Installing vanity light

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jksmith82

Senior Member
Location
PA
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Electrical Contractor
Hi All,
I have a vanity light that I need to get installed tomorrow. My problem is there is a 3 inch PVC vent pipe in the same location. The wire was already roughed in and dry walled. The box must go there because the base of the vanity light is small. Unfortunately, the supply houses, around me, do not carry any shallow 4 inch round old work boxes. To get them online will take longer then the owner wants to wait. I was wondering if anyone had a different approach. It’s a long shot but I figured I’d ask. Thanks.

Jim
 
I've used a 1/2" pancake box for these problems. Depending upon just where the vent pipe center runs in relation to the j-box's centerline, and whether it sits tight to the back of the drywall or has a gap, you can use two strips of thin plywood as backers to mount the pan with screws short enough to not penetrate the vent.
 
jksmith82 said:
Hi All,
I have a vanity light that I need to get installed tomorrow. My problem is there is a 3 inch PVC vent pipe in the same location. The wire was already roughed in and dry walled. The box must go there because the base of the vanity light is small. Unfortunately, the supply houses, around me, do not carry any shallow 4 inch round old work boxes. To get them online will take longer then the owner wants to wait. I was wondering if anyone had a different approach. It’s a long shot but I figured I’d ask. Thanks.

Jim
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Screws for regular shallow box into vent pipe:D

Actually it isn't all that likely to leak. Seen cabinet mounting screws into sewer/vent pipes before that never leaked.
 
kwired said:
Screws for regular shallow box into vent pipe:D

Actually it isn't all that likely to leak. Seen cabinet mounting screws into sewer/vent pipes before that never leaked.
Click to expand...


I would love love to do that! other trades have bite me more then once. Haha

jim
 
Funny, I added on to my house and year ago. I roughed in the wire just as the OP. At trim, I cut out for the pop-in box and bingo, there was the vent pipe. Luckily I was able to use a pancake box. I did have to add a piece of 1" x for one of the screws. Then a little drywall repair & paint.
 
Craigv said:
I've used a 1/2" pancake box for these problems. Depending upon just where the vent pipe center runs in relation to the j-box's centerline, and whether it sits tight to the back of the drywall or has a gap, you can use two strips of thin plywood as backers to mount the pan with screws short enough to not penetrate the vent.
Click to expand...

Hi craigv,
That May work. But the bathroom has been painted as well. The contractor won’t be happy if he needs to patch or spackle. I was also think of putting ears on an old work shallow 4 inch. But that wouldn’t be UL rated.

Jim
 
jksmith82 said:
Hi craigv,
That May work. But the bathroom has been painted as well. The contractor won’t be happy if he needs to patch or spackle. I was also think of putting ears on an old work shallow 4 inch. But that wouldn’t be UL rated.

Jim
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Even if no room for a wood piece to attach to a strip of sheet metal might work. Spackling over a couple screws should make the contractor much happier than what it would take to move the vent pipe.

I don't see a problem with making mounting bracket of some sort for that box. I'm not even sure if such boxes are listed to begin with, or at least whether they are required to be listed. Non metallic boxes I'm pretty certain must be listed and modifications to them might be more questionable.
 
I'm sure you can make yourself a homebrew old work box out of a pancake box. Maybe start the screws in the strip of plywood so it's like a clamp. Or glue the strip to the back side of the drywall with some contact cement like 3m super 77. Or some Madison bars trimmed down might work.
 
Thanks kwired,
I did find the attached. But I assume they are not very common. I couldn’t get it til the 9th.

jim
 
if its just one cable can you not just stub it out and ommit the box all together? hey screwing into the pipe will work! but remember they still fill vents with water to test them.... :) just stub the cable directly to the light then use drywall anchors to secure...
 
I guess using a fixture where you could run the NM right in isn't an option?
 
rambojoe said:
if its just one cable can you not just stub it out and ommit the box all together? hey screwing into the pipe will work! but remember they still fill vents with water to test them.... :) just stub the cable directly to the light then use drywall anchors to secure...
Click to expand...
How does that work? Just dump water from the hose down them for a while to make sure they don't back up, or somehow completely filling them? Completely filling them means you must plug all drains or they will spill into living space.

Seriously other than some sort of filled line under pressure test being performed, that vent pipe is not likely to leak any water at all under normal operation if a screw happens to penetrate it. Still isn't necessarily a good idea to intentionally put screws into it though.
 
ask a plumber... ive seen them do it on commercial jobs, with a hose and fill one vent (riser)- they put those football looking plugs in the the cleanout down below and inflate it. no pressure, just see if the level drops...now I ASSUME that's what they are doing any way.
 
infinity said:
I guess using a fixture where you could run the NM right in isn't an option?
Click to expand...

That is correct rob. I finally found a UL rated 4 inch round old work box at a supply house.its made by Arlington. Thanks everyone for the help..... and the jokes. ? have a great day.

jim
 
I know this isn't a perfect solution, but type OWC clip in to Google and see what comes up. The implication is you may be able to buy at Home depot. The you will need to get an old work box and take the ears off of it and attache them to the sides of a pancake box and use the OWC at 90 degrees. Hide with Vanity light.
 
Thanks for the heads up. Have a good evening.

Jim


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ActionDave said:
It's called a pressure test. All the drains are capped and the pipes are filled with air or water to see if there are any leaks. If water is used it's the only time that vent pipes will get any water in them under normal conditions.
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Frank DuVal said:
View attachment 21281

They use these glue in caps so all the DWV is sealed and then pour water in to a vent top.

There are also inflatable caps that can be removed later without risking broken cap pieces getting into drains.....;)View attachment 21282
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Have to plug the "outlet" somehow or you will never get the system filled/pressurized.
 
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