Low voltage lighting.

**Trent Tarter** · 08-07-2007, 07:27 PM

I seen this is a crawl space today in a 2005 built home. I think it's low voltage lighting for the kitchens under cabinet lights, but I am not sure. I am wondering if anyone has seen this before and it the wire splices should be in a j-box.

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**Rick Hurst** · 08-07-2007, 07:42 PM

Trent,

I installed some outdoor lighting in my landscape last year that had that same type of low voltage wiring and wiring connectors. It was labeled so that it could be above ground and even buried. Those wiring connectors were costly.

Rick

**Jim Robinson** · 08-07-2007, 08:28 PM

Low voltage will have a transformer that plugs into the receptacle. If the wire nuts are after the transformer I don't write up anything. If the wire nuts are after the plug and there's no transformer between it, it is not low voltage and should be in a J box. Either way the receptacle in the crawl should be protected by a GFCI device.

**Rick Cantrell** · 08-08-2007, 01:04 PM

A J Box is not needed on cord and plug appliances. Replace the cord.

**Jerry Peck** · 08-08-2007, 04:50 PM

Originally Posted by Rick Cantrell

A J Box is not needed on cord and plug appliances. Replace the cord.

To my untrained eye, it looks like lamp cord with those quick zip cord caps where you lay the lamp cord in and slide the cap on ... NOT GOOD (for anything, much less "permanent wiring in a crawlspace").

Those plugs plug into a 120 volt receptacle outlet, making them *not low voltage*, then go to 'something' (photo is too small to tell what, 'could be' a transformer) with a wire nut connection ... THAT connection is *required to be* in a junction box.

I doubt than any of that stuff should be in the crawlspace as the crawlspace is a 'damp location', besides, you now have lamp cord (zip cord for the older guys) and *EVERYONE*

knows that you are not allowed to run zip cord through floors, walls, ceilings, etc., 'low voltage or not'. If they did it otherwise (did not use zip cord), how did they do it and what did they use?

'Zip' cord is only approved for use on portable lamps, and anything going through a wall, floor or ceiling is no longer 'portable'.

(just one reason it's not allowed)

**Rick Cantrell** · 08-09-2007, 05:29 AM

E3809.3 Splices.
Flexible cord shall be used only in continuous
lengths without splices or taps.

**Rick Cantrell** · 08-09-2007, 05:39 AM

Sorry about the bold I used copy and paste, it came out bold, I tried to edit it to not bold but it would not change. I was not yelling

**Jerry Peck** · 08-09-2007, 06:12 AM

Originally Posted by Rick Cantrell

Sorry about the bold I used copy and paste, it came out bold, I tried to edit it to not bold but it would not change. I was not yelling

Rick,

Sometimes (but not always) you can remove that bold by highlighting it and making it bold, then not bold - *sometimes*.

Other times you will need to highlight it and make it underlined and italic, then remove the underlining and italics, then you can remove the bold too.

Other times (sheesh, yes) you can only submit your post, then click the 'edit' button, at which times you can now remove the bold.

Yet other times ... I just ignore the bold it puts in there because it's not worth the time or trouble to remove it.

Heck, sometimes it even ADDS returns at the ends, creating new line spacing - they can be another problem to remove.

John Steinke · 08-10-2007, 04:01 PM

Whatever the lighting may be, it looks like line voltage goes through those wires. In that case, there are two basic problems:
1) The splices need to be in a box; and,
2) Flexible cord ought not be used in place of permanent wiring methods.

Less obvious .... if that receptacle is in a crawl space, it needs to be GFCI protected.

I would not have a problem with 'flying' splices on the low voltage side of the transformer. Nor would I have a problem with wire that was intended for use with the system (some of those cables look like 'zip cord').