auger bit and extension out and aim real good!

Those look to be LV lights. Makes it easier.

What inspector?

-Hal


Home inspector, I told him it wouldn't look good
 

Mystic Pools

Senior Member
Location
Park Ridge, NJ
Occupation
Swimming Pool Contractor
I'm in the beginning phase of build a new deck off my house and was wondering the same thing.

Is there an outdoor rated wire mold/raceway? Is that acceptable?
I was thinking of doing low voltage lighting but the curved pergola I have planned was to include an outdoor rated ceiling fan with line voltage.
 

hbiss

EC, Westchester, New York NEC: 2014
Location
Hawthorne, New York NEC: 2014
Occupation
EC
Since you are building it yourself you have the advantage of getting creative with the carpentry and construction to conceal the wiring. Don't wait until after it's finished and then try to figure out how to run wiring.

For instance, you may be able to route out a channel in a post or framing member to conceal UF then cover it with thinner material. Low voltage lighting is your friend also.

-Hal
 

oldsparky52

Senior Member
Since you are building it yourself you have the advantage of getting creative with the carpentry and construction to conceal the wiring. Don't wait until after it's finished and then try to figure out how to run wiring.

For instance, you may be able to route out a channel in a post or framing member to conceal UF then cover it with thinner material. Low voltage lighting is your friend also.

-Hal

+1

And with LED lighting, the voltage drop is much easier to deal with.
 

Eddy Current

Senior Member
What is the code for running open romex on trusses under a porch like you would in a garage basement, the inspector is saying it needs to be in conduit but the porch is on the second story of the house so underneath the porch is tall
 

hbiss

EC, Westchester, New York NEC: 2014
Location
Hawthorne, New York NEC: 2014
Occupation
EC
If it's outside it should be UF not Romex. Have you got that right?? As long as it is UF I wouldn't think it would be subject to damage where it is so I don't see the need for conduit. If it really is Romex it can't be there at all.

This is a home inspector so tell him to p*** off!

-Hal
 

Mystic Pools

Senior Member
Location
Park Ridge, NJ
Occupation
Swimming Pool Contractor
Since you are building it yourself you have the advantage of getting creative with the carpentry and construction to conceal the wiring. Don't wait until after it's finished and then try to figure out how to run wiring.

For instance, you may be able to route out a channel in a post or framing member to conceal UF then cover it with thinner material. Low voltage lighting is your friend also.

-Hal

Thanks Hal. I was thinking the same thing.

I do have to plan extra carefully as the material I'm planning to use is Cumaru. It's a tropical hardwood very similar to Ipe, but about 40%
cheaper. It's a super hardwood that requires pre-drilling. Don't want to make any mistakes!!!:)

I'm not planning any post lights, just some lights under the handrail to keep it simple.
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
I'm in the beginning phase of build a new deck off my house and was wondering the same thing.

Is there an outdoor rated wire mold/raceway? Is that acceptable?
I was thinking of doing low voltage lighting but the curved pergola I have planned was to include an outdoor rated ceiling fan with line voltage.
If it is only being used as a sleeve for physical protection it doesn't need any kind of rating, just needs to have suitable strength for the application, which is a judgement call and may not get same call from one AHJ to another.
 

Mystic Pools

Senior Member
Location
Park Ridge, NJ
Occupation
Swimming Pool Contractor
If it is only being used as a sleeve for physical protection it doesn't need any kind of rating, just needs to have suitable strength for the application, which is a judgement call and may not get same call from one AHJ to another.

Physical protection partly, but mostly to hide the wiring. Trying to keep everything neat and clean.

Appreciate the response.
 

PaulMmn

Senior Member
Location
Union, KY, USA
Occupation
EIT - Engineer in Training, Lafayette College
What is the code for running open romex on trusses under a porch like you would in a garage basement, the inspector is saying it needs to be in conduit but the porch is on the second story of the house so underneath the porch is tall

Would mounting the UF on a running board satisfy The Inspector?
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
Physical protection partly, but mostly to hide the wiring. Trying to keep everything neat and clean.

Appreciate the response.
either way you are not using whatever it is as a raceway, you can run a cable wiring method in about anything and it doesn't need to be listed. If it is exposed you can always say it is providing additional physical protection, even if it isn't the toughest material out there, it is one more layer of something to have to go through before you damage the cable inside.
 
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