[plangley]

I purchased a Kvintett sconce style light for my bathroom. At the store it was labeled "hardwire", of course I unbox it only to find that it has a big long cord with a switch and a plug at the end of it.

Can I cut the cord off and hardwire this bad-boy to my wall? The sconce has no ground wire for the plug, but I have a ground coming out of my wall, what do I do with the ground, ignore it? Also, when I slice this cord open on the fixture, how will I know which one connects to the black wire and which one connects to the white wire that comes out of my wall?

Any help will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Porter Langley

[Narf]

The wiring used for hardwire lamps are UL rated differently from cords; unless you're taking the wiring all the way from the bulb socket, I wouldn't do it.

Should a mishap occur because of it, your homeowner's insurance can deny coverage.

[splatgirl]

Really? Is it just that the gauge of wire might be different or what? Because that is easily determined...

Does it not stand to reason that a wire of adequate gauge to carry current to the fixture can carry current regardless of whether it's coming from a receptacle or a junction box?

I'm very curious about this since I've done it countless times. My electrician even did it AND told me it was OK.

[Narf]

Temperature rating on the wiring is the first aspect that comes to mind. The wiring on hardwired lights have to resist higher temperatures.

Yeah, it can be done and it can work, but as I mentioned, should a mishap occur, insurance could deny coverage.

If you still want to proceed, add a grounding wire from the lamp base to the mounting box.

[plangley]

So , if I really wanted to play it safe but still do it, how does this sound?


I have enough slack of wire coming out of the wall that I could wire it straight into the socket, so I wouldn't actually be using anything from the cord. That way we may be alright. I would also, like you said, ground it to the mounting plate.

I don't know exactly how to wire it to the socket, but I'll figure it out. Thanks for the heads up about the homeowner's stuff. It sounds like this is something people do all the time, but if it blows up the house its your own fault. I can live with that.

[Narf]

No, you still want the tie in at the box. If you still insist, cut the cord and tie it in.

If you're unsure about which is hot and which is neutral, though ... well, that part I'm going to leave it up to you. I can't give all the answers, especially when it's of this nature; besides, it's not like I could tell anyways without looking directly at what I'm working with.

Bottom line: If you have any doubts to this, hire an electrician! Please!

[plangley]

After careful consideration, I think I will be purchasing a different light fixture. I don't want to risk it. Thanks for the input.