To install a new exterior porch light I hole hawged a 4″ hole through OSB sheathing and installed a pop in electrical box. I’m planning to mount the light fixture base on a square cedar board that has a center hole drilled for the fixture wires that will run through the board and into the electrical box. Then that board will be screwed to the sheathing right over the pop in box. I’ll then continue the fiber cement around that. It’s lap siding.
By code can that cedar board be screwed to the sheathing right over that 4″ electrical box? Hope I explained it well enough……
thanks
Replies
I think you would need a fire ring. Really, the pop in box should have been installed after the cedar board.
By code, nope. The box must be covered with a listed cover or fixture.
The right way to do it would be to make the hole in the cedar match the diameter of the box and have the box sit proud enough that that it's essentially flush with the outer face of the cedar.
Cedar is particularly easy to ignite, so proper installation is important to follow.
I do exactly the same thing, but I use a shallow box set in a recess routed in the cedar board on the outside. You can't cover up a junction box.
There is usually plenty of room to make all of the connections even with a shallow box.
What would you do if you ever wanted to change the light fixture?