# Best way to cover up existing can light in textured ceiling?



## dielectricunion (Feb 27, 2013)

Inner10 said:


> It took you 45 minutes to disconnect from the switch? Lemme guess it took 40 min to find the slotted screwdriver.


He's a drywaller not an electrician. Look at what the other drywallers said ..."no reason not to leave the hot wires behind the drywall"


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

dielectricunion said:


> He's a drywaller not an electrician. Look at what the other drywallers said ..."no reason not to leave the hot wires behind the drywall"


It's really not any more dangerous than any wire behind drywall.


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

dielectricunion said:


> Check 300.15


Good catch. Since wire-nutting technically is a termination, that article does require putting them in a box. My bad.

For bonus points, show me where that box (which is not a _junction_ box) is required to be accessible. :jester:

In response to the howls of indignation, I do normally seek out and disconnect the other end of the line whenever it's at all practical. But you guys must not understand electricity if you think that somehow such a line is more dangerous than any of the others.


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

Tinstaafl said:


> Good catch. Since wire-nutting technically is a termination, that article does require putting them in a box. My bad.
> 
> For bonus points, show me where that box (which is not a _junction_ box) is required to be accessible. :jester:
> 
> In response to the howls of indignation, I do normally seek out and disconnect the other end of the line whenever it's at all practical. But you guys must not understand electricity if you think that somehow such a line is more dangerous than any of the others.


What if you don't nut it off?


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

Inner10 said:


> What if you don't nut it off?


I set you up for that. :laughing:


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## jb4211 (Jul 13, 2010)

While it's not in the NEC, I tape all of my nutted connections, switches, receptacles, etc. It only takes a few seconds to put afew wraps off tape sound the receptacle screws.

I just want to do the best job possible while staying in or close to budget.

If I had to leave a live wire in the wall, I would install it in a 4" square box, nutted and taped with a cover and I would write a note on the cover for the next guy.


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## rrk (Apr 22, 2012)

We went through this a year or so ago, inspector said it is an unused wire and had to be removed if possible.

My electrician normally removes them any way to save the next guy from tracing a wire to nowhere.

When I did commercial LV work I would be very pissed if I spent most of a day tracing a wire that was not attached to something.


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## Spencer (Jul 6, 2005)

Inner10 said:


> It took you 45 minutes to disconnect from the switch? Lemme guess it took 40 min to find the slotted screwdriver.


I had to scratch my butt for a while too...:whistling


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

rrk said:


> We went through this a year or so ago, inspector said it is an unused wire and had to be removed if possible.
> 
> My electrician normally removes them any way to save the next guy from tracing a wire to nowhere.
> 
> When I did commercial LV work I would be very pissed if I spent most of a day tracing a wire that was not attached to something.


Seeing as you did commercial LV work I'd say you have a few weeks invested in doing that, I call those wires red herrings.


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## Xtrememtnbiker (Jun 9, 2013)

So in thinking about it more today... I hope I didn't come across as a hack last night. I've never left a live wire loose in a wall. I've never had a situation before where I couldn't remove the wire, or disconnect it at a different end and leave it in the wall dead.

I'm anal about making things right and leaving as little crap around. I vac the stud bays on a remodel before drywall goes up. We don't deposit trash in random holes and cavity's.

I will always do the best job I can and leave the site as neat and professional as possible. That would include not leaving extra wires in the wall that aren't needed anymore.

I was more "wow'd" because I'd never thought of it how Tin put it regarding the junction.

However as dielectricunion put it, it is a junction with the nuts on it, so I don't plan to ever leave a live wire capped in the wall.

That being said... any reason to in that random weird case, does code prohibit you from putting said wire in a box and dropping the box in the wall?


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

Xtrememtnbiker said:


> So in thinking about it more today... I hope I didn't come across as a hack last night. I've never left a live wire loose in a wall. I've never had a situation before where I couldn't remove the wire, or disconnect it at a different end and leave it in the wall dead.
> 
> I'm anal about making things right and leaving as little crap around. I vac the stud bays on a remodel before drywall goes up. We don't deposit trash in random holes and cavity's.
> 
> ...


In the CEC there is "workmanship" section of the code, so if the inspector feels as though it's a violation of good practice he could call it.


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## avenge (Sep 25, 2008)

Xtrememtnbiker said:


> That being said... any reason to in that random weird case, does code prohibit you from putting said wire in a box and dropping the box in the wall?


That would make it inaccessible so it's against code.


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## RiverBG (Jun 1, 2014)

Pretty easy to find the the end, it's a light, start with the switch.....


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## Big Shoe (Jun 16, 2008)

The things I have seen...........:whistling


Spencer, any time you do a ceiling repair you must always think about flashing and the paint matching. I tell customers we may have to paint the entire ceiling. 
From my experience, it rarely matches.


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## Spencer (Jul 6, 2005)

Big Shoe said:


> The things I have seen...........:whistling
> 
> 
> Spencer, any time you do a ceiling repair you must always think about flashing and the paint matching. I tell customers we may have to paint the entire ceiling.
> From my experience, it rarely matches.


That was my thinking on this job as well. Thankfully its not just where I'm removing the can but also the 3'x4' area above the shower that will need textured as well. So its easy to justify doing the whole ceiling.

The guys before did the texture so watery that I don't think I can even imitate it so I'm just going to go over everything with new lace. Whole bathroom will get paint as well so we're good there. I'll post some pics later. I think I'm going over there later today again.


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## EthanB (Sep 28, 2011)

Spencer, to answer the actual patching part of your question, I have a ceiling can holesaw that I would use to cut a patch out of new drywall. Scrape the texture back a few inches from the hole Stick furring behind the hole and screw it to the existing ceiling, install your piece and mud and tape. 

You can also cut a 9-10" diameter circle and then use the hole saw to cut most of the way through the back(leaving the paper) and then break off the excess core so you have a paper flap around the edge. That's a california patch and it's helpful for round shapes where the taping would be time consuming.

PS - If can lights are in a run you can usually remove the can from the next fixture down the line to access the box and pull the line that leads to the unit you are removing.


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## Spencer (Jul 6, 2005)

Inner10 said:


> It took you 45 minutes to disconnect from the switch? Lemme guess it took 40 min to find the slotted screwdriver.










found the dang screwdriver in the van this morning. I really was looking for it yesterday. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## jb4211 (Jul 13, 2010)

Spencer said:


> found the dang screwdriver in the van this morning. I really was looking for it yesterday.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I spent a half day looking for two cans of spray foam and one can of cleaner that I knew was somewhere in my trailer. I couldn't find it. Bought more. Two days pass. I go back to another job i'm working on, there they were in a bucket.

Damn


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

jb4211 said:


> I spent a half day looking for two cans of spray foam and one can of cleaner that I knew was somewhere in my trailer. I couldn't find it. Bought more. Two days pass. I go back to another job i'm working on, there they were in a bucket.
> 
> Damn


That one scenario pretty much describes my life.


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