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Serious question, has anyone else tried to replace a light fixture and found a wiring nightmare?
I was helping my friend in his 1970s house in Springfield last week, swapping out a basic ceiling light. We shut off the breaker, but when we opened the box, there were 7 different wires, not the 3 we expected. A previous owner had just twisted everything together with electrical tape, no wire nuts. My friend said, 'It worked before, just copy it.' I spent 2 hours with a voltage tester and my phone out, mapping it all before I felt safe to connect the new fixture. Has anyone else run into a hidden junction box like that? What's your go-to move to sort it out?
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jakem984mo ago
Mapping it was the right call, even if it took forever. Those old houses are basically held together with hopes and prayers. @patricia42 is living dangerously if they think just copying a taped up mess is fine. That's how you end up with a fire in your ceiling one night. Better safe than sorry with electricity, no shortcuts there.
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faithn516mo ago
Copy it? That's how you get a house fire. Good on you for taking the time to map it out, because just matching a bad old setup is asking for trouble. I would have taken a ton of pictures before taking anything apart, then probably called an electrician if it looked that messed up. Old houses are full of surprises, and most of them are dangerous.
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patricia426mo ago
Nah, copying the old wiring is fine if it worked before. @faithn51 is overthinking it, most of those old setups are solid. Just match the wires and you're good.
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