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?

2 comments

2 Comments

faithn518d 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.

patricia428d 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.