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Hi,
As part of a kitchen remodeling effort, I'm installing 3 recessed lights over a kitchen peninsula. I'm wiring the recessed lights into an existing single-switch circuit that controls the light over the kitchen sink (which I'm also replacing with a recessed fixture.) A portion of the ceiling drywall is currently gone in the kitchen as part of the larger remodeling effort, so I have access to the attic from below. To add the 3 peninsula lights to the circuit, I was planning to make a splice inside the box of the replacement fixture I'm installing over the kitchen sink.
I wired the 3 peninsula lights together and was extending cable to the light over the kitchen sink, to make my splice, when I noticed that the cable running to the light over the kitchen sink was spliced. Apparently the cable was cut to short to reach the light fixture so it was extended with a section of cable that was spliced in with wire caps and electrial tape. The splice was not in a j-box and was sitting right on top of the insulation. [V]
I figured that it would be easier and safer to undo that splice and add a j-box at that point from which I could make two splices...one to the light above the kitchen sink to replace the splice I just described, and another to add the peninsula lights to the circuit. However, it is my understanding that j-boxes must always be accessible, but, if I do this,the junction box would be covered by the ceiling drywall and wouldn't be accessible from the living-space, only from the attic. Is this O.K? If not, what should I do here?
Thanks for any help.
As part of a kitchen remodeling effort, I'm installing 3 recessed lights over a kitchen peninsula. I'm wiring the recessed lights into an existing single-switch circuit that controls the light over the kitchen sink (which I'm also replacing with a recessed fixture.) A portion of the ceiling drywall is currently gone in the kitchen as part of the larger remodeling effort, so I have access to the attic from below. To add the 3 peninsula lights to the circuit, I was planning to make a splice inside the box of the replacement fixture I'm installing over the kitchen sink.
I wired the 3 peninsula lights together and was extending cable to the light over the kitchen sink, to make my splice, when I noticed that the cable running to the light over the kitchen sink was spliced. Apparently the cable was cut to short to reach the light fixture so it was extended with a section of cable that was spliced in with wire caps and electrial tape. The splice was not in a j-box and was sitting right on top of the insulation. [V]
I figured that it would be easier and safer to undo that splice and add a j-box at that point from which I could make two splices...one to the light above the kitchen sink to replace the splice I just described, and another to add the peninsula lights to the circuit. However, it is my understanding that j-boxes must always be accessible, but, if I do this,the junction box would be covered by the ceiling drywall and wouldn't be accessible from the living-space, only from the attic. Is this O.K? If not, what should I do here?
Thanks for any help.
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