Can i wire an outlet in place of the ceiling light? Need electrical help!!!

[LittleWhiteGod]

i'm moving into a new house next week and it has a walk-in closet in the master bath that i want to use. obviously, there is no power outlets in the closet but there is a light on the ceiling.

the light is a basic 2 ft. floro shop light with two bulbs in it. the generic kind you can find anywhere. anyhow, i want to use this as my source of power. is this possible? i think it is, but i need to know for sure because i want to do this safely.

the closet light is on the same 15A circuit as the bathroom. it powers the outlets and the overhead floros in that bath. i would be pulling 1 600w, an exhaust, a oscillating fan, and maybe a 1/4 hp chiller and water pump (eventually).

running extension cords is not an option and i don't think that i am brave enough to run another branch circuit so, i need to turn the light into an outlet. how can i do that?

do i need to buy an electrical junction box of some sort to strap to the ceiling to place my receptacle in? maybe the kind you find in the walls of a normal room? should i get any type of receptacle in particular?

any advice would be appreciated.

 

[ItsAllOver]

Funny. I was just thinking about this yesterday about my place.
http://www.ehow.com/how_4815043_wire-outlet-light-fixture.html
Cool coincidence

 

[blackone]

Just don't hit the switch on the wall then, hehe
Seriously though - I would make sure that wiring to outlets is of the same dimension as wiring to sockets.

 

[LittleWhiteGod]

Thanks for the link ItsALLOver. it is a cool coincidence.i googled it but didn't find specific info like that link. blackone, i would likely just strap the gang box in place where the wires come out of the ceiling instead of running an extension from it down the wall. but thanks for the heads up, and if i do extend the wires i will keep your advice in mind

anyone else? any other issues i might have or advice? if not, thanks. it seems pretty simple. i just wanted to check.

 

[LittleWhiteGod]

I N Hale, i think i will be alright in the amps department.

The 600w = 5 A
8" vortex (747 cfm) = 1.25 - 1.50 A
18" oscillating fan = .75 - 1 A
Total = 7.5 amps (if i round up)

that is all that will be run off that circuit for now, at least in the closet. i think that those numbers are right - i googled the amps for those things and that is what i came up with. if they are wrong someone let me know.

the bathroom will only be used for the overhead lights while the closet is on, and the lights will only be on for short periods. i will be running the 600w in the closet at night so i won't be using the bathroom much at that time except to brush my teeth or take a dump, and again it will be for a short time.

i would love to change the breaker to a 20 amp so i could add another 600 watter in there, but i was under the impression that i couldn't safely just switch to higher breaker. isn't the wiring on that branch circuit rated for a 15 A load? would the gauge of the wire for that circuit safely carry a 20 A load (or 80% of it)?

i don't want to create a fire hazard. i absolutly can not burn down the house. lol. i would really like to increase the amperage on that circuit, so anyone that has the expertise please chime in and let me know what my options are about the breaker upgrade. i think it sounds dangerous, but what do i know about electricity? nothing. that's why i'm asking for a little help. willing to do the breaker chang out if someone who is in the electrical biz can confirm.

thanks again to anyone that has or is willing to help.

 

[medmaker420]

you need 12 gauge for 20a, don't play around with stuff unless you change out the wiring. Could you get away with 14 gauge wire? maybe but come on..... the cost in the end makes more sense to switch to a full 20a 12 gauge wire setup.

 

[LittleWhiteGod]

Medmaker420, that was basically my thoughts on it too. again, i'm not an expert but i thought i would have to upgrade the wiring for that whole circuit if i wanted to step up the amps drawn from it.

if i was going to do that, i might as well run a dedicated 20A or 30A branch circuit to the closet. that is something i have considered, but i have no experience doing that.

i did work as a electricians helper for two summers, doing commerical buildings, when i was in high school, but that was a long time ago. i didn't learn much about the technical stuff, mainly did wire pulls, juction box wiring, pipe bending, wired receptacles, etc. so, i'm not afraid to work with wiring and electrical - i just don't know all the technical stuff.

thanks for the help and i'm open to other comments or suggestions.

 

[madpenguin]

Your right with your original assumption. You absolutely cannot put a 20A breaker on a #14AWG general purpose branch circuit or lighting circuit.

@I N Hail, please don't give advice like that anymore.....

 

[cobcoop]

It is fairly easy to convert a light fixture to an electrical socket. And it looks like you have plenty of advice on that. BUT one bad things about circuits that power bathrooms is that people use things in bathrooms that have quite a bit of draw, hair dryers etc. so just be careful in that regard.

 

[Tylor Durden]

check your switch too

check your switch too

bathroom switches have a high failure rate unless they are the Mercury type and those may only be rated for ten amp. In any case make sure the switch is wired with the screws and NOT using the push in connectors, those push in fail frequently as they have a very small contact area with the wire. You start drawing max rate on those, they will heat up and lose contact, increasing heat with bad possibilities.

I've seen more then a few bathroom boxes with heat damage and a few smokers too.

Do what it takes to run a new line into your closet. Tell the electrician you want to add an instant hot water heater for a sink in there and get some good power in. Sooner or later you'll want it and you never know, you may put that hot water heater in eventually