Dan Ader
New member
- Location
- United States
I'm replacing a switched 120v halogen under-cabinet puck light (new construction single family, kitchen, Marana AZ IRC-2012) and the wiring methods the contractor used have me raising an eye-brow. My background is +10kw UPS systems, but last time I looked at article 300 wiring methods did not allow a lighting circuit to be spliced with wire nuts stuffed into a wall cavity.
Please take a look at the attached photos: this wiring is used on a 120v switched circuit for three under-cabinet puck lights. The wiring coming out of the wall appears to be 14AWG speaker wire (unrated, no visible markings), which was spliced with wire nuts to leads from the puck light and sleeved with 6" of armored flex. Trouble is, the light has worked intermittently since we bought the house new 3 months ago. Today I took down the puck light, gently pulled the wires and out of the bore-hole came two wire nuts that had been hidden inside the wall. I thought "Ah ha! I found the intermittent!" but after opening the splice my trusty Fluke 77 says the circuit is still dead (the other two pucks on that ckt light up OK).
My concern is that there may be other hidden splice/s buried in the wall causing the intermittent, and I'm looking at either tearing up the wall or tieing off that circuit. I've asked the construction super over to have a look. What code issues should we be discussing? I'd like to be prepared with chapter and verse. What, specifically, is applicable?
Please take a look at the attached photos: this wiring is used on a 120v switched circuit for three under-cabinet puck lights. The wiring coming out of the wall appears to be 14AWG speaker wire (unrated, no visible markings), which was spliced with wire nuts to leads from the puck light and sleeved with 6" of armored flex. Trouble is, the light has worked intermittently since we bought the house new 3 months ago. Today I took down the puck light, gently pulled the wires and out of the bore-hole came two wire nuts that had been hidden inside the wall. I thought "Ah ha! I found the intermittent!" but after opening the splice my trusty Fluke 77 says the circuit is still dead (the other two pucks on that ckt light up OK).
My concern is that there may be other hidden splice/s buried in the wall causing the intermittent, and I'm looking at either tearing up the wall or tieing off that circuit. I've asked the construction super over to have a look. What code issues should we be discussing? I'd like to be prepared with chapter and verse. What, specifically, is applicable?
