I have 3 wall sconces in our bathroom and will be removing one and replacing the other two. Since one of the fixtures will be removed I need to know what to do with the loose wires once I take out the fixture. I’m expecting 3 wires, black (hot), white (neutral) and green (ground). Do I use wire nuts to cap off each wire and stuff them back in the wall or do I need to connect them in some way? This is a single-pole application with a dimmer switch if that matters.
Cap them with wire nuts if they are single wires. If there are a pairs or wires, for instance two blacks twisted together attached to the fixture then use a wire nut on both. I always wrap wire nuts with electrical tape for safety when things are done.
But why are you taking one unit our before you have the replacement to install right then?
ETA: A wire nut on both, still twisted together. If it’s not temporary it may be best to cut of the twisted portion, restrip the wires, then attach a wire nut to the clean wire.
We have three 2-bulb fixtures now and will end up with two 3-bulb fixtures when we are done, so one of the 2-bulb fixtures is going away. I can take care of that now and patch the wall before I install the 2 new ones.
Assuming you’re going to leave the splice in there, you need to ensure that the electrical box remains accessible. So you have to cover it with a blank wall plate. No plastering over splices!
That’s why I’d change all three fixtures at once, remove the old wires, and run new ones from one unit to the other if needed.
You can buy a electrical box cover. I prefer the metal ones.
A dab of paint and it’s not noticable.
Is the fixture you’re removing between the other two?
Depending on which fixture you remove you may actually find SIX wires not THREE.
The circuit may daisy chain to the next fixture.
If so then you would need to spice and cap the wires to their proper circuit legs and then cap them.
Actually, if you discover just three wires to the fixture, and you’re electric power savvy enough to not harm yourself, you could trace the connection back to one of the other fixtures and remove it all together…
And as** friedo** said, you can’t plaster or sheet rock over a live splice!
The OP doesn’t WANT a third fixture anymore, hence the point of the question. But we need to know more about the situation, because you can’t bury a junction box with spliced wires behind plaster.
Thanks, everyone. Ignorance fought.
I am assuming you are removing the middle fixture. one light fixture will probably have the power coming into it. And a wire going from the 1st fixture to the 2nd fixture. And a wire coming from the 2nd fixture to the 3rd fixture. If this is the case and as long as you are going to have wall work to do any way, I would remove the wires from the 1 to 2 and 2 to 3. The replace them with a new wire going from 1 to 3. Making sure to use 12/2 with ground or 14/2 with ground wire depending on the circuit breaker. 15 amp 14 or 12. 20 amp only.
Or if the wiring is Power into box 1 the from box 1 to box 2 and from box 1 to box 3. The remove the wire from box 1 to box 2.
But no wire nutted splices outside a box, or inside a box that is in accessable.